Summary:
This report first gives an overview of the various marketing tools used by the Scottish salmon farming industry to represent farmed salmon as a sustainable, healthy and eco-friendly protein choice. It then examines the environmental and welfare performance of Scotland’s seven salmon farming companies, all widely used in the hospitality and retail sectors.
Through analysis of publicly available data and company information, the report explores the contrast between the marketing used by the Scottish salmon industry to promote its products, and the reality of the industry’s huge negative environmental and welfare impacts.
The report finds that, despite assurances from certification schemes and celebrity endorsements, none of the seven salmon farming companies in Scotland has shown the ability to operate in such a way that protects
wild fish, the environment – both immediate and global – and farmed fish welfare. Across the world, open-net salmon farming is in a perilous state, with increased scrutiny on its high mortality rates and environmental costs.
The Scottish salmon farming industry is no different, with record mortalities (an estimated 17.4 million farmed salmon died on Scottish farms in 2023); a continued reliance on chemicals; and an inability to contain outbreaks of diseases and sea lice parasites, contributing to a reality that is far removed from the industry marketing.
