Scottish salmon farmers will pay compensation for escapes
Sector and river managers agree scheme that will fund wild salmon conservation
Salmon farmers will help fund wild fish conservation when escapes occur under a new agreement with Fisheries Management Scotland (FMS), the membership organisation representing local rivers and fisheries managers.
The Scottish Government has welcomed the agreement between trade body Salmon Scotland and FMS as an example of organisations working together to support wild salmon.
A new independent company will administer the scheme, with directors drawn from both the farmed and wild fisheries management sectors.
Money raised through the scheme will go directly into projects supporting Scotland’s iconic wild salmon.
Working for zero escapes
Salmon Scotland said escape incidents are rare, and farmers continue to work towards the ambition of zero escapes through investment in strengthened nets, farm infrastructure, and containment systems.
The new agreement builds on that work by establishing a dedicated funding mechanism for conservation work following escapes.
It will be embedded in the sector’s Code of Good Practice, which is independently audited and treated as a requirement by salmon farming companies and retailers.
Long-term decline
Scotland’s wild Atlantic salmon are in long-term decline, with many local populations under significant conservation pressure. The Scottish Government’s Wild Salmon Strategy points out that Atlantic salmon are subject to a wide range of pressures, including escaped farmed fish. Other pressures include climate change, predation, barriers to migration, and pressures at sea.
The new scheme, which builds on recommendations set out by the Salmon Interactions Working Group in 2020, provides a practical way for farmers to support conservation work when escapes occur.
In the event of a significant escape, farmers will also fund research to assess whether escaped fish have bred with local wild salmon populations, something that the nation’s largest salmon farmer, Mowi Scotland, has already done.
Where evidence shows a clear impact on wild fish populations, additional contributions towards conservation work will be made over subsequent years, in line with financial penalties available under Scottish marine legislation. Payments will be made on a scaled basis linked to the size of an escape, starting at £500 if between one and 50 fish escape, and rising to £5 per fish, capped at a maximum of £50,000.
'Exemplar of collaboration'
Gillian Martin, the Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs, said the agreement “demonstrates our collective commitment to supporting wild salmon and is an exemplar of what can be achieved by collaborative working to achieve a common goal”.
She added: “This new initiative will deliver on the ambitions of the Salmon Interactions Working Group to introduce a scheme to ring-fence funds to support conservation and research projects.
“We will continue to work with the sector to reduce the risk of fish farm escapes as we strive towards the NASCO International Goals. However, where escapes do occur, I welcome the further action and collaboration that this new scheme will support.”
'Practical and proportionate'
FMS chief executive Dr Alan Wells said: “This initiative demonstrates the value of constructive engagement between wild fisheries and sectors whose activities can present a pressure on wild salmon.
“We welcome the opportunity to work directly with the salmon farming industry to develop and deliver a practical, proportionate approach that supports conservation outcomes.
“Wild salmon face a range of complex pressures, and it is vital that progress is made across all of them. We hope this initiative sets a positive example of how different sectors can take responsibility and implement meaningful action. In doing so, we can help secure a better future for Scotland’s wild salmon.”
Tavish Scott, chief executive of Salmon Scotland, said: “Wild salmon are part of Scotland’s identity, and salmon farmers will continue playing their part in supporting recovery efforts.
“This agreement is a practical way to support wild salmon conservation when rare escape incidents occur.
“We recognise the importance of maintaining public confidence and welcome this opportunity to work closely with wild fisheries interests. Our members continue to invest in wild fish conservation, as well as strengthened infrastructure and containment systems, as part of the ambition of zero escapes.”
