Iceland raises salmon farming levy by 46%

Iceland’s salmon companies will be paying a lot more in fish farming fees next year, it has been announced.

The government has increased the fee rates for farmed fish by 46% from early next year.

The new rates will be ISK 45.03 (£0.26) per kilogram of slaughtered salmon and ISK 22.52 per kg (£0.13) for slaughtered rainbow trout, Iceland’s two main aquaculture sIceland raises salmon farming fees by 46%pecies.

The announcement was made on the website of Fiskistofa, the Iceland national fisheries agency also known as the Directorate of Fisheries.

The industry has yet to comment on the increase, but it will not be happy as it is one of the largest yet in percentage terms.

The Icelandic media is pointing out that fish farming fees have increased by more than 2,000% for both salmon and trout since they were introduced in 2020.

Fiskistofa imposes the fee twice a year. The first usually comes in on August 15 for the period from January 1 to June 30 and then on February 15 for the period from July 1 to December 31.

The organisation said: “Fiskistofa has calculated the aquaculture fee for next year that salmon farming companies must pay for the farmed fish.”

The increase is expected to generate large revenues for the country’s exchequer. Iceland is due to elect a new government this weekend and fish farming has featured strongly during the election debates with some minor parties calling for a ban or new restrictions on open fjord operations.

However, a new right of centre coalition government is likely and few changes to fish farming are expected.