Locals question fish farms inside new marine national park

A newly designated marine national park in Lillebælt now surrounds three active fish farms, a contradiction that has left local residents and conservationists baffled, according to a report by Danish broadcaster DR.

Ulrik Vendelbo, chair of Assens Dykkerklub, filmed masses of dead fish and sea stars on the seabed during a dive in September 2025, an unusual sight in the normally fast-flowing strait. The discovery came just as a broad political majority at Christiansborg agreed to establish the marine national park.

“It’s absurd,” Vendelbo said. “Either you want to protect nature, or you don’t. You can’t call something a national park while still allowing direct discharge from a fish farm in the middle of it.”

One farm operates inside the park’s boundaries, with two more adjacent to its edges. Industry representatives dispute the criticism. René Christensen, director of Dansk Akvakultur, argued that strong currents in Lillebælt minimize environmental impact. “We’re pleased the government has decided a national park can coexist with these farms,” he said. “The professional assessment is that the effect is very small.”

Local anglers and conservation groups disagree. Daniel Ingemann Thomsen, chair of Lillebælt Småbådsklub, said fish stocks have collapsed over the past decade. “It’s sad that as a society, we accept nature suffering this much,” he said. Jytte Kaad, a Skærbæk resident and local nature group coordinator, called the nearby Børup Sande fish farm an “eyesore” and questioned its nitrogen discharges within a protected area.