Scottish salmon farmers will make conservation payments following fish escape incidents under a new agreement between Salmon Scotland and Fisheries Management Scotland.
The scheme will establish a dedicated fund to support wild salmon conservation projects when farmed fish escape from marine sites. An independent company, with directors drawn from both the farmed and wild fisheries sectors, will administer the programme.
Payments will be linked to the size of an escape event. Escapes involving up to 50 fish will trigger a £500 contribution, rising to £1,000 for incidents involving 51 to 200 fish and £2,500 for escapes of 201 to 500 fish. For larger incidents, operators will pay £5 per fish, capped at £50,000.
The arrangement will also require companies involved in significant escape incidents to fund research assessing whether escaped fish have bred with local wild salmon populations. Where evidence shows a measurable impact on wild stocks, additional conservation contributions will be made in subsequent years.
The scheme will be incorporated into the Scottish salmon sector’s Code of Good Practice, which is independently audited and used by producers and retailers.
Built on 2020 recommendations
The agreement follows recommendations made by the Salmon Interactions Working Group in 2020 and comes amid continuing concern over the long-term decline of wild Atlantic salmon populations in Scotland.
According to Fisheries Management Scotland, wild salmon face a range of pressures including climate change, predation, migration barriers, marine survival challenges and interactions with escaped farmed fish.
Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs Gillian Martin welcomed the initiative, describing it as an example of collaborative working to support wild salmon conservation.
Fisheries Management Scotland chief executive Alan Wells said the agreement represented a practical and proportionate approach developed jointly by the wild fisheries and salmon farming sectors.
Salmon Scotland chief executive Tavish Scott said the arrangement would complement ongoing investment in containment systems and infrastructure aimed at achieving zero escapes.
The new scheme adds to existing conservation funding provided by the salmon farming sector. Salmon Scotland said more than £635,000 has been invested through its Wild Fisheries Fund, with a further £230,000 earmarked for conservation projects in 2026. The industry has also contributed £560,000, alongside vessels and staff, to the West Coast Tracking Project, a collaborative wild salmon research programme.
