Campaign and petition email responses

The Importance of Legal Protection for Farmed Fish

Thank you for writing to me about such an important issue.

Aquaculture is an important sector to our economy, sustaining the social and economic vitality of island and rural communities, and the Scottish Government remain committed to ensuring its sustainable development.

The Scottish Government welcomes the support that is provided to communities by the fish farming industry and commend its commitment to do even more through the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation’s sustainability charter.

The SNP Government in Edinburgh has provided financial assistance to the sector, funding projects that aim to reduce the environmental impacts of fish farming. Past projects have included the development of non-medicinal treatment technologies such as the thermolicer and trialling of freshwater treatments for gill disease.

The Scottish Government established the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre to support the sustainability of Scottish aquaculture and improve understanding of environmental interactions and the sector’s environmental performance.

Key initiatives include the farmed fish health framework, which brings together regulators, salmon and trout producers, the Scottish Government and the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre to collaboratively address key health and welfare issues, which has influenced changes to sea lice policy and regulation.

The SNP Scottish Government is taking action on the back of the Griggs review and is making progress on several its recommendations, to implement our Vision for Aquaculture in Scotland to 2030.

The SNP Government in Edinburgh acts on the expert scientific and ethical advice given by the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC), a body of leading animal welfare experts which are responsible for developing evidence led expert recommendations on issues relating to animal welfare & sentience.  The SAWC recently concluded a report on the impact of acoustic deterrent devices on salmon farming, with further ongoing work including the development of an ethics and justice framework, drawing on recent Aquaculture Working Group work, and assembling evidence in relation to fish sentience, alongside an aquaculture code of practice vs. industry guidance.

My SNP colleague and DEFRA Spokesperson Patricia Gibson MP recently attended the aquaculture parliamentary reception on providing greater protections to farmed fish in Westminster. Please be assured that myself and the rest of my SNP colleagues strongly support greater protection for farmed fish.