Save our west Highland wild salmon and sea trout

Both S&TA and other fisheries organisations in Scotland have made repeated approaches to local government planning departments concerning individual planning applications for either expanding existing sites or establishing new ones. In all cases, as well as commenting on local conditions, such as proximity to wild salmon and sea trout migration routes, we point out the generic problems associated with aquaculture (see S&TA Scientific Review below), and the need for a more radical approach to regulation. Some recent examples in which S&TA has been involved include:
Eilean Grianain, North of Carradale, Campbeltown – Argyll & Bute Council – new farm passed, with all objections from wild fish organisations ignored
Broad Bay, Isle of Lewis – Western Isles Council – new farm. Council has asked that the application be resubmitted with modifications, but no evidence of serious notice being taken of generic concerns around aquaculture and wild fish – otherwise the farm would not be sited in the proposed area
Isle Ewe, Loch Ewe – Highland Council – expanded farm – decision on application pending
A freshwater smolt farm in Loch Shin was recently refused permission to expand by Highland Council, but its permission to remain in situ was not rescinded. It should be noted that this type of open cage smolt production in a river system with wild salmonid populations present would not be permitted in Norway, the world’s largest producer of farmed Atlantic salmon.
In none of these cases, nor any that we know of previously, have the generic problems associated with aquaculture caused any council to change its view about the advantages of having fish farming in their region – economic sustainability invariably takes precedence over environmental sustainability. This is in contrast to S&TA’s insistence that all round sustainability is possible within a responsibly operated and robustly regulated fish farming industry, of which local authorities have a significant role to play through the planning process.

SEPA has been approached on both the relevant issues in the past. Its position is that sea lice emanating from marine salmon cage units, the biggest problem with salmon farms located close to wild salmon and sea trout rivers and lochs, do not constitute a discharge, and therefore fall outside its remit. Similarly, escapes from freshwater loch cages are also outside SEPA’s responsibility. It therefore appears that no national agency in Scotland takes responsibility for these issues, and that the industry operates under a voluntary code of practice.

On a national scale, there have been countless attempts by individual rivers owners, district salmon fishery boards, fishery trusts, wild fishery interest groups and environmental groups to lobby government over the past 15 years to relocate seawater salmon farms from the mouths of salmon rivers and freshwater farms from lochs with migratory fish.
S&TA was represented on the Freshwater Fisheries Forum, set up by the Scottish Government to review fisheries legislation. This led to the Aquaculture and Fisheries (Scotland) Act 2007, but the regulation of aquaculture is still mainly conducted under a voluntary code of practice – there is no serious intent being shown by the Scottish Government to be more robust, despite this enactment.
On an international scale, S&TA, along with colleagues in other NGOs from around the northern hemisphere, has put pressure on the Scottish Government through the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO)
- an international organisation, established by an inter-governmental Convention in 1984 with the objective to conserve, restore, enhance and rationally manage Atlantic salmon through international cooperation, taking account of the best available scientific information. Member jurisdictions inc