CALL FOR PAPERS – International Conference "The Big Fish: The Owners of Salmon Farming in Norway and Chile."

Salmon farming took off half a century ago to become the flagship of aquaculture, the fastest growing sector of the global food industry, accounting for more than half the world’s seafood production. The sector has been studied from different perspectives, from its environmental impact to its technological innovations and from labor regulations in the sector to the markets’ evolution. Yet little to no attention has been paid to the economic groups leading the industry to its current leading position. As the business flourished, these groups became extraordinary powerful, particularly in the two largest producers, Norway and Chile. Their growth changed the economic, political, social and environmental landscape in these countries, while their actions remained for decades mostly under the radar.

Published: (Updated: )

Poster for a call for papers for the conference “The Big Fish: The Owners of Salmon Farming in Norway and Chile.” Includes the event location and dates, being the 15th and 16th of March, 2027, at University of Bergen. The design features a blue background with fish illustrations, along with institutional logos and organiser information.
Photo: DARKLAX

Conference

Organised by both DARKLAX and SALELITE research projects, The Big Fish is the first international conference bringing together scholars to discuss the relevance of this new reality. A central question for this meeting is whether they represent a new elite whose interests and influence can be identified and analysed. Who are these groups? What are their specific interests, and what kinds of visions do they have of the nations in which they operate?

Call for Papers 

As the first international conference on the growing power of salmon farming economic groups, The Big Fish invites you to submit abstracts of papers based on research conducted in Chile and/or Norway. We welcome scholars from a variety of disciplines, including, but not limited to, anthropology, history, political science and sociology. Topics to be considered about salmon farming economic groups in any of the two countries include:

  • Their history; economic and political development 
  • Relation with, and influence over, governments at a national and local levels 
  • Transnationalisation 
  • Political activism, political views and strategies 
  • Relation with other economic groups 
  • Relation with environmental developments, policies and perceptions 
  • Technological development 
  • Self-perception and legitimation 
  • Comparative perspectives between Chile and Norway

Submission guidelines

Please send your abstract in Word or PDF format to thebigfish@uib.no. Abstracts should be approximately 300 words in length and will be evaluated by the project leaders of DARKLAX and SALELITE.

Important dates

Paper Submission deadline: September 1st, 2026 
Decision date: November 1st, 2026

Questions?

Contact any of the two project leaders at: