Danish Environment Minister Lea Wermelin is putting an end to new aquaculture projects in the country, while also preventing existing ones from expanding, reports FodevareWatch.
Wermelin views aquaculture as disruptive for the environment and said that Denmark has already reached its limit for the amount of fish that can be farmed at sea without compromising the environment.
The country is currently home to about 19 fish farms. The minister cites oxygen depletion and the subsequent rise of nitrogen and phosphorus as the main risk of fish farming in Denmark.
"I am concerned about the state of our aquatic environment and this applies to both open-sea and coastal areas and, therefore, I don't think there is room for more or larger aquaculture," the minister said.
In addition to environmental consequences, six out of the 19 farms in Denmark do not have the statutory licenses to operate, while the 13 others do not have permits at all.
The minister is waiting for a major investigation of the sector, but stresses that the government will generally aim to breed fish on land in the future.
