Scottish Biodiversity Strategy Tracker

Delivery Update May 2026

The Sea Lice Risk Assessment Framework (SLRAF) was implemented in February 2024 for new and expanding salmon farms on the west coast and Western Isles. It introduces a regulatory process to assess and manage the risk of sea lice impacts on wild Atlantic salmon.

Existing farms have been screened under the framework, but there is limited publicly available evidence on enforcement or compliance outcomes. The sea trout component of the framework was not fully operational until March 2025.

The framework establishes a regulatory structure for managing interactions between aquaculture and wild fish, but there is no published monitoring evidence yet demonstrating reductions in sea lice impacts on wild populations.

Ecological Contribution

The ecological risk from sea lice to wild Atlantic salmon and sea trout is well established in Scottish and international evidence, with aquaculture identified as a key pressure in certain regions. The SLRAF provides a mechanism to assess and manage this risk at the licensing stage, which is a significant step toward integrating wild fish protection into aquaculture regulation. However, ecological outcomes depend on effective enforcement, compliance, and measurable reductions in lice levels and impacts on wild fish. As monitoring evidence demonstrating these outcomes has not yet been published, the ecological benefit remains uncertain.

Evidence Links

Scottish Government – SEPA’s Sea Lice Regulatory Framework
Scottish Government – Wild Salmon Strategy (pressures and management)