Campaigners call for action as jellyfish threaten Scottish salmon farms
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String jellyfish species that has killed millions of salmon in Norwegian sea farms reported in Scotland. A jellyfish species that has been wreaking havoc on Norway’s salmon industry has made its way to Scotland, causing significant damage and prompting calls for urgent action.
The string jellyfish has killed millions of salmon in Norwegian sea farms with officials urging an extermination of affected stocks. Now the jellyfish has been reported at several sites in Scotland and to date has caused the death of more than 200,000 farmed salmon.
Dale Vince, the eco-industrialist and founder of the Green Britain Foundation, which has been actively campaigning for increased scrutiny and regulation of the industry, said: “This jellyfish attack is the latest example of how the fish farming industry is failing to cope with environmental challenges. We routinely see them using the land and sea as a sewer for their toxic business, and now nature is fighting back.”.
The two Scottish farms known to be affected so far are in the waters around Skye and Muck. According to data from the Fish Health Inspectorate the salmon farm around Skye has seen the death of 70,000 salmon, and the one at Muck 160,000. A spokesperson for Salmon Scotland denied salmon farms harmed the environment and said blooms of the jellyfish had also been detected in 2022 and 2023 and were caused by rising sea temperatures.
“There are about 70m farm-raised salmon in Scotland’s waters at any time,” said a spokesperson for Salmon Scotland. “Survival rates are at a four-year high following nearly £1bn investment in fish health and welfare, including measures to mitigate any impact of microscopic jellyfish blooms.”.
