THE aquaculture industry continues to be plagued by often ill-informed criticism despite huge advances in environmental and welfare issues, conference delegates heard today.

Opening the second day of Aquaculture Today , Ian Grant, Chairman of the Crown Estate, said the estate is “proud” to work with an industry whose rapid growth in all aspects means it now plays a key role in the Scottish economy.

However, he added: “The industry is sometimes misunderstood and has suffered in the past from ill-informed press coverage. This is something that the Crown Estate knows all about.”

Meanwhile, Professor Patrick Smith of Schering-Plough Animal Health told the conference that the sector was too much on the back foot when it came to dealing with criticism. The industry’s response to inaccurate and antiquated comments about it was not being seen by the public. He added that anti fish farm campaigners tend to latch on to out-of-date information, often stemming from the late 1980s when vaccinations were not readily available and antibiotic use was prevalent.

“I do feel we fail to get the positive message across sometimes,” he said.

In a session focusing on fish welfare and environmental issues, delegates heard that one of the signs of the increasing maturity of the fish farming sector is its increasing focus on these areas.

Professor Smith described the dramatic advances made in fish vaccinations, and the resulting environmental, welfare and economic benefits, as a “remarkable and exciting success story.”

“Really the whole industry has cleaned itself up, largely due to the use of vaccinations,” he said.

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