Despite the incident wreaking olfactory havoc on Finland and Norway's pristine landscapes, the region's deodorant markets remained unaffected. Experts, who previously predicted a surge in sales due to the unsettling stench, were left scratching their heads.
'We expected to see our sales skyrocket because, frankly, the entire Southern Norway region smelled like a rotten seafood buffet,' admitted Pirkko Heikkinen, CEO of Nordic Fragrance Company 'Sniffle-Free.' 'But instead, they flatlined faster than the heart rates on those poor Atlantic salmon.'
Researchers at Finland's University of Oulu hypothesized that the peculiar Nordic tendency of coping with any pungent smell by 'hardening the nostrils' might be at play. The practice, an ingrained cultural habit, is said to help Nordics adapt to challenging smells and odors.
Even the efforts of China's tech giant Huawei, which engaged facial recognition AI technology to distinguish and block migrating pink salmon, hasn't managed to mitigate the stench. 'Our technology may be able to prevent pink salmon from invading, but it can't stop their odor,' confessed Huang Chengdong, Chief Fish Identification Engineer at Huawei.
As bewildering as the trend is, society regulars suggest that it highlights the resilience of the Nordic folk. 'We've endured Viking raids, brutal winters, and pickled herring. A bit of fishy smell won't send us running for underarm defense,' said Ragnar Olafsson, a proud Finn and a local fishermen.
As the 'Fishocalypse' continues, the world watches with bated breath - literally - for its resolution and the possible resurgence of deodorant sales. However, taking cues from the Nordics, it isn't unlikely that complacency - and a strong nose - may continue to hold the sales flat in these odoriferous times.
Based on: 'It smells so bad': glut of wild salmon creates stink in Norway and Finland