Wide-ranging assessment of the industry’s sustainability
Independent experts from the fields of the environment, economic and social impact, energy and aquaculture are to identify challenges facing the industry and recommend solutions to enhance the sector’s performance in an assessment entitled ‘Sustainability in Scottish salmon aquaculture: key components and drivers’. Commissioned by the industry’s trade body Scottish Salmon Producers ' Organisation, in partnership with Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the study will cover waste generated within the production cycle, energy utilisation, carbon emissions and the socio-economic benefits of the industry. An Aquaculture Sustainability Working Group is to be established to assist the development of the study. Focusing on the farming element of the business, it will incorporate primary research, a literature review and a desk study. An assessment of how the Scottish salmon farming sector compares with other food producing businesses will also be included. Mark Taylor, Thistle Environmental, lead consultants on the project, said the sustainability assessment is unusual because it considers the sector as a whole: “This is a proactive, forward looking and valuable project,” he added.
