Probe into large Iceland salmon escape finally ends

The Mowi-owned business experienced the accidental release of more than 3,000 salmon in the Isafjord area in August 2023.

The incident led to widespread protests from anti-salmon farm campaigners, sports fishing groups and a sizeable section of the public. Arctic Fish apologised for the incident and instituted a large-scale escaped fish recovery plan.

The issue has been rumbling on since then, but now the Icelandic State Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed a police decision not to pursue the complaint against Stein Ove Tveiten, CEO of Arctic Fish, and the company’s board of directors, any further.

The investigation had focused on whether the CEO and the board were criminally liable for the fish escaping from the fish farm by neglecting to ensure that the necessary equipment for fish farming was in place.

The Westfjords Police Commissioner decided at the beginning of this year, for the second time, to drop the case with reference to Article 145 of the Criminal Procedure Code, i.e. on the basis that no information had been provided in the case that was sufficient or likely to lead to a conviction.

That decision was appealed, but the State Prosecutor later ruled that proper procedures at the farm had been in place, and now the case has been officially closed.