Deliver a revised Technical Standard for Scottish Finfish Aquaculture to strengthen controls to reduce farmed fish escapes.
Objective 3: Embed nature positive Farming, Fishing and Forestry
Priority Action 18. Implement Scotland’s vision for sustainable aquaculture to minimise negative impacts on biodiversity.
No revised Technical Standard for Scottish Finfish Aquaculture has been published. The existing 2015 Technical Standard remains in force, and there is no evidence of updated requirements being introduced to strengthen controls on fish escapes.
While Scottish Government aquaculture policy continues to reference containment and escape prevention as priorities, no new regulatory standard or updated technical guidance has been implemented despite the planned 2025 timeline.
Escapes of farmed fish are a well-established risk to wild salmonid populations in Scotland, including genetic introgression and competition. The existing 2015 Technical Standard provides baseline containment requirements, but Scottish Government and NatureScot evidence identifies fish escapes as an ongoing pressure.
In the absence of a revised standard or strengthened controls, there is no evidence of improved regulatory effectiveness in reducing escape risk. As a result, this action is not currently contributing to measurable ecological improvement.
Scottish Government – Technical Standard for Scottish Finfish Aquaculture (2015)
Scottish Government – Aquaculture policy framework
NatureScot – Wild salmon pressures
Scottish Government – Wild Salmon Strategy
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