No new fish farms in Scotland as thousands of farmed salmon escape
The mass escape of fish from a Mowi salmon farm in the Highlands underlines the need for Scotland to halt expansion of existing and new salmon farms, says Scottish Green MSP Ariane Burgess.
A recent parliamentary report found that Scotland's marine ecosystem faces "irrecoverable damage" from an expansion in fish farming, with one in five farms failing to meet statutory environmental standards, with the mass escape adding further urgency to calls to end the practice.
The Scottish Government has opened a probe into the mass escape.
Ariane said:
“This is a clear example of why we need to pause licensing any new salmon farms or expanding on existing farms.
“Industrial salmon farming is resulting in damage to our coastal waters. Thousands of farmed fish escaping is not only polluting our seas, but it is directly increasing the risk of extinction to this iconic wild species.
“Mowi has a zero target for escapes, and they themselves have addressed the fact that farmed salmon escaping can have a negative impact on wild salmon through interactions and interbreeding.
“If these salmon farms had stronger regulations and higher environmental standards to meet then we could reduce the damage being done. That must include real, consequential penalties for breaches and those who do not comply.
“I asked the Scottish Government last week what action they would take on this large-scale level of farmed salmon escaping. It’s good to see recognition that it can no longer stand on the sidelines in the face of environmental disasters of this magnitude. I will continue to call for tighter and enforced legislation that ensures our wild species, marine life and environment is offered better protections and given priority over animals raised with questionable animal welfare practices for slaughter.”