‘There is no mandate to expand salmon farming’
ANEW poll commissioned by ISSF and and Salmon and Trout Conservation Scotland (S&TCS) and conducted by Survation shows clear support from the Scottish public for protecting wild Atlantic salmon and the environment from the damage caused by open cage salmon farming.
It contains some fascinating findings. No fewer than 83 per cent of the 1012 people surveyed in January and February said wild salmon should be protected, even if it meant job losses in the farmed sector.
In answer to another question, 79 per cent of those expressing a preference said that farms should not be permitted to dump their waste at sea, with only eight per cent taking the opposite view.
More than half – 52 per cent – said they felt the industry was bad for the environment in Scotland, with just 15 per cent believing it was good and a further 10 per cent saying it had no effect. A further 23 per cent said that they didn’t know. When asked if local communities living next to salmon farms should have the final say on whether or not these operations were permitted, 50 per cent agreed, with just 19 per cent disagreeing.
Andrew-graham Stewart, Director of S&TCS, said: “It is clear from this polling that the Scottish Government has no public mandate to expand open cage salmon farming in Scotland.”
John Aitchison, spokesperson for the Coastal Communities Network, commented: “These results show there is little public support for fish farms being run as they are.
“The salmon farming industry must now choose between being a good neighbour or bad. It must prove that it does no harm before looking to expand.”
The salmon farming industry must now choose between being a good neighbour or bad