News
North Atlantic Salmon fund launches new public education campaign targeting uncontained aquaculture in Iceland
August 11, 2021 - The North Atlantic Salmon Fund, NASF, is continuing its work to educate the public and policy makers about the marine impacts of open net pen aquaculture (aka “uncontained aquaculture”). In partnership with its NASF affiliate in Iceland, the GCF grantee launched an outreach campaign featuring shocking footage captured by kayaker and human rights activist, Veiga Grétarsdóttir. The images demonstrate that Iceland is not immune to the environmental harms and animal rights abuses experienced in neighboring salmon farming countries such as Scotland and Norway. Learn more about uncontained aquaculture here and stay up to date as events unfold via NASF Iceland’s facebook page, here.
GCF co-sponsors second Ghost Trap Rodeo with Ocean Aid 360
May 21, 2021 - The Keys Weekly covered the latest Ghost Trap Rodeo in the Florida Keys last May, the second in a collaborative effort between GCF and grantee Ocean Aid 360. The event harnessed volunteer time while compensating boat captains who were missing work due to the pandemic. Hundreds of lobsters trapped in deserted cages were released, along with a sea turtle (“Trappy”) rescued from tangled fishing gear.
Read more, here: Ocean ‘Rodeo’ Removes Debris, Not Fish, From Keys Waters.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rejects Pebble mine permit in Bristol Bay, Alaska
November 25, 2020 - Thanks to efforts by GCF grantee Wild Salmon Center (WSC) in Alaska and other stakeholders, political leaders joined federal scientists in speaking up for Bristol Bay, resulting in the U.S. Army Corps’ denial of Pebble Mine’s controversial federal permit. Learn more, here.
WSC is committed to the conservation of wild salmon through scientific research, habitat protection, and fisheries improvement projects. To date, WSC has secured 71 rivers and 3 million acres in protected lands and special wild fish management areas.
World Central kitchen puts shuttered restaurants to work feeding Covid relief workers in NYC and beyond
May 1, 2020 - In March, after being called on to assist passengers on a cruise ship in Japan stricken with C19, World Central Kitchen (WCK) began preparing for a larger response. As New York City quickly became the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States, WCK’s Relief Team enlisted hundreds of shuttered restaurants and kitchens to feed medical professionals on the front lines.
GCF’s was proud to support WCK in early April 2020, during a critical period when hospitals were overwhelmed and the medical professionals working in them needed assistance the most. As of June 2021, WCK has provided more than 9.6 million meals for hospital staff and families in need in New York.
Patagonia to launch new documentary, Artifishal, in Iceland
April 4, 2019 - International clothing company Patagonia will be hosting a world premiere of the documentary film Artifishal in Iceland next week in order to draw global attention to the threat of open net pen farming in the country.
The company has partnered with Icelandic NGO the North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF) to support its Against the Current campaign. This effort is fighting the expansion of aquaculture in open net pens in Iceland and seeks to educate the public about the benefits of fish farming on land or in closed net pens.
“We are excited to partner with Patagonia in focusing international attention on the issue of open net pen farming in Iceland. It comes during a critical time, with the current fish farming bill before Parliament,” stated NASF Chairman Fridleifur Gudmundsson. Read more here about the film and the Patagonia / NASF partnership.
Conservation Efforts by North Atlantic Salmon Fund highligted in the wading list
December 17, 2018 - The Wading List’s Leonard Schoenberger profiles efforts by the North Atlantic Salmon Fund to fight the expansion of uncontained aquaculture in Iceland. GCF Founder and Chair, Chad Pike, explained why the issue is of personal importance to him.
“This is Iceland’s national treasure, its legacy to future generations. People from all over the world escape to this remote, untouched island to experience its unspoilt nature, myself included. It would be tragic if the country went the way of Norway and Scotland, which have both seen incredible environmental devastation from salmon farms,” says Chad Pike, Chair of NASF US. “I call this type of farming ‘uncontained aquaculture’ because open nets allowing tons of raw waste, chemical-laced feed, and disease to flow out of high-density pens into the open waters around them.”
Read the full article, here: Uncontained Aquaculture Threatens Iceland
Fish and Fly features letter by GCF founder & NASF Chair, Chad Pike, urging public action against uncontained aquaculture
December 12, 2018 - Internationally acclaimed angling magazine Fish and Fly published an open letter by GCF founder, Chad Pike, advocating for a thoughtful approach to salmon farming in Iceland. Pike, who is also Chair of the North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF), US, is working closely with NASF’s Icelandic affiliates in order to spread public awareness about the detrimental impacts of open net pen salmon farming. Read the letter here and lend your support to this important cause.