Sainsbury’s will only sell sustainable salmon

The supermarket currently sells 27 per cent of all salmon in the UK.

A farm run by Marine Harvest at Loch Torridon in Wester Ross will produce around 12,000 tonnes of responsibly-sourced salmon for Sainsbury's each year, according to British press reports.

The fish will be caught and reared to strict RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) welfare standards for farmed salmon.

Under the plans, the Scottish salmon farms used by Sainsbury's will also employ responsible management techniques to help protect and maintain the natural environment.

The salmon, which goes on sale this week, will be accompanied by a television advert featuring the celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

The chain has also committed itself to source all of the best-selling fish, which includes salmon cod, haddock, tuna and prawns, from sustainable sources by 2010. Steve Bracken, business development manager at Marine Harvest Scotland, told the Scotsman that the pledge would secure jobs in remote fragile areas.