Investments in fish health and welfare drive record survival rates for Scottish salmon

Investments of $1.2 billion in fish health and welfare drive record 98 percent survival rate for Scottish salmon

According to new data from Salmon Scotland, £1 billion (U.S. $1.2 billion) investments in fish health and welfare have led to record-high survival rates of 98 percent for Scottish salmon.

New figures revealed a 98.18 percent survival rate on Scottish salmon farms this September – a traditionally tough month for survival due to natural challenges. The percentage of fallen stock dropped by roughly half compared to September last year, when warm autumn sea temperatures sparked micro jellyfish blooms, endangering fish health.

“Scottish salmon farmers provide the highest standards anywhere in the world for the animals in their care and have invested £1 billion in fish health and welfare since 2018,” said Tavish Scott, chief executive of Salmon Scotland. “And while no farmer wants to lose any animal, the care our farmers provide means that survival rates for farm-raised salmon – which spend up to 18 months in the sea – are dramatically higher than their wild cousins.”

Farm-raised salmon, which spend up to 18 months in Scotland’s coastal waters, are the UK’s top food export and are renowned for quality. In comparison, wild salmon face a mere 1 to 2 percent survival rate due to the harsher, uncontrolled conditions of the wild.

Since 2018, the farmed salmon sector has invested £975 million (U.S. $1.2 billion) in efforts to enhance fish welfare, including freshwater treatment vessels, research funding, staff training and high-tech monitoring systems that help manage natural challenges like jellyfish blooms and rising seawater temperatures. Thanks to these measures, survival rates have remained high throughout 2024, peaking at 99.03 percent in June.

The sector, unique in its voluntary monthly survival reports, is now anticipating the Scottish Government’s annual production survey for 2023, set to be published in the next week. Although the report will show a decrease in production volumes due to last year’s environmental hurdles, the industry has already rebounded with a 15 percent rise in production in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

“It is a testament to the dedication of farmers that survival rates on Scottish salmon farms are now at the highest level since 2020,” said Scott.