From Patagonia:
Campaign calls on the Icelandic government to show leadership in Europe by banning open net pen salmon farms in its coastal waters. Today (Thursday 8 February), outdoor clothing company Patagonia releases its new film, Laxaþjóð – A Salmon Nation, about the fight to protect Iceland’s pristine waters and wild salmon from industrial open net salmon farms.
The 27-minute documentary tells the story of a country united by its lands and waters, and the power of the community working to protect the nature and wildlife that has helped forge the nation’s identity. It will premiere at a public event in Reykjavik and online, as part of an international campaign to raise awareness
of the harms caused to wild fish, natural environments and farmed animals by open net pens.
Yvon Chouinard, founder, Patagonia, said:
“Since my first trip to Iceland in 1960, we have seen wild salmon stocks collapsing and now, if the salmon farming industry is allowed to continue in the same direction, the wild species will be history and pristine nature spoiled. It’s happened already in the U.K. and Norway.
“In Iceland, as with everywhere else, economy revolves around nature, not the other way around. If we destroy nature, we will destroy our economy. It’s going to take vision and leadership to reverse the damage, but we know it can be done.”
