Salmon Scotland’s Tavish Scott to address global aquaculture conference in Canada. The chief executive of Salmon Scotland, Tavish Scott, will today set out the positive case for aquaculture in a keynote address at a global conference in Canada.
Speaking at Aquaculture Canada and WAS North America 2022 in St John’s, Newfoundland, Mr Scott will highlight the leadership role that Scotland is playing in global aquaculture, including a proactive approach to communicating the benefits of the sector.
Global aquaculture is helping to feed a growing population with high quality, nutritional protein and brings prosperity to coastal communities.
However, in each territory where aquaculture operates there are a small number of vocal anti-salmon farming activists who seek to twist science and support the killing of salmon for sport, with no thought for local jobs or global hunger.
Mr Scott will address the importance of countering the pseudo-science of the false claims with facts.
He will also outline the shared challenges facing aquaculture across the globe, such as protecting wild salmon, responding to climate change, and leading the post-Covid recovery, as well as Scottish-specific issues such as the streamlining of regulation governing the sector, and overcoming the challenges of Brexit since the UK left the EU.
Speaking ahead of the conference, Salmon Scotland chief executive Tavish Scott said:
“Our unique natural environment and excellent high-energy conditions make Scottish salmon truly special, which is why our product has a world-renowned reputation and is in such high demand across the globe.
“Salmon Scotland and our producer members have worked hard to win the trust of our local neighbours, and polling in our key farming areas shows a majority of local people support what we do.
“We are also fortunate in Scotland that both governments value the sector, the 12,000 jobs we support, and the huge economic contribution to the Scottish and UK economies.
“With continued political support we can create even more jobs and prosperity for the country when it needs it the most.
“We couldn’t do what we do without the support of the supply chain – more than 3,500 businesses from net manufacturers to fish health experts, to wellboat operators, secondary processors and hauliers, which are all essential to the global success of the Scottish salmon sector.
“We also know that farm-raised salmon has the lowest carbon footprint of any farmed animal, but there’s still more we can do to protect our environment.
“Salmon Scotland is making real headway on delivering our sustainability charter which includes a commitment to become net zero by 2045, reduce the use of plastics, and improve traceability at every step of the process.”