Chris Packham calls for halt to ‘catastrophic’ expansion of Scottish salmon farms

Chris Packham is president of the RSPCA, but animal rights campaigners have criticised the charity for approving nearly all salmon farms in Scotland. Photograph: Murdo Macleod/The Guardian

Naturalist and broadcaster Chris Packham has called for a halt to the expansion of the Scottish salmon farming industry, as official figures suggest salmon mortality in the country’s farms hit record levels this year.

Packham, the president of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), described the growing industry as “catastrophic” for fish welfare and Scotland’s environment.