31 Mar 2026
Photo by Maja R Scotland’s Rural Affairs and Islands Committee has sharply criticised the Scottish Government for failing to deliver urgent reforms to salmon farming regulation, warning that progress since its 2025 inquiry has been “disappointing.” In a letter sent to Cabinet Secretary Mairi Gougeon on 25 March, signed by Convener Finlay Carson MSP, the […]
17 Mar 2026
Photo by Bob Brewer The Scottish Government has concluded that no new regulation is needed to address fish mortality on salmon farms, following the publication of a Marine Directorate research report into persistent elevated deaths at marine sites. The finding, presented to the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs and Islands Committee on 11 March, has […]
24 Feb 2026
Photo by Simon Hurry Shetland Islands Council has approved what will become the UK’s largest salmon farm, giving the green light to Scottish Sea Farms’ (SSF) Fish Holm development in Yell Sound on 11 February. The £8 million site will comprise 12 pens of 160-metre circumference with a maximum standing biomass of 6,000 tonnes, triple the […]
21 Jan 2025
The Scottish government has been criticised for its “slow progress” on regulating the salmon farming industry by a parliamentary inquiry held by the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee. The report reveals that MSPs “seriously considered” calling for a moratorium on new farms and expansion of existing sites due to concerns over persistently high salmon mortality rates but […]
25 Jul 2023
Actions to increase the productivity of Scotland’s aquaculture sector and help reduce its impact on the environment have been set out in a new strategy. The Vision for sustainable aquaculture describes the Scottish Government’s long-term aspirations to 2045 for the finfish, shellfish and seaweed farming sectors, and the wider aquaculture supply chain. The Vision for […]
08 Mar 2022
As widely reported this week, a new study led by Cambridge University and published in PLOS Sustainability and Transformation concluded that allocating feed fish for human consumption could reduce pressure on marine resources while increasing seafood production. The lead author, David Willer, Henslow Research Fellow at Cambridge University, wrote: ‘A leading cause of overfishing is, […]
16 Feb 2021
Salmon farming is wreaking ruin on marine ecosystems, through pollution, parasites and high fish mortality rates which are causing billions of pounds a year in damage, according to a new assessment of the global salmon farming industry. ‘Dead Loss’ describes some of the global economic, social and environmental costs of salmon farming including from associated […]
