Performance on salmon containment improving

Scottish salmon farming’s performance on containment is a vital part of the continuous improvement programme adopted by the industry, according to Sid Patten, chief executive of the representative body Scottish Salmon Producers' Organisation.

Speaking at the ‘Ministerial Working Group on Aquaculture’ on Monday 12th February, Patten will tell the Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development, industry stakeholders and environmental groups that the number of escaped farmed salmon has halved since statutory reporting began, falling from 310,000 in 2002 to 157,000 in 2006.

“Effective containment is a priority,” emphasised Patten. “With the exception of the severe storms in January 2005 when a handful of the 278 active sites suffered badly, there has been a significant declining trend since reporting began.

“As some 95% of the tonnage of the salmon farming industry has signed-up to the Code of Good Practice for Finfish Aquaculture since it was launched in March 2006, we hope this trend will continue,” he said.

Over 70million smolts (young fish) were put to sea in the last two years, and although the 2006 escapes correspond to less than 1% of the total amount of fish, Patten said that they represent a significant commercial loss for the farmer.

Patten also questions critics’ claims of escaped farmed fish outnumbering wild fish, noting that the Scottish Salmon and Sea Trout Catches Statistics show that 2005 was the fifth highest on record for rod catches, with more than 80,000 fish caught. Of this total, only 230 were recorded to be of farmed origin.

“The headline numbers that critics of the industry talk about have little to do with the possible impact. It’s not that simple. The reasons for the decline in both wild salmon and sea trout are much debated, as it is an enormously complex issue with a wide-ranging number of potential influences, such as climate change, predation from seals, over-fishing, agricultural run-off, and re-stocking,” he said.

Notes:

1. Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation aims to represent salmon farming in regulatory and political matters. For the first time, industry members from mainland Scotland, Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland have joined together to ensure that the industry’s contribution to Scotland’s social, economic and commercial landscape is promoted, recognised and rewarded by its stakeholders.

2. The Ministerial Working Group on Aquaculture meeting is to be held at the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency (SASA), Edinburgh on Monday 12th February 2007 at 10.30am.

ENDS

For further information contact either:

Ken Hughes, Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation, 01738 587006 / 07974 173 739

Julie Edgar, Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation, 01738 587010 / 0789 987 5151

SSPO main office 01738 587 000

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