Home / Environment / Salmon Farming Funds Spark Wild Fish Crisis Fears
Salmon Farming Funds Spark Wild Fish Crisis Fears
27 Nov
Summary
- Wild salmon numbers are declining significantly.
- Salmon Scotland offers £230,000 to protect wild fish.
- Critics question industry funding due to environmental impacts.
Concerns are mounting regarding a £230,000 funding initiative by Salmon Scotland, an organization representing the country's salmon farming industry, which aims to address the dwindling numbers of wild salmon and sea trout.
This financial contribution is part of a broader £1.5 million investment to restore wild fish populations, with the funds allocated to projects focused on protecting river habitats and spawning grounds. Jon Gibb of the Salmon Scotland wild fisheries fund highlighted the importance of this money for local groups undertaking practical conservation work.
However, environmental campaigners, like Nick Underdown of WildFish, have expressed deep reservations. They point to ongoing declines in wild fish populations and argue that funding from an industry implicated in this crisis raises serious questions. Underdown stated that open-net salmon farming contributes to sea-lice, disease, pollution, and escapes that threaten wild salmon genetics, and that the given sum is a fraction of industry profits while Scottish communities bear the costs.
