Fish farmers 'should face penalties and even criminal charges for mass escapes'

Fish farmers 'should face penalties and even criminal charges for mass escapes'

Source: heraldscotland

10/16/2021

FISH farmers should face penalties and even criminal charges for mass escapes, a group representing river workers has said.

The Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) fishing group said escapes have a negative impact on declining wild salmon populations.

More than a quarter of a million farmed fish have reportedly escaped over the last five years in Scotland, it said.

The group said interbreeding between farmed and wild fish is damaging to the latter's survival, and so "appropriate penalties" now need to be applied.