Salmon Aquaculture

Aquaculture Useful Information / News:

In May 2020, the Salmon Interactions Working Group (SIWG) published a report which made 42 recommendations to build a robust and durable framework that will minimise the impact of fish farming on wild salmon. You can read the SIWG’s full report here or by visiting the Scottish Government‘s website.

In September 2021, the Scottish Government published its long-delayed response, which you can read here.

It strongly endorses the SIWG recommendations.  AST welcomes this positive step and, alongside Fisheries Management Scotland, is committed to work with all parties to put these much-needed reforms in place without further delay, establishing a regulatory system that is robust, transparent, enforceable and enforced.

Salmon Aquaculture

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea has provided convincing evidence of both direct impacts and major risks from open cage salmon aquaculture on wild salmon and sea trout stocks, in terms of both sea lice loadings and genetic introgression from escaped farmed fish. In light of this evidence on the impacts of Aquaculture the AST  revised and updated its positioning statement on salmon aquaculture. We are looking at ways to urgently and positively move forward the dialogue with the fish farming industry and Government so as to improve conditions for wild salmon.