Update: the track was released on the 21st of November and can be viewed below. Musicians Björk and Rosalia will release a brand new track this October and give all its proceeds to the fight against salmon farming in Iceland.
For too long, according to the renowned artist, large Norwegian and Icelandic companies have been filling Icelandic fjords with salmon farms without proper oversight or regulations.
“The people of Seyðisfjörður protested that their fjord would probably be subjected to this. They are in a lawsuit about this and we would like to help with the costs. This could be a precedent for all fjords in the world.
Iceland has the largest untouched area in Europe. Here in summer sheep have been free in the mountains, birds have flown over them and fish have been swimming unchecked in rivers, lakes and fjords,” says Björk.
Today, Saturday October 7, people are protesting in the center of Reykjavík. The event is organised by Young environmentalists, Nature Conservation Association of Iceland, Landvernd the Icelandic Environment Association, The National Association of Angling associations, The North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF), The Icelandic Wildlife Fund and VÁ-Association.
Fish farming in Iceland has been in the international news as of late because of salmon escaping the farms and mixing with wild fish. Additionally the fish has been found to be kept in terrible conditions showing signs of diseases. One recent Guardian article claims the the situation at one of the salmon farms in Iceland is a ‘welfare disaster’.
Perhaps fitting for the Icelandic artist, the song, Oral, is a decades old creation that the Björk felt was a good fit to release today, with Rosalía, seeing how it strangely has some reggeaton sounds to it.
