Naturalist Chris Packham has called for an independent investigation into the multi-million pound Scottish salmon farming industry.
His intervention comes after the Sunday Mail revealed damning footage of badly wounded zombie salmon at a Highland farm. We also exposed mass deaths of thousands of fish at the site. Earlier this year, underwater footage from activist Don Staniford, revealed by the Sunday Mail, showed badly wounded salmon in cages at Faroese-owned Bakkafrost’s Portree site off the Isle of Skye. Last month, drone images captured thousands of dead fish being hauled from the water over four consecutive days at the RSPCA Assured site.
According to Salmon Scotland, the industry was worth £760million to the Scottish economy in 2021. But new figures published last week show production fell by 18 per cent last year amid record fish death rates. Campaigners have blamed warming waters, swarms of jellyfish, and lice and viruses. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We continue to make significant progress to improve the aquaculture regulatory framework and expect producers to maintain strict environmental standards, high standards of fish health and welfare, and to drive mortality to the lowest possible levels.