The past four years have seen numerous parliamentary inquiries, consultations, working groups and reviews of aquaculture in Scotland. Our Living Seas Manager Dr Sam Collin outlines the progress we want to see in the year ahead.

Salmon farming is an incredibly divisive subject. Proponents of the industry highlight both the economic and social benefits of an expanding industry that produces Scotland’s second most financially lucrative food export (behind whisky). Opponents believe the industry’s impact on marine life is unacceptable and that all of the open-cage farms in Scotland’s seas should be closed down and moved to land.

Salmon farming presents several environmental concerns. Most notable are the release of waste material such as faeces and medicines into the marine environment, unnaturally high numbers of sea lice which affect wild Atlantic salmon and sea trout as well as farmed fish, and noise pollution, which can impact marine mammals.

The salmon farming industry is expected to grow over the coming years. It is imperative that these concerns are addressed to avoid exacerbating the industry’s impact on the natural  environment.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust supports sustainable salmon farming. We want to see effective regulation, monitoring, enforcement and research help to achieve an industry that can demonstrate genuinely high quality and unrivaled environmental credentials.

We want to see effective regulation, monitoring, enforcement and research help to achieve an industry that can demonstrate genuinely high quality and unrivaled environmental credentials.

Identifying a path forward that allows for the potential benefits of a growing industry to be realised, without causing detrimental impacts to the country’s precious marine environment, is an ongoing challenge that the Scottish Government and industry regulators have been grappling with for a long time, and particularly over the last four years.

Interest in salmon farming increased significantly in early 2018, when two parliamentary inquiries investigated the environmental impacts of the industry. These inquiries were closely followed by a series of consultations and working groups aimed at addressing the key issues that had been identified. These issues are wide-ranging and include the impact on wild Atlantic salmon, waste management, the impact of acoustic deterrents on marine mammals, and sea lice management.

Despite the additional work carried out on some of the most concerning impacts, there is an ongoing concern about the effectiveness of the system of regulations that underpins environmental impact, farm performance, and future growth potential.

The recent review of salmon farm regulation, led by Professor Russel Griggs and published in February 2022, is the most recent government report aimed at creating a world-leading salmon farming industry. The report describes the “degree of mistrust, dislike and vitriol… between the industry, certain regulators, parts of the Scottish Government, and other stakeholders” that has driven the need for reform and much clearer processes.

The Trust welcomed the opportunity to participate in the review and recognises its importance. We believe that the recommendations within the report have the potential to deliver some of the key changes needed to create a more robust and transparent regulatory framework. At the same time, we believe more work is needed to ensure that the health of the marine environment that the industry ultimately relies on is prioritised over commercial growth.

More work is needed to ensure that the health of the marine environment that the industry ultimately relies on is prioritised over commercial growth.

The success of these recommendations will ultimately depend on Scottish Government’s next steps, and the Trust is keen to continue engaging with the regulatory reform process.

And while a well-functioning regulatory framework is essential for effective management, it is not all that is needed to resolve the environmental concerns associated with salmon farming. There are still a number of unfinished areas that must be acted on and integrated into the regulatory reforms. This includes addressing the impacts on wild fish by acting on the recommendations of the Salmon Interactions Working Group, protecting marine mammals (particularly harbour porpoise) from harmful acoustic deterrent devices  and reducing the impact of sea lice, for example by progressing the development of SEPA’s Sea Lice Framework.

The Scottish Government’s forthcoming Aquaculture Vision, to be completed over the next 12 months, and its subsequent strategy will provide the opportunity to define what the salmon farming industry should look like in 15 years’ time.

This is an important piece of work that will determine key priorities for future regulation and influence how the industry grows. The Scottish Wildlife Trust will work to ensure environmental sustainability is at its core.

Read the Trust’s full policy on finfish aquaculture

Dr Sam Collin, Living Seas Manager