90% of Scottish salmon ‘ISN’T from Scotland’
66m eggs shipped in from abroad
KNOWN as the king of fish, the Scottish salmon is prized by diners around the world.
But campaigners warn that millions of salmon sold by the country’s fish farms should not be regarded as Scottish at all.
For fish farms are importing record numbers of foreign salmon eggs – mostly from Norway and Iceland – to boost stocks.
It is thought that around 90 per cent of salmon eggs hatching in Scotland are foreign.
More than 65 million foreign eggs, or ova, were shipped to Scottish fish farms last year, up from 57.9 million in 2017.
The foreign ova are hatched in Scotland and the fish reared in sea cages. Once they have been harvested and packaged, they are marketed as Scottish, despite originally hailing from abroad.
Fish farmers insist importing eggs is vital to grow the salmon industry, which they hope will double in value by 2030.
But critics claim the figures are evidence of ‘food fraud’ and that consumers are being duped into believing they are buying completely Scottish fish. Some also fear foreign ova could lead to the spread of devastating viral diseases.
Last night, campaigners called for an end to the ‘deceptive’ use of foreign salmon eggs.
Scottish Salmon Watch’s Don Staniford told The Scottish Mail on Sunday: ‘This is deceptive marketing and it is a salmon scandal.
‘Twenty years ago Scottish salmon came from domestic eggs but the industry are ramping up the number of eggs. Scottish salmon should now be renamed Norwegian salmon with “Made in Norway” stamped on the packaging.
‘They are trading on Scotland’s good image. We want the importing of eggs to stop.’
Salmon egg imports are monitored by the Scottish Government through its Marine Scotland Directorate. In the first three months of this year 27.4 million eggs were shipped into the country.
Mr Staniford said: ‘Importing eggs is a public health hazard. Consumers are thinking salmon is a healthy product but it is sourced from disease-laden farms.’
In 2017, one of the biggest Norwegian fish egg exporters to Scotland suffered an outbreak of infectious salmon anaemia (ISA).
This virus causes severe anaemia in fish, which can develop pale scales and abnormal swimming patterns. The import of eggs to Scotland only resumed once the Norwegian exporter became ISAfree again.
But there is no statutory duty to sample eggs before they are introduced into Scottish waters, according to the Scottish Government.
However, Hamish Macdonell, director of strategic engagement for the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation, said: ‘All imported eggs are subject to stringent legal controls to ensure their highly regulated biosecurity.
‘All of the eggs used by Scottish salmon farmers hatch and complete their life cycle in Scotland. Scottish provenance is defined by the environment in which the fish are grown.
‘The number of eggs imported has gone up, from 59.7 million in 2015 to 65.8 million in 2018, a rise of 10 per cent, which is in line with the industry’s ambition to achieve 5 per cent year-on-year growth.’
‘Should be renamed as Norwegian’