Í júlí var birtur listi yfir 51 sjókvíaeldisstöðvar við Skotland þar sem umhverfismál voru í ólestri. Mikið magn af eldisfiski hafði í för með sér mikla mengun vegna saurs og rotnandi fóðurleifa, sem leiddi til bágborins ástands í sjónum, súrefnismagn minnkaði og ammoníaksgildi mældust há.
Í umfjöllun hins skoska Sunday Post segir m.a.:
“… figures released by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO) showed that fish farm companies lost huge numbers of fish in the first half of 2018.
For example, the Scottish Salmon Company, Scotland’s largest producer of salmon, lost 58% of fish at its Mull site, as well as 47.6% of its fish at Gravir Outer.
…
A scientific study on the sea lice problem associated with the salmon farms claimed that in areas with outbreaks of the disease in farms, lice could directly cause the mortality of 30% to 50% of all migrating sea trout smolts and 48% to 86% of all wild salmon smolts.
Consequently, it said that in western Scotland, lice infestations are regarded as a major factor in the decline of wild salmon and sea trout populations.