More funding for Scottish salmon conservation
27th October 2021
Funding of over £650,000 will allow the expansion of salmon population monitoring in Scotland, as part of a package of measures to support salmon conservation that will include more robust regulations for Scottish fish farms.
The funding is in addition to more than £550,000 announced earlier this month to support wild salmon conservation.
The move comes as the Scottish government published its response to the Salmon Interactions Working Group (SIWG), established to provide advice on a future approach to the interactions between wild and farmed salmon.
A comprehensive range of measures has been announced, including plans to make fish farm containment measures and regulation more robust, including the introduction of financial penalties for fish farm escapes.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency will become the lead regulator responsible for managing the risk to wild fish from sea lice carried from fish farms.
Announcing the funding, rural affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon said: “The important work by SIWG and others has brought aquaculture and fisheries interests together to advise on a new interactions approach.
“The funding and broad programme of work announced today demonstrates that we have moved beyond the status quo and shows our commitment to improving the scientific evidence base.
“It underlines the importance of supporting a sector which provides a low-carbon source of protein enjoyed nationally and internationally, while sustaining well-paid jobs in some of our most fragile rural communities.
“It is vital the developing aquaculture sector is sustainable. That is why I launched an independent review of the aquaculture regulatory framework in August which will report in due course, while the Wild Salmon Strategy will be published by the end of December, in addition
to announcing these measures today.”
John Goodlad, chair of the SIWG, said: “The SIWG report was the result of extensive dialogue and meaningful engagement between the fish farming and wild fish sectors. I am therefore pleased that the Scottish government has responded positively to our recommendations.”
This story was taken from the latest issue of Fishing News. For more up-to-date and in-depth reports on the UK and Irish commercial fishing sector, subscribe to Fishing News here or buy the latest single issue for just £3.30 here.
