Wishart stands up for fish farming jobs

Beatrice Wishart has highlighted the importance of the salmon farming industry to job creation. Speaking in the Scottish Parliament during a session of Topical Questions Ms Wishart spoke of the investment in the sector, from improving the trend in survival rates of farmed fish to the expected £1 billion of exports this year.

Ms Wishart is Deputy Convener on the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee which held a Salmon Inquiry that reported in January 2025.

Speaking in the Chamber Ms Wishart asked:

“Does the cabinet secretary recognise the investment by the salmon farming industry and the improving trend in survival rates, as well as the hard work that the men and women on the farms do every day to produce the United Kingdom’s top food, with exports expected to reach £1 billion this year?”

The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, Mairi Gougeon MSP responded:

“I absolutely recognise that. One thing that stuck out to me, when the committee was taking evidence and undertaking its inquiry, was hearing from the fish farmers who are working really hard to produce that high-quality source of protein, which, as I have outlined, is so important for our wider economy.

“As much as I have outlined in previous responses the investment that we are putting into that innovation and ensuring that we are ahead of some of the emerging challenges, it is also important to recognise the huge sums of investment that the industry is putting in to tackle and address some of the challenges that it knows that it faces.”

After the exchange Ms Wishart commented:

“There are some who are ideologically opposed to fish farming and will never be persuaded otherwise but a narrative that somehow the salmon industry is all bad is unreasonable and unfair.

“Many in Shetland are proud to be working in the sector which provides well-paid jobs and investment through the wider supply chain in Shetland and across rural Scotland.”

You can see Ms Wishart’s question here.