THE number of recorded escapes from fish farms has skyrocketed in the last year, new figures have shown.
The Scottish Government published its Scottish fish farm production survey on Wednesday, revealing that 86,606 fish were confirmed to have escaped in 2025.
This is a 28,673% increase from the previous year, when 301 fish escaped.
The vast majority of fish escaped in one incident in October, when around 75,000 escaped into Loch Linnhe after a fish farm owned by Mowi was damaged during a storm.
In total, 75,764 seawater Atlantic salmon escaped last year, while 4465 freshwater Atlantic salmon in the freshwater stage escaped.
Meanwhile, 63 rainbow trout were reported to have escaped, along with 6314 listed as "other species", which escaped from sites rearing seawater Atlantic salmon.
It is the highest number of confirmed escape incidents since 2020, when more than 206,502 fish were confirmed to have escaped, largely consisting of seawater Atlantic salmon.
Rupert Evelyn, campaign director at the Green Britain Foundation, which advocates against salmon farming, said that an increase in fish escapes represents a "flagrant contamination of Scottish waters".
Evelyn told The National: "These fish breed with wild salmon, an endangered species already fighting for survival.
"The industry plays it down. The science doesn't. The Scottish Government's own scientists have found farmed salmon DNA spreading through Scotland's wild rivers."
Evelyn added: "This is an industry with pollution built into its business model. Waste, chemicals, disease, and now tens of thousands of escaped fish. And it pays nothing for any of it."
While fish escapes are not an offence in Scotland, they are in Norway. In 2021, Mowi was fined NOK 3.75 million (around £250,000) in 2021 over the escape of 54,000 salmon.
"Lose 54,000 fish in Norway and you get fined. Lose 86,000 in Scotland and you get a free pass," Evelyn continued.
"That's the result of a cosy relationship between the industry and the government, and it betrays Scotland, its people and its environment."
The figures published on Wednesday also revealed that of the latest group of farmed salmon to finish their time at sea, around 15 million never made it to harvest.
"Every one of those fish was fed on wild fish taken from the sea and not one of them ended up on a plate," Evelyn said.
"It's a hugely wasteful way to produce food. It's draining natural resources and treating Scotland's lochs and seas like a sewer."
Trade body Salmon Scotland said the latest figures reflect a "vote of confidence in Scottish salmon", with production up by 3% compared to the previous year.
The number of staff directly employed in salmon production in seawater increased by 48, from 1362 in 2024 to 1410 in 2025.
Tavish Scott, chief executive of Salmon Scotland, said: “These figures are another vote of confidence in Scottish salmon, with production up by three per cent as our farmers respond to strong demand at home and growing interest in markets around the world.
“Employment is also up again, underlining the importance of salmon farming to Scotland’s rural and coastal communities. These are high-quality, well-paid jobs which help sustain local economies and enable communities to thrive.
“Our producers are continuing to invest for the future, helping ensure Scotland can meet growing demand at home and overseas while supporting the communities where salmon farming matters most.”
