According to Gordon Mack of The Herald, the campaign to halt the spread of sea lice infestations, which are harming wild fish stocks, has been launched by the Salmon and Trout Association, the UK's leading game angling charity, as a "dire warning of impending disaster" and a call to arms to the Scottish Government.
Paul Knight, executive director of the S&TA, told The Herald: "We fully recognise that salmon farming makes a significant contribution to the Scottish economy. However, this industry is also threatening the very survival of our wild salmon and sea trout in the west highlands and islands."
The S&TA, whose patron is Prince Charles, makes two demands in the petition: that all sea-based fish farms are moved away from the estuaries of major wild salmon rivers to reduce the impact of sea lice; and that salmon smolt farms are banned from operating within any wild salmon river system.
Petition Calls for Relocation of Salmon Farms
SCOTLAND, UK - A petition calling for the urgent relocation of salmon farms away from the estuaries of major salmon rivers in Scotland has raised more than 9000 signatures in less than two weeks.
