Scotland’s finfish sector
Scotland’s finfish sector is one of the country’s most significant industries.
Scottish salmon is the UK’s biggest food export. A highly nutritious, low-fat and low-carbon footprint source of animal protein, it is consumed all over the world. A 2025 report from Salmon Scotland, noted that Scottish salmon contributed £953m gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy in 2024. The sector is vital to the prosperity of rural and coastal communities - 2,500 people are directly employed by salmon farming companies, and the sector sustains a further 10,000 directly dependent jobs across Scotland.
Alongside salmon, trout farming (a variety of species including rainbow, brown and sea trout) is well-established in rivers and coastal waters. Like salmon, trout is low in saturated fat and a rich source of Omega 3 oils. Halibut is farmed at a much smaller commercial scale in Scotland, but interest and investment are growing.
Together, these species form a globally important sector that underpins Scotland’s food economy and contributes to global food sustainability.
Find out more about Scottish salmon
Find out more about trout
The sector operates within a dynamic operational and environmental landscape. Farms manage a range of biological factors such as gill health, sea lice, and harmful algal blooms, all of which influence fish welfare and production efficiency.
Environmental changes, such as warmer waters, more frequent storms, and shifting coastal conditions, also shape day‑to‑day operations. Future production depends on continued access to suitable sites, effective navigation of regulatory frameworks, and the adoption of technologies that support environmental and animal‑health ambitions. While trout and halibut farming add diversity to the overall mix, they remain smaller contributors, meaning salmon remains central to sector performance.
Together, these elements create a complex operating environment that encourages ongoing innovation, adaptation, and collaboration to support consistent, sustainable finfish production in Scotland.
How can SAIC help?
SAIC acts as a catalyst for innovation by connecting industry with academic expertise, ensuring projects are aligned with commercial needs. This kind of collaborative innovation accelerates the development of tools, technologies, and approaches that improve fish health, environmental monitoring, and resilience at the farm level.
We play a central role in sharing knowledge across the sector, translating project findings and emerging insights into an accessible form for farmers, supply chain partners, and wider stakeholders. By attracting additional wider UK and EU funding into Scottish aquaculture, SAIC enables larger scale, more ambitious projects than individual companies could deliver alone, supporting advances in sustainable farming.
Find out more about the projects we have supported