Fish farming

What is the issue?

The S&TA Aquaculture Campaign is one of the Association's key issues at the moment. Scientific evidence suggests a clear link between salmon farms and adverse impacts on wild salmon and sea trout, both from the transfer of disease and parasites, especially sea lice, and the interbreeding of escaped farmed salmon with wild stocks, thus potentially jeopardising gene pools. After some 15 years of talk between wild fish interests, Government and the fish farming industry, very little has been achieved in protecting wild fish from farming impact.

What S&TA has achieved so far

• Lord (David) Steel presented a 17,000 signature petition to the Scottish Government's Petitions Committee on our behalf in 2010 and, following a series of letter exchanges since then, the petition was passed from the previous to the new Government in 2011 and has since been transferred to the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee for further consideration.
• In September 2010, S&TA appointed an environmental lawyer, Guy Linley-Adams, to head the Aquaculture Campaign, since when several reports and briefings have received a high profile in the media.
• In September, S&TA joined colleagues in other wild fish organisations to meet the Fisheries Minister, Stewart Stevenson, and begin a dialogue with Scottish Government officials and fish farming representatives to prepare a meaningful road-map that will in time allow pristine wild fisheries to co-exist alongside a successful fish farming industry

What still needs to be done?

• S&TA has a full list of suggested resolutions to the fish farming issue on our dedicated aquaculture web site (see below), but our long term aim is to move the whole industry, both freshwater and marine, into operative sites which provide a biological barrier between wild and farmed fish - almost certainly by growing fish in closed containment units.

www.STAndupforwildsalmon.org

Other information

• S&TA complain to ASA and Trading standards re: Sainsburys
  
• Impact of Salmon Aquaculture on Wild Salmonids 2013
  
• Summary of impacts of sea lice on Fish Farms
  
• S&TA Freedom Food Report
  
• Impacts of salmon aquaculture on native salmonids fisheries and the aquatic environment- briefing paper (2010)
  
• Aquaculture Policy Statement (2010)
  
• Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue; Draft indicators for environmentally, socially and economically responsible salmon farming. (2009)
  
• Ford and Myers. (2008). A Global Assessment of Salmon Aquaculture Impacts on Wild Salmonids
  
• Marine Conservation Society. (2007). Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Fish Farming
  
• Lenfest Ocean Program. (2007). Aquaculture Impacts on Wild Salmon
• Response to Aquaculture and Fisheries Bill consultation
• Response to PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH IN THE ENGLISH AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY
• S&TA Organic Pollution Report August 2012