There was a slight increase in the rate of salmon mortalities across the Scottish fish farming sector last year, new industry figures have confirmed.
According to annual analysis published by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO), the sector had an average monthly survival rate of 98.6 percent in 2019, compared with the previous year’s average of 98.83 percent.
SSPO attributed the reduction to a number of farms experiencing environmental challenges in both the third and fourth quarters, stating that salmon farmers had worked hard from August onwards to overcome these problems, which included planktonic blooms and increased water temperatures.
These had directly and indirectly impacted on the health of some fish, with the largest reported cause of premature mortality among stocks resulting from gill health issues, the organization said.
“The Scottish salmon farming sector continues to invest and innovate in the management of such challenges. Fish health and welfare will always be our members’ top priority,” SSPO Director of Strategic Engagement Hamish Macdonell said. “There are a number of initiatives underway to increase the health management toolbox available to Scotland’s fish farmers. These are being complemented by focused research into understanding the impacts of recent environmental challenges, the Scottish 10-year Farmed Fish Health Framework and increased sector-wide information sharing.”
This framework sets out measures to support sustainable growth across the Scottish fish farming sector.
Scotland will host the next Gill Health Initiative (GHI) meeting in April, with representatives from Chile, Norway, Faroes, and Ireland expected to attend alongside their Scottish salmon farming counterparts.
Sea lice averages for 2019 were 0.54 adult female lice per salmon, up slightly from a seven-year low in 2018 of 0.46.
SSPO said the Scottish salmon sector is continuing to successfully pursue its “prevention over cure” strategy with regard to the management of sea lice, and that medicinal spending has been falling due to the increased deployment of innovations such as cleaner fish and mechanical treatments. In 2018, this spend was GBP 9.7 million (USD 12.7 million), around half of the amount spent in 2015.
Meanwhile, Scotland’s investment in sea lice management more than doubled over the same period – from GBP 26 million (USD 33.9 million, EUR 30.1 million) to GBP 61.7 million (USD 80.5 million, EUR 71.3 million).
Recent HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) figures confirmed that U.K. exports of Scottish salmon reached a record GBP 618 million (USD 806.5 million, EUR 714.4 million) last year, with the volume shipped to overseas markets totaling 94,000 metric tons (MT), an increase of 26 percent compared with 2018. France and the United States provided exporters’ two most important markets in value terms.
Photo courtesy of Edward Westmacott/Shutterstock
