Færeyingar eru að vakna upp við þann vonda draum að laxeldið í opnu sjókvíunum við eyjarnar mengar miklu meira en talið var. Er mengun á við það sem berst til sjávar frá gjörvallri Kaupmannahöfn.
Samkvæmt umfjöllun færeyska ríkissjónvarpinu Kringvarp Føroya:
„Fish farming in the Faroes causes far more pollution than previously estimated, a KVF documentary reveals.
According to data uncovered in the programme, a fish farm containing 5,000 tonnes of fully-grown salmon creates up to five tonnes of biological waste per day. …
One of the most harmful waste products is the beggiatoa bacterium, which is prevalent in the water beneath Faroese fish farms.
It is, however, not only the extensive pollution that is problematic, as our understanding of the ecosystem in Faroese fjords is limited and outdated, says Knút Simonsen, a researcher at aquaculture research station Fiskaaling.
“Most of what we know today comes from research carried out by the Faroe Marine Research Institute in 1990. We are in dire need of updated data in this field,” he says.