CONSERVATIONISTS have called for tougher regulations on salmon farming amid fears that the industry is killing off wild salmon populations in the west coast of Scotland.

Statistics compiled by Salmon & Trout Conservation Scotland show that wild salmon rod catches in the main salmon farming region of the west Highlands and Islands lag far behind those of the East coast, which is essentially free from aquaculture.

Their analysis found that the five year average catch for the East coast rod fishery, from the Tweed to Cape Wrath, increased by approximately 40 per cent between 1970 and 2014.

In comparison, the five year average catch for the West coast rod fishery, from Cape Wrath to Mull of Kintyre including the Hebrides, declined by around a quarter between the beginning of the salmon farming movement in 19070 and 2014.

In the worst affected area of the west coast - the mainland from Ardnamurchan Point to Mull of Kintyre - the rod catch halved between 1970 and 2014.

Hughie Campbell Adamson, Chairman of S&TCS, said: “The regional picture in the West coast masks just how serious the situation is in some rivers. It is surely no coincidence that the only recent extinctions or near-extinctions of wild salmon from entire river systems in Scotland have occurred in the salmon farming regions of the west Highlands and Islands.

"One notable example is the Lochaber’s River Strontian, previously - before the advent of intensive salmon farming in the adjacent sea loch - a productive fishery, where the local fisheries trust was unable to find any adult salmon with which to initiate a restocking programme."

The organisation is seeking tougher regulation of the salmon farming industry, particularly the introduction of sanctions to penalise producers in areas where sea lice exceed a safe threshold.

Andrew Graham-Stewart, Director of S&TCS, said: “Rod catch statistics are the main measure used to assess the conservation status of salmon in Scottish rivers and this analysis underlines the stark contrast between the fortunes of wild salmon in the East and West coasts in the last 45 years. The vast majority of rivers on the West Coast and Islands are in the Scottish Government’s category three – the most threatened – and the only significant difference between the two coasts is the presence of aquaculture on the West. The salmon farming industry in the West has grown inexorably since 1970.

“Our analysis fundamentally contradicts the misguided and disingenuous contention of representatives of the salmon farmers who maintain that there is no ‘evidence’ that their activities have an impact on wild fish numbers. Misleadingly they employ all-method figures (including net-caught) for salmon both East and West coasts to ‘show’ similar declines, thus ‘proving’ that salmon farming is not to blame in the West.”

“There will be no improvement in West coast salmon and sea trout numbers whilst salmon farms are permitted to pump out billions of sea lice parasites into the wider environment with absolute impunity. To date Scottish Government remains impervious to and dismissive of any pressure to regulate the industry in a way that gives any meaningful protection to wild fish.”

The latest sea lice data for January to March 2016, published by the Scottish Salmon Producers' Organisation (SSPO) on 20 May, shows that the industry is still struggling to control the parasites in many areas, indeed there is no sign of any real improvement. As the graph below confirms, the trendline for the percentage of total industry production capacity above the Code of Good Practice threshold (for recommended treatment) is on a steady upward trajectory. The SSPO's press release accompanying the new data concedes that "this quarter’s figures continue to demonstrate that the industry is facing some environmental challenges in certain locations".

• Immediate publication of farm-specific sea lice data.

• Tougher regulation and inspection of fish farms.

• A Government-led review of the current voluntary code of practice on sea lice, replacing it with a statutory code.

• Introducing an ‘upper-tier’ sea lice threshold above which an immediate cull or harvest of farmed fish is required by law.

• Amending Scottish law to provide a statutory duty to protect wild salmonids, with inspectors given a legal duty to control sea lice on fish-farms in order to protect wild fish populations.

• Closure and/or relocation of persistently poorly-performing salmon farms.

• Developing other more sustainable technology.

“It is, of course, regrettable that the status of these rivers is so poor. Very few Scottish rivers are in good form for a wide variety of reasons, for example global climate change has altered salmon feeding grounds at sea and means that fewer survive to make it back to their rivers in Scotland. The salmon farming industry’s joint working with wild fisheries organisations has shown a productive and co-operative relationship looking at restoration and restocking projects. Work has focused on the importance of maintaining and improving river habitats and encouraging catch and release rather than depleting the river populations. Industry technical expertise and facilities have also assisted a restocking programme of the River Lochy, as part of a wider 5 year project to assist 14 different rivers in Lochaber. This sort of joint working and information sharing about both wild and farmed salmon is surely the productive way forward.”

Scott Landsburgh, chief executive of Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation