Scottish ministers press ahead with fish farm

Scottish ministers have brushed aside urgent warnings about wild salmon to approve the country’s first semi-closed fish farm in the heart of a national park.

The decision to greenlight Loch Long Salmon’s industrial facility at Beinn Reithe, Argyll, has stunned conservationists, coming despite the National Park Authority’s emphatic rejection of the scheme in October 2022 and a planning reporter’s recommendation to dismiss a later appeal.

Controversy behind salmon farm

At the heart of the controversy lies the Endrick Water Special Area of Conservation, which links to Loch Long and shelters a fragile population of endangered salmon. These wild fish, already hammered by climate change and habitat loss, now face fresh perils from their new industrial neighbours.

The semi-closed system promises to house farmed salmon in nets with impermeable floating enclosures, theoretically cutting the risks of any interaction with other marine life. But critics remain unconvinced, pointing out that waste will still leak into the environment and that the technology remains unproven at commercial scale.

Scottish Green MSP Ariane Burgess pulled no punches: “This has been hanging over people for far too long, and this will mean more upheaval that will risk the area’s renowned natural beauty, wildlife, and cultural heritage.”

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