Killer jellyfish, pesticides and antibiotics: I’ll tell you about the silent (but announced) massacre of Scottish salmon

A silent massacre is taking place in Scottish waters. This is not a natural disaster, but a tragedy announced: hundreds of thousands of farmed salmon have died due to an invasion of jellyfishcreatures transformed into killers by a intensive and unsustainable production system.

The alarm went off after some sort of filamentous jellyfishalready responsible for death of millions of salmon in Norwayhas been spotted in several Scottish locations, including the Skye and Muck area. In a few days, it is estimated that over 200,000 salmon diedvictims of contact with the stinging filaments of this species. The jellyfish, attracted by the high concentration of nutrients in the farms, They sting the skin, eyes and gills of salmon, causing wounds, infections and a slow, painful death.

While alarmed activists denounce the inertia of the Scottish government and speak of yet another confirmation of the fragility of an industry that struggles to protect both farmed fish and the marine environment, Salmon Scotlandthe association that represents many operators in the sector, downplays the incident, attributing the proliferation of jellyfish to rising sea temperaturesa phenomenon already observed in 2022 and 2023. A spokesperson for the organization highlighted how investments in salmon health have increased by almost a billion pounds, with the aim of improving the survival of the specimens.

Yet critics point out that the Scottish episode is not an isolated case, but rather a sign that the intensive farming system has major weaknesses.

“Salmon farming is intensive farming and has all the problems of the land-based version, plus the poisoning of wildlife and an incredible rate of “deaths in custody” – he said in a video in 2023 Dale Vincefounder of Green Britain Foundation – This year, 14 million salmon have already died in custody on Scottish farms. Our video expose shows how disgusting the conditions are: no wonder so many die, no wonder so many survive. Don’t buy smoked salmon and this abuse will stop.”

Jellyfish and other criticisms of breeding

Jellyfish stings cause deep lesions on the skin, eyes and gills of salmon, often condemning them to infection and death. But the structural problems of industrial aquaculture go far beyond this emergency: