Patreksfjörður farmed salmon escape

The Patreksfjörður farmed salmon escape was the escape of approximately 3500 farm-raised Atlantic salmon in an open fish farm on August 20, 2023, at Patreksfjörður, a village on the northwest coast of Iceland. The fish farm is managed by Arctic Fish, an agricultural company in Norway. Soon after the incident, Arctic Fish discovered two 20 by 30 centimeter holes in its net pens.

Aftermath
Arctic Fish fixed the two holes by placing new nets over them on August 21, 2023. Drone footage shows that fish were seen in the river of Ósá in Patreksfjörður on August 22, 2023. Inspectors from the Directorate of Fisheries, Norway, ordered Arctic Fish to set up nets in nearby rivers on August 23, 2023. At least four salmon that appeared to have characteristics of farmed salmon were caught in the nets and were sent to the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute for analysis. Arctic Fish has issued an apology.

Environmental Impact
Many of the escaped farmed salmon have reached sexual maturity. This implies that there will most likely be introgression between the escapees and local wild salmon population. Farmed salmon escape incidents can cause irreversible and substantial impact on wild salmon populations. Farmed salmon can compete with wild salmon for resources, introduce diseases, and reduce genetic diversity through interbreeding. Escape incidents can also lead to the extinction of wild salmon over time.

Reaction
Since this incident, there was also a sea lice outbreak at an open sea salmon farm in Tálknafjörður, Iceland. Many locals and environmentalists have been protesting against open sea fish farm industries in Iceland.

On November 9, 2023, Icelandic singer songwriter, Björk, released a song titled, "Oral," in collaboration with Catalan pop star, Rosalía. The profits of the song will go towards supporting activists who are fighting for new laws and regulations for aquaculture in Iceland.