Fish farm control

The outspoken reactions of chef Nick Nairn and the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation to possible measures to be included in the forthcoming Aquaculture and Fisheries Bill (your report, 23 March) miss the point about the implications and consequences of fish-farming in the open ocean.

The salmon farmers and their supporters are essentially saying: “Leave us alone to operate within our farms as we see fit.” Such a position would be reasonable and to some extent logical if they kept the farmed fish, the sea-lice and the waste within the cages or at least under control, but the fact is that they do not.

Consequently, their commercial activities have severely negative consequences for the “public” wider environment, including fish escapes, the impact on wild juvenile salmon and sea trout, degrading of the seabed and so on. Marine Scotland and the Scottish Government have legal responsibilities to protect the wider environment and ensure sustainable development. No other comparable food production industry has such an adverse effect on the wider environment as salmon farming – and that is why it urgently needs credible regulation.

Angus Pirie

Kilchrenan

Taynuilt, Argyll