Tariff turmoil and a drop in Q2 margins have not dented sector confidence, with growing global demand for salmon boosting exports and brightening 2026 prospects, writes Jenny Hjul in this month’s round-up of industry news

Late summer brought good news on two fronts for Scottish salmon farmers, first with the announcement of record survival rates for the first half of the year, following the sector’s £1 billion investment in new technology.

Average monthly survival between January and June was 99.12 per cent, the highest figure since the voluntary publication of mortality data began in 2018, reported trade body Salmon Scotland.

The improvement was attributed to innovation across veterinary care, the use of freshwater treatment vessels, shortening marine production cycles, enhanced monitoring systems, and responses to environmental challenges such as jellyfish blooms and warmer sea temperatures, and also saw record low sea lice levels in the sector.

Sales also soared, with the annual value of salmon exports expected to break through the £1 billion barrier for the first time in 2025. In the first six months of this year, exports were worth £528 million, which suggests fresh, whole Scottish salmon exports could surpass the record of £844 million set in 2024.

Sales to the US more than doubled in the first half of the year, up 110 per cent to £190 million, but Salmon Scotland CEO Tavish Scott said the removal of Donald Trump’s tariffs – currently 10 per cent, imposed in April and estimated to cost the sector £30 million annually – could ‘open up even greater opportunities for exporters and help secure long-term growth’.

Sales to China were up 75 per cent to £74 million, with some consignments now being sent through Prestwick Airport. The airport announced last month a new seafood export service from Scotland to China following a £1 million investment in new equipment and the creation of a ‘dedicated cool chain team’, the Herald reported.

Ian Forgie, chief executive of Prestwick Airport, called the new service a ‘game-changer’ for Scottish seafood producers: ‘The value of Scottish salmon exports reached a record £844 million in 2024, with the Chinese market growing by 60 per cent in value and 107 per cent in volume.’ China was the third-largest export market for Scottish salmon in 2024.

Trade tariffs

Globally, Trump’s tariffs, which have created turmoil in seafood markets, were ruled illegal by a federal appeals court, paving the way for legal challenges and ongoing uncertainty in international trade.

The ruling, due to take effect on October 14, won’t end seafood trade tensions, said Rabobank’s Goran Nikolik.

‘The seafood industry is navigating a perfect storm of trade barriers, geopolitical risk, and supply chain fragility,’ he said. The shrimp and salmon industries are among the most affected, according to Rabobank’s report, Caught in the current: Geopolitics threaten the global seafood industry.

Second quarter results in the salmon sector brought a drop in margins for most producers due to lower prices, but prospects are looking brighter for 2026.

Seafood analyst Sander Lie told Intrafish: ‘Heading into next year, we expect sustained higher prices and significantly improved earnings for farmers.’

Sector showcase

Against this backdrop, the industry gathered in Trondheim in Norway for the biennial Aqua Nor exhibition, held from August 19-21.

A showcase for aquaculture’s latest technology, several companies launched new products and innovations before an international crowd.

ScaleAQ entered the closed cage space for the first time with Heimdall, aiming to capture a share of the future salmon farming market as Norway adopts an environmental technology licensing scheme, which allows producers to regain volume provided they use zero-lice-emission facilities.

Designed for more sheltered sites, and with sludge collection included, Heimdall will enable farmers to return to fjords where sites were previously unsuitable, Intrafish reported.

Also launched at Aqua Nor was Smir’s new tool in the fight against sea lice, the UVCuro UV device, which uses ultraviolet light to reduce the impact of parasites.

The water treatment system comprises a skirt around the cage, and an energy-efficient pump that circulates water through a UVCuro unit that irradiates the water in the cage, Fish Farming Expert reported. The UV treatment takes place in a closed system, and the fish remain completely shielded.

Another weapon against sea lice was launched by Tidal, a spin off from Google X, deploying an artificial intelligence solution that delivers energy to target lice with light.

Meanwhile, Stingray, which has established its lice-zapping lasers in the market, conducted research which found that farms using laser delousing ‘have a significantly lower need for other types of treatment than locations without’.

‘This is an important step in the right direction and very relevant for the entire industry, because there is no doubt that non-medicinal delousing in particular is one of the main causes of reduced welfare and increased mortality in salmon,’ said John Harald Pettersen of Stingray, which collaborated with the University of Bergen.

Loch Long wait over

Back in Scotland, the company behind a new type of farm claim it will keep out sea lice, as well as contain up to 85 per cent of faeces and uneaten feed.

Loch Long Salmon (LLS) has waited almost three years for the go-ahead after its semi-closed salmon farm proposal, Scotland’s first, was rejected by Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park’s board in November 2022.

LLS appealed and the Scottish government at last decided to allow the development, which represents a £40 million investment, and brings with it job creation and dedicated community funds, said LLS project director Mark Shotter.

Elsewhere in the world, Canadian salmon farmers in British Columbia are awaiting a report by fisheries minister Joanne Thompson on the future of their embattled sector as it prepares to transition away from netpen farming by 2029.

Meanwhile, yet another scientific investigation has provided evidence, contrary to claims by anti-salmon farming campaigners, that there is no correlation between salmon farm biomass and sea lice prevalence on wild salmon.

The study, published in the Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, reviewed sea lice monitoring data collected in the Broughton Archipelago between 2016 and 2024, demonstrating that natural environmental factors, not the presence of salmon farms, are the primary drivers of sea lice prevalence on juvenile salmon in British Columbia, Fish Farming Expert reported.

One of the country’s biggest operators, Cermaq, has continued to invest in BC, despite the political climate. Cermaq CEO Steven Rafferty told Intrafish he believes ‘common sense will prevail in the end’.

‘You’ve got a billion-dollar industry on BC’s Vancouver Island, where there are very few job opportunities. There’s a need for food coming from Canada, and it’s one of the government’s main goals. It would be ironic and contradictory to close an industry that is part of the solution, both economically and in terms of food production.

‘So, I believe that with a new prime minister, eventually a solution will be found to allow the industry to continue.’

In Chile, too, optimism prevails. Ricardo Garcia, CEO of Camanchaca Group, said doubling salmon production is an achievable goal for Chile. Currently, salmon represents 10 per cent of the country’s total exports, using only 0.04 per cent of the territorial sea in the farming regions.

However, the political landscape is encouraging, Garcia said, with all three candidates in Chile’s presidential election, to be held on November 16, supporting growth in the sector.

Keep up to date with the industry’s top stories, all in our next news review.