Icelandic singer Björk recorded a song in defense of salmon

Icelandic singer Björk together with Catalan singer Rosalia recorded a song against salmon farming.

According to Björk, aquaculture has already had a devastating effect on Iceland’s wildlife. In particular, she noted the “terrible diseases” of fish and the influence of recently escaped salmon on the DNA of their wild relatives. This is true: cultivated salmon die en masse, for example, from infectious anemia (the disease is incurable – when infected fish are found, the entire herd is killed), and the genes of escaped fish make the population of wild salmon less adapted to the environment.

In an interview with The Guardian, Björk said that artists often become environmentalists because they are “canaries in the coal mine.” “Our job is to constantly keep our sensors, our antennas on – to read how we feel in the environment, and to be alert. We caught this emergency situation – and we want to act in accordance with it,” the singer explained.

According to Björk, she recorded this song about 20 years ago, and, having discovered it this year, turned to Rosalia to “update it for a modern audience.” The single will be released at the end of October. The performer will donate the proceeds to activists who oppose commercial salmon farming in Iceland.

• Björk has touched on environmental themes in her work before. In 2008, she released the single Náttúra, all proceeds from which went to the campaign against the construction of foreign aluminum plants in Iceland, and in 2019, the appeal of the Swedish eco-activist Greta Thunberg was broadcast on Björk’s show.