Worryingly headlined and repeated throughout the morning:
‘If the Scottish salmon industry wants to meet its expansion targets it’ll need three hundred thousand tonnes more wild fish every year JUST to make into feed. That’s according to the environmental campaign group ‘Feedback’. The group is warning that if its projections are correct by 2030 the amount of wild fish will be roughly equivalent to ALL the salmon landed by UK vessels in one year alone. Scottish salmon producers say new methods of using plant-based ingredients would help ensure sustainability.’
It’s a familiar pattern with some worrying news about anything at all Scottish that we might take confidence from, based on one partisan source and with a wee hint of the truth of the matter, tagged on at the end in case anyone accuses them of imbalanced reporting.
Their own guidelines warn against relying on a single source as they did in this:
3.4.1: We should try to witness events and gather information first hand. Where this is not possible, we should talk to first hand sources and, where necessary, corroborate their evidence. We should be reluctant to rely on a single source. If we do rely on a single source, a named on-the-record source is always preferable.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/guidelines/accuracy/gathering-material
Most important, why was the industry suggestion on plant-based alternatives not explored to inform the viewer? I found this in seconds:
‘The results of this study suggest that feeding a diet containing low levels of fish meal and moderate levels of fish oil does not significantly affect ω3 fatty acid composition in muscle. Fish meal could be reduced to 5% without affecting growth as long as there was a minimum of 5% fish oil, and animal by-products did not exceed 26% of the diet.’
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6150467/
So, if the above peer-reviewed research is correct:
‘If the Scottish salmon industry wants to meet its expansion targets it looks eminently feasible?’
Talking-up Scotland 
They just cant resist it can they, I wonder if they all sit in an office meeting the night before, and say right guys this is good news how can we make it sound bad, suggestions please ? its just downright disgusting.
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More or less what happens.
Then they open their playbook to find the template.
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What surprised me was that there was no comment from BBC Scotland’s go-to ‘experts’ on fishing, the Lambeg-drum bashers of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation. The SFF, is, of course, only one of the fishing associations in Scotland, but they represent a few very wealthy sea fishing groups, who are substantial Tory supporters in the north east.
If the proposed increase in production of salmon was likely to have an effect on the sales of the SFF-caught fish, then BBC Scotland, would possibly feel obliged to cast doubt upon the proposal.
Now, of course, fish farming brings serious problems of itself and, proposals have to be examined objectively.
There was not much discussion of MrJeremy Hunt’s proposed £6 billion bung to fishing post Brexit, should he become PM.
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FFS you’re right, there was no SFF!
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Can’t find any criticism of salmon farming by the SFF. Same owners?
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It is possible that there could be some overlap in ownership, but because of the way companies can be ‘nested’, cross controlled, off-shored it can be hard to find who the beneficial owners actually are.
I was just speculating about the SFF, because BBC Scotland present them as the voice of Scottish fishing. In the sections of the programme I heard, there was no response from anyone from Scottish fishing interests. Since the interview with the campaigner was quite a long one, I expected there to be a comment from the industry and/or the relevant SG department.
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I am surprised that insect larvae have not been considered or tested as feed extenders for farmed fish in Scotland.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insect_farming
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Good idea
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See if we could get awe they midgies togither on wan spot.
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For the latest pre-planned and carefully edited propaganda shown by BBC Scotland see yesterday’s Sunday Politics Scotland at 18.42 onward.
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No, you can’t make me!
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From the piece I heard on the GMS radio news this morning there was brief mention made of some of the farmed salmon diet being drawn from fish trimmings/off-cuts from (wild) fish processing. There may be a small income stream (or saving on disposal costs?) for FFS members (or, more probable, the Fish Processors who purchase the landings from the FFS members). The Feedback campaign group spokes-person did actually agree that there were some commendable ‘sustainable’ elements to this element of the farmed fish industry. (Naturally, this topic wasn’t much probed in the short piece to air – but- being scrupulously fair to the GMS news team – they did get a mention of this info and the benefits of recycling what would otherwise be a waste product to be disposed of).
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FFS?
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Wi’ Bertie still in charge = FFS!!! (hopefully his recently announced successor might be more involved with fisheries issues and less involved with extremist britnattery (one lives in hope).
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