Aquaculture for all

Scots salmon farms show significant environmental improvement

Atlantic Salmon Environment +2 more

Salmon farming in Scotland has achieved its best ever environmental performance, according to statistics collected for SEPA.

Figures for 2018, which were published today, showed 87 per cent of farms achieving “excellent” or “good” status.

SEPA’s Compliance Assessment Scheme (CAS) is used by the environmental regulator to monitor performance across a range of industries and sectors.

The results have been welcomed by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO) as “demonstrating the sector’s commitment to robust environmental standards.”

SEPA assessed the performance of 296 farms in 2018, resulting in a 38 per cent increase in the number of farms achieving an ”excellent” rating and a 10 per cent increase in the number of farms achieving a “good” rating compared to 2017.

The number of sites rated “poor” dropped by 32 per cent, to 38 farms.

A breakdown of the performance of Scotland's salmon sites in 2017 and 2018

© SEPA/SSPO

Julie Hesketh-Laird, chief executive of the SSPO, said: “These statistics are very good news for Scottish salmon farming. They represent the significant and ongoing effort and investment to improve environmental performance and I’m delighted that this continued focus on environmental stewardship is delivering positive results.

“As a sector, we fully recognise that a strong environmental performance is key to successful salmon farming and we want to demonstrate publicly our commitment to responsible performance. These results are an excellent endorsement of that effort and success.

“Companies are keen to build on this positive trend.”

Create an account now to keep reading

It'll only take a second and we'll take you right back to what you were reading. The best part? It's free.

Already have an account? Sign in here