Scientific Research
Recent research has shown that salmon farming activity has little significant impact on water nutrient levels and that there is no correlation between salmon farming and the production of harmful algal blooms.
The Review and Synthesis of the Environmental Impacts of Aquaculture by Scottish Association for Marine Science and Napier University concluded that there is no significant contribution from salmon farming to nutrient enrichment, except in certain extreme cases where water exchange is very poor.
In addition to this, the Review of Harmful Algal Blooms in Scottish Coastal Waters published by Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) concluded that the level of enrichment by fish farm nutrients is too low relative to natural levels to have an impact on algal growth.1
A further report titled The Interaction between Fish Farming and Algal Communities of the Scottish Waters - a Review published in July 2003 by the Scottish Executive’s Environment Group also found no correlation between fish farm activity and toxic algal blooms. The report shows that such blooms are more frequent in open areas, and appear independently of fish farming.2
The reality is that salmon farmers undertake a number of measures to reduce the amount of nutrients released into the environment, for example there are a number of mechanisms that minimise the amount of uneaten feed. Fish feed is the single largest cost of production in salmon farming and it is in the interests of farmers to minimise wastage.
"There is no significant contribution from salmon farming to nutrient enrichment"
Review and Synthesis of the Environmental Impacts of Aquaculture,
Scottish Association for Marine Science and Napier University
"The total area of seabed used for this purpose [salmon farming] is insignificant in terms of the total coastal resource"
Review and Synthesis of the Environmental Impacts of Aquaculture,
Scottish Association for Marine Science and Napier University
1.Tett, P. & Edwards, E. (2002) Review of Harmful Algal Blooms in Scottish coastal waters. Published by SEPA, Stirling.
2. Rydberg, Sjöberg, Stigebrandt, Department of Oceanography, University of Gothenburg, The Interaction between Fish Farming and Algal Communities of the Scottish Waters - a Review, published by the Scottish Executive’s Environment Group (July, 2003).
Code of Good Practice for Scottish Finfish Aquaculture (CoGP) CoGP Working Group |
Review and Synthesis of the Environmental Impacts of Aquaculture Scottish Association for Marine Science and Napier University in association with Scottish Executive >> link 2002 |
Establishing a fish farm Fisheries Research Services, Scottish Executive >> link |