A third of adults in Scotland want the government to halt the expansion of salmon farms, according to newly commissioned polling that arrives as the country’s aquaculture industry faces growing scrutiny over its environmental and welfare record.

The survey of more than 2,000 adults found that fewer than one in ten Scots believe salmon farming should continue unchanged. More than a quarter of respondents went further, saying they support a complete phase-out of open-net cage salmon farming in Scottish waters.

The poll – conducted by Survation – was released as campaigners gathered outside Holyrood on 11 March, calling on Members of the Scottish Parliament to take stronger action during a parliamentary review of the country’s salmon farming industry.

Nick Underdown, Scotland Director for WildFish, said the growing public concern reflected wider anxiety about the health of the country’s iconic wild salmon populations.

“Scotland’s once mighty populations of salmon are a shadow of their former health – in some smaller rivers, they have disappeared entirely. Already a third of Scots want to see an immediate halt on the unbridled expansion of salmon farms, and that number is only set to increase as public awareness around the industry’s reckless impact continues to grow.” 

WildFish has said that political action regarding the matter is “long overdue” and has urged members of the Scottish Parliament to “protect the heritage of Scottish wildlife by finally implementing a moratorium on new salmon farms and start planning to phase out salmon farming like other countries are doing.”

Scotland’s aquaculture sector has expanded rapidly in recent decades, but critics argue the growth has come with mounting ecological consequences. Campaign groups and fisheries organisations have long warned that densely stocked pens of farmed salmon can act as breeding grounds for sea lice and disease, which may spread to migrating wild fish. 

Escaped farmed salmon are also known to interbreed with wild stocks, potentially weakening their genetic resilience.

Official data from government regulators show that nearly a quarter of Scotland’s active salmon farms are currently in breach of the industry’s lice Code of Good Practice. Concerns over fish welfare have also intensified, with recent figures indicating that as many as four in ten farmed salmon die at sea before slaughter.

Internationally, governments have already begun taking stronger measures. In British Columbia, Canada, authorities have voted to remove salmon farms from parts of the region in an effort to protect wild fish populations and marine ecosystems. Denmark has halted new salmon farm licences in its coastal waters, while court rulings in Sweden have created significant legal barriers to establishing open-water farms in sensitive environments. In Alaska, salmon farming has been banned outright since 1990.

The release of the poll coincided with a demonstration outside the Scottish Parliament, where anglers, community groups, conservation charities, animal welfare organisations, and wildlife tourism operators gathered to urge policymakers to curb the industry’s expansion.

Their calls came as the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs and Islands Committee continued its inquiry into the regulation of salmon farming. The investigation is examining whether the Scottish Government has done enough to oversee an industry frequently criticised for its environmental impacts, including mass fish escapes and high mortality rates.

Government figures show that around 12 million farmed salmon died in Scottish facilities last year, alongside more than 1,200 recorded breaches of the industry’s lice Code of Good Practice.

Recent months have also seen a series of high-profile incidents. These include the escape of 75,000 farmed salmon in Loch Linnhe, the deaths of more than 250,000 fish at farms in Shetland, and the loss of a Royal Warrant by major producer Mowi following an animal welfare investigation in which fish were filmed being beaten to death.

For many observers, the parliamentary inquiry marks a pivotal moment for the future of Scotland’s aquaculture sector. Its conclusions could influence whether the committee recommends stronger regulatory controls, including a potential halt on new salmon farms.

Commercial fishing groups have already voiced opposition to proposed new farms in areas such as Shetland and the Western Isles, warning that damage to local marine ecosystems could threaten their livelihoods.

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