A NUMBER of leading Edinburgh restaurants have dropped Scottish salmon from their menus amid growing environmental and welfare concerns.
Among those to have removed farmed salmon – wild-caught Scottish salmon is not commercially sold – include The Witchery, a popular fine dining restaurant situated on the Royal Mile, along with the Contini group of restaurants.
The move is in support of the Off The Table campaign , which encourages hospitality and food businesses to drop farmed salmon, in a bid to raise awareness of the environmental, sustainability and welfare issues of salmon farming.
James Thomson, owner of The Witchery, said: "Protecting our wild salmon is not only about safeguarding one of Scotland's most treasured species, but also about preserving the health of our rivers, coastlines and the communities that depend upon them.
“Supporting producers who work in harmony with nature has always been central to our philosophy, and we are proud to support the Off The Table campaign."
The Contini Restaurants group, which owns Contini George Street, Cannonball Restaurant and Bar, and The Scottish Cafe and Restaurant in the National Gallery, has also signed up to the campaign.
Contini Restaurants director Carina Contini said: “Visitors come to Scotland to taste iconic products; salmon is one of our most revered fish, however current rearing practices are endangering native wild stocks and we felt it was the correct decision to stop selling."
Off The Table first launched in 2022, with some of its earliest supporters including Edinburgh restaurants The Palmerston and L'escargot Bleu.
Now, more than 300 chefs, restaurants and food professionals have backed the initiative.
Sondhya Gupta, campaign manager for Off The Table, said: “As tourists flock to Edinburgh this summer, they’ll be excited to try the best food Scotland has to offer. It’s fitting then that a wave of the city’s best restaurants and chefs are coming together to help educate consumers by removing farmed salmon from their menus.
"This momentum reflects a growing industry awareness that farmed salmon is harming Scotland’s wild salmon and polluting our coastal and freshwater environments."
Gupta added: "The message from these leading restaurants is clear: farmed salmon is a nasty stain on Scotland's wonderful food scene, and it has no place on our menus."
Scottish Salmon, the trade body for Scottish salmon farming, said that wild salmon numbers have been in decline since long before salmon farming.
The body said that water quality and habit loss are some of the key threats to the population.
A spokesperson told The Scotsman: "It is intensely disappointing that these establishments have not visited a sea farm or spoken to any fish farmer. They would be most welcome to ask any questions they have.
"We have asked owner James Thomson for a meeting and await his reply."
