More than one million farmed salmon died in Iceland’s sea-based fish farms in September 2026, marking an unusually severe month for the aquaculture industry, according to reports from RÚV and RÚV English. The losses could have significant economic consequences for the aquaculture industry and local communities.
The losses were mostly concentrated in Reyðarfjörður, a fjord in East Iceland, where sea cages house large numbers of farmed fish. The salmon deaths were largely caused by jellyfish, which accounted for over 600,000 fatalities during the month.
A department head at MAST, Iceland’s Food and Veterinary Authority, confirmed to RÚV that the vast majority of mortalities happened in September, with jellyfish posing a particular problem for the farmed fish in that period.
Sources
- RÚV (first reported) in Icelandic
- RÚV English
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