SHOUTS - Music from the Rooftops!

Seyðisfjörður bay in Iceland from up the mountains. Photo by Lode Van de Velde, who released the image under Public Domain license CC0 Public Domain.

The fight to preserve Iceland’s pristine wild fjords from industrial-scale salmon farming has gained the support of an unlikely ally, with the legendary Pearl Jam adding their voice to the growing fight against open-net salmon farming, a movement that is slowly gaining traction in the small island nation in the North Atlantic.

For several years, environmental groups and residents around Iceland have raised their concerns about the impact of open-net fish farming on the country’s marine ecosystems, which they claim are being polluted by the farms, causing disease in the country’s fish populations. Several cases of the farmed salmon escaping into the wild have also been documented, which can alter the genetic makeup of the country’s native salmon populations.

While the risk of damage to environments by farmed salmon that escape from fish farms, pollution, and parasites is a major cause of concern, new research also shows that large environmental impacts of farmed salmon in Iceland come not from the fish farms themselves, but from the global supply chain of ingredients used in fish feed.

The issue has become increasingly divisive, with a majority of the country’s residents opposing the growth of the industry.

This is not the first time that Pearl Jam has engaged in activism – the band has long been vocal about climate issues, including environmental activism, and has helped draw attention to issues that would otherwise not have been given much media coverage.

The battle against open-net fish farming in Iceland has already gained some high-profile support. Maybe the country’s most renowned musician, Björk, has previously helped raise funds for legal action against fish farming companies, bringing into focus the environmental risks that this industry poses.

The addition of Pearl Jam’s voice to this list of celebrity supporters of fish farming abolition is likely to bring this movement against fish farming in Iceland into greater focus worldwide. To the activists on the ground, gaining international support is of great importance.

The country’s fjords, considered some of Europe’s last remaining wild marine environments, are now on the frontline of this debate over how we can sustainably produce fish without sacrificing biodiversity.

According to a 2023 research paper, Iceland urgently needs better marine planning to battle both climate change and increased aquaculture. However, the current Marine Spatial Planning system (MSP) in the Westfjords is limited by weak public participation, a lack of transparency, and power imbalances that favor influential actors. To succeed, the system must become more inclusive, transparent, and proactive while addressing broader governance issues related to aquaculture regulation.

Eddie Vedder and Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam. Photo by vazzz – published under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Those who have followed Pearl Jam throughout their career know that they’ve always used their music and their collective voice to help others. And while Icelandic people were perhaps not expecting help to come from this direction, it is definitely greatly appreciated.

On their website, Pearl Jam write:

“We stand with the people of Iceland to end open net salmon farming and protect Iceland’s biodiversity and coastal ecosystems for future generations.

Sign the petition at LetsUndoThis.com to stand with the 63% of Icelanders who oppose sea cages and urge Parliament to strengthen the bill by adding three guardrails:

✔️ Phase out sea cages

✔️ Stop new sea‑cage licenses

✔️ Transition to closed or land‑based systems

Every signature and share helps secure a stronger future for Iceland and wild Atlantic salmon.”

At a recent concert in Milan Pearl Jam’s First Lady, Jill Vedder, wore a jacket with a rather tapey looking text that said: “Yes we care. Y-don’t U?”. This comes as a response to the ridiculous jacket Melanie Trump wore recently that famously said: “I really don’t care. Do you?”.

Although the mainstream media has focused mostly on the fact that Mrs. Trump was photographed wearing this jacket as she boarded Air Force One on her way to visit a detention center were children had been separated from their parents at the Us-Mexico border, one could argue that the pivotal thing in all of this is the message the jacket boasted. Indifference to the hardship people face in the world today must not exist. Everyday people are fighting to inform and educate and spread patience, unity and tolerance. For the First Lady of, unfortunately, one of the most influential countries in the world to ruin such work and spread such a blatant message of indifference is beyond tragic. We can only hope that response jackets start popping up around the world at an intense rate with alternative words of wisdom.

Perhaps a movement is brewing. One 15 year old artist, Jenna Ortega, participated a few days ago (same night as the PJ Milan show) at the Radio Disney Music Awards wearing a jacket stating: “I do care and U should too”.

During another recent concert, in London, Eddie Vedder took the opportunity, as he does, to share his concerns about the much covered U.S. border patrol policiy and use his voice as a responsible musician ought to.

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