Protesting Sordid Salmon Farming in Scotland

The 11th of March saw individuals from across Scotland and from a cross section of society converge on the Scottish Parliament, ahead of the follow-up inquiry into salmon farming in Scotland, to raise serious ongoing issues that are rife in the inhumane and damaging practice of salmon farming.

Animal Concern joined the diverse group of protestors, with individuals from groups such as Animal Equality UK, WildFish, Protect the Wild, and Foodrise. Concerned members of the sea angling community drove the protest, voicing concerns about the dire impact salmon farms are having on wild salmon.

Animal Concern’s Annie Barber attended the protest and committee meeting.

Despite some differing opinions, everyone united on several key issues: salmon farming is horrifically inhumane, unsustainable, polluting the environment, harming wild salmon populations, and has no place in Scotland.

Protest participants filled the gallery for the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee meeting at the Scottish Parliament to hear the final evidence on the salmon farming industry, listening keenly as Cabinet Secretary Mairi Gougeon was grilled by the committee members.

MSP Tim Eagle spoke bluntly, saying: "This committee is great, but it's is not the opening night of a blockbuster, yet we've got a public gallery packed today because public confidence in the sector is, I think, at its lowest..."

Mairi Gougeon responds to MSP Tim Eagle stating the obvious.

MSP Ariane Burgess pointed out that in B.C., Canada, salmon farms had been removed from the migratory paths of wild salmon and farms are being phased out, recognising the threat posed to young wild salmon when encountering unnatural sea lice levels and diseases in salmon farms, and questioned if this was something that had been considered here in Scotland. Cabinet Secretary Gougeon replied that it was not an area where much research had been done, deflecting responsibility to SEPA and Local Planning Authorities. Her response showed a complete lack of due consideration of the impact the farms have on wild salmon.

In the two hours of questions being asked by the Committee, few answers addressed the vast and legitimate issues that continue to plague the industry with a lot of waffling about “plans” to address the myriad issues.

To be clear, the salmon farming industry has been talking about plans to address the many issues for decades and have never come close to succeeding despite professing improvements in sales as a measure of success. Sending sick and diseased fish to market to offset losses is hardly something to be proud of.

Today’s protest shows what can happen when people who care about an issue unite and work towards a common goal. The message couldn’t be clearer: Scottish people do not back salmon farming.

Animal Concern and others that attended Parliament today will continue to press for a moratorium on salmon farming in Scotland and that the Government must commit to the phasing out of salmon farming if the precautionary principle is to mean anything. We need a vision of a future in Scotland where these farms are not polluting our waters and harming our salmon.

The Committee will issue their recommendations before the end of the month. Based on the questions put to the Cabinet Secretary, the Committee is not confident that the recommendations and requirements out to the industry are meeting the mark.

You can help by continuing to pressure your MSP to support a moratorium on salmon farming.