The pink areas are the planned fish farm arrays. They are VAST. To date there has been a dozen of so pens near Isafjordur and just two pens close to Sudavik. This proposal is an abrupt and colossal introduction of a very dangerous industry in the fjord. What chance does nature stand if it is treated like this?
I would be so grateful if you were able to donate ten minutes of your day to submit an online message to the Icelandic authorities giving your opinion on the proposed plans to fill a wild and special fjord full of whales, seals, puffins and other birdlife with industrial open water fish farms - the type that are known to cause serious ecological harm.
The first line of fish pens installed off the coast of Vigur - there are now two lines of pens with a two-story barge moored between them. A larger array is proposed even closer to the northern shore of Vigur (to the right of the island in the picture). The visual impact alone is devastating but the impact on the wildlife and environment is catastrophic. Vigur is a rare and valuable hotspot for wildlife, particularly birds but all the hard work invested here on nature and the environment has been wiped out by the careless introduction of these industrial fish farms.
One large fish farm array has already been put in place in the middle of an important navigation channel for whales and extremely close to the shore of Vigur - an island of international importance as a seabird habitat and dense birdlife including one of Iceland's few remaining puffin colonies that has a stable population. But this is just the start, the authorities plan to install vast fish farm arrays right the way across the entire fjord.
The current public consultation is a rare chance to stop something terrible from happening, we just need to raise our voices. The issue may be geographically located in Iceland but the threat to precious wildlife such as whales, puffins, dolphins and seals make it an international issue on which everyone has a right to comment.
How to submit a protest:
Go to https://www.hafskipulag.is/um/senda-athugasemd/
Fill out the form with your name (nafn) and email address (netfang) - the form is in Icelandic but you can submit comments in English and you do not have to be Icelandic to protest.
The next line asks for 'Skjal sem gerð er athugasemd við' (document code) - here write 'Strandsvæðisskipulag Vestfjaða 2022' or in English characters Strandsvaeðisskipulag Vestfjada 2022.
The last box is for writing your comment (Fyrirspurn).
The opportunity to submit comments ends on September 15th 2022.
If your comment is received you will be sent an acknowledgement by email (which will be in Icelandic). The message says that your comment will be addressed after 15th September if it has prompted an alteration to the proposed plan.
Together we CAN make a difference. Please help us let the authorities know how we feel about this careless and foolhardy destruction of the environment and the wildlife we love.
More information at Save The Djúp