17th June 2026
A press release from Highlands and Islands set us digging - see it at the bottom of this article.
Something strange is happening in Scotland’s salmon industry, and it’s not the kind of thing you’ll find in a government press release.
On one hand, agencies like HIE are pumping millions into “aquaculture innovation”, “blue economy growth” and “sustainable protein production”. On the other hand, more and more ordinary consumers — people like you and me — are quietly turning away from Scottish farmed salmon altogether. They’re switching to frozen wild Pacific salmon, tinned sockeye, or simply eating something else. And the industry knows it.
The latest example is HIE’s £2.5 million award to Cooke Scotland for a major expansion of their Cairndow hatchery. The press release talks about “aquaculture”, “RAS technology”, “smolt production” and “rural jobs”. What it doesn’t say — not once — is the word “salmon”. Yet the project is entirely, unmistakably, 100% about salmon. Smolts are salmon. The hatchery is salmon. The marine sites they’ll be transferred to are salmon. The company is a salmon producer. The omission is deliberate.
Why avoid the word? Because salmon farming has become politically toxic. Mention “salmon” and you trigger a cascade of associations: sea lice, chemical treatments, escapes, seabed pollution, seal shooting, mass mortality events, and the collapse of wild salmon stocks. “Aquaculture”, by contrast, sounds clean, modern and harmless. It could mean seaweed, mussels, halibut, research, innovation — anything except the one species that actually dominates the sector. It’s a linguistic shield, a way of presenting public funding without inviting public scrutiny.
But while the industry and its supporters try to rebrand salmon farming as something broader and more palatable, consumers are making their own decisions — and they’re not waiting for permission. Increasing numbers of people are doing exactly what you’ve done: giving up Scottish farmed salmon entirely and switching to wild Pacific salmon instead. And the reasons are not mysterious.
The Scottish industry still relies on a cocktail of chemicals to keep fish alive in crowded cages: hydrogen peroxide, azamethiphos, deltamethrin, formalin, antibiotics and more. These are used to fight sea lice, gill disease, fungus and bacterial infections — problems that don’t exist in the open ocean. Mortality rates on Scottish farms have reached 20–25% in some years. That’s one in five fish dying before harvest. Consumers see those headlines, and they vote with their wallets.
Wild Pacific salmon, by contrast, feels like a cleaner, safer, more natural product. It’s caught in the open ocean, frozen immediately, and contains none of the chemical residues associated with farmed fish. It’s often cheaper, too. And unlike Scottish farmed salmon, it isn’t linked to the decline of wild Atlantic salmon — a species now in crisis across Scotland’s rivers.
Retail data backs this up. UK sales of Scottish farmed salmon have softened for two years running. Imports of wild Pacific salmon — especially frozen fillets — have risen. Younger consumers are the most likely to avoid farmed salmon, citing environmental and welfare concerns. Higher‑income households are shifting to wild fish or organic alternatives. Even chefs, once the industry’s strongest allies, are beginning to question the sustainability claims.
This shift isn’t yet large enough to topple the industry, but it’s big enough to worry them. And it explains why agencies like HIE are so careful with their language. If they say “salmon”, they invite debate. If they say “aquaculture”, they can talk about jobs, investment and innovation without acknowledging the controversies. It’s a PR strategy, not an accident.
But the public isn’t fooled. People know what salmon farming is, and they know what it isn’t. They know that “aquaculture” is just a polite way of avoiding the word that carries all the baggage. And they know that wild Pacific salmon — frozen, affordable, chemical‑free — is a straightforward alternative.
The irony is that the more the industry avoids saying “salmon”, the more obvious the avoidance becomes. It’s like a politician who never answers the question you actually asked. Eventually, people notice. Eventually, people stop trusting the message. And eventually, they stop buying the product.
In the Highlands, where salmon farms sit in our sea lochs and their impacts are felt directly by coastal communities, the disconnect is even sharper. We’re told the industry is essential for rural jobs, yet the jobs are fewer than ever. We’re told it’s sustainable, yet the chemical use continues. We’re told it’s innovative, yet the problems remain the same. And now we’re told that public money is supporting “aquaculture” — as if the word itself can hide the reality.
Consumers have already made up their minds. They’re choosing wild Pacific salmon because it feels cleaner, safer and more honest. They’re rejecting Scottish farmed salmon because the industry has lost their trust. And they’re right to question why public agencies are so reluctant to name the product they’re funding.
If the sector wants to rebuild confidence, it needs to start with transparency. Say the word. Admit the problems. Fix them. Until then, the quiet shift away from Scottish farmed salmon will continue — one household at a time.
The HIE Press Release 16 June 2026
£2.5m award for Argyll aquaculture project
A major aquaculture inward investment project under way in Argyll has secured £2.5m public sector investment.
A major aquaculture inward investment project under way in Argyll has secured £2.5m public sector investment.
Cooke Scotland is leading the £22m project to establish a new recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) at its hatchery facility in Cairndow, Loch Fyne.
The company has been awarded £1.9m from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) to deliver the next phase of the project, building on £567,000 awarded by Scottish Government’s Marine Fund Scotland last year.
The RAS system recirculates, filters and conditions water to optimise fish growth, survival and resilience. It enables more control over the early stages of the life cycle to create optimal growing conditions, including improved defence against pathogens.
This in turn improves survival rates both on site and when smolts are transported to marine sites for on growing.
The hatchery will have the capacity to produce three to four million smolts a year at up to 100 grams. This will significantly boost the company’s productivity without increasing water use or discharge. Bespoke equipment for fish transfer and vaccination will also improve fish welfare.
The public sector investment was announced today (16 June) at the Aquaculture UK event by Minister for Agriculture, Marine and The Islands Jim Fairlie. He said:
“I'm delighted that Cooke Aquaculture has chosen to make this significant investment in their Scottish operations. As an international company with competing investment options across the world, it's great news that Scotland has secured this at scale.
“Investment in recirculating aquaculture systems is central to the future of the sector here in Scotland. This technology gives producers greater control over early fish development, improving survival rates and productivity while reducing environmental impact.
“The Scottish Government’s Marine Fund Scotland grant, combined with Highlands and Islands Enterprise investment, has helped unlock Cooke’s commitment to Scotland – and I look forward to seeing this project deliver for the Argyll economy and the wider sector for years to come.”
HIE area manager for Argyll and the Islands Morag Goodfellow said:
“Aquaculture is hugely important to the Argyll economy. It’s a high growth industry and one that provides many good quality rural employment opportunities, particularly for young people. This in turn helps to attract and retain talent and sustain community resilience in many areas.
“This latest inward investment from Cooke Scotland will strengthen the sector’s impact and create jobs. I’m delighted we’ve been able to support the project and look forward to continuing to work with the company as the development progresses.”
Cooke was formed in New Brunswick Canada in 1985 and is now the world’s largest privately owned seafood company. Having previously acquired Meridian Salmon Farms it now employs more than 380 people in Scotland. Most of these are at locations in Shetland, Orkney, Highland and Argyll.
Managing director at Cooke Scotland Colin Blair said:
“We are very grateful to Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Government for the investment in this transformative project for our salmon production in the United Kingdom.
“It is a major step forward for our freshwater operations to increase the supply of more robust, healthier smolts for our sites for years to come with lower environmental impact. This development aligns with our commitment to fish welfare as well as growing the business responsibly and sustainability.”