Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2025. Scottish salmon production rises by 3% in 2025.
Scottish salmon production increased by three per cent in 2025, reaching almost 198,000 tonnes, while employment in seawater salmon farming and smolt production also increased, according to new Scottish Government statistics.
The Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2025 shows that Atlantic salmon production rose by 5,836 tonnes, from around 192,000 tonnes in 2024 to 197,836 tonnes last year.
The number of people directly employed in seawater salmon production increased by 48, or four per cent, from 1,362 to 1,410.
The figure covers staff directly involved in seawater salmon production but does not include people working in processing or marketing. It also excludes roles across freshwater farming, logistics, engineering, veterinary support and administration, meaning it represents only part of the sector’s overall workforce.
Smolt production also increased significantly during 2025, rising by 8.9 million, or 20 per cent, to 53.5 million.
The survey recorded an improvement in survival to harvest for the 2023 Atlantic salmon year class, which rose to 68.8 per cent compared with 61.8 per cent for the 2022 year class.
Farmed Scottish salmon typically spend around 18 months at sea, meaning the survival-to-harvest figures in the latest Scottish Government survey relate to an earlier generation of fish and do not reflect the most recent monthly performance figures.
Salmon Scotland said its voluntary monthly reporting showed average survival of 98.3 per cent during 2025. It also reported average monthly survival of 99.05 per cent during the first seven months of 2026, compared with 99.07 per cent during the same period in 2025.
The organisation said salmon farmers have invested more than £1 billion in technology, infrastructure, monitoring, fish health and veterinary care to improve survival and respond to changing environmental conditions.
Responding to publication of the Scottish Government’s annual fish farm production survey, Tavish Scott, chief executive of Salmon Scotland, said the figures reflected continued demand for Scottish salmon:
“These figures are another vote of confidence in Scottish salmon, with production up by three per cent as our farmers respond to strong demand at home and growing interest in markets around the world.
“Employment is also up again, underlining the importance of salmon farming to Scotland’s rural and coastal communities. These are high-quality, well-paid jobs which help sustain local economies and enable communities to thrive.
“Our producers are continuing to invest for the future, helping ensure Scotland can meet growing demand at home and overseas while supporting the communities where salmon farming matters most.”
The latest survey also highlights a significant change in Scotland’s rainbow trout sector. Production fell by 4,579 tonnes, or 56 per cent, to 3,592 tonnes. The Scottish Government attributed much of the decline to the acquisition of a major rainbow trout producer by a salmon producer.
Salmon Scotland says Scottish salmon is the country’s most popular fish and the UK’s biggest and most valuable food export, with international sales of more than £800 million to nearly 50 countries each year.
The organisation estimates that the salmon sector contributes £1 billion annually to the UK economy, while producers spend more than £714 million with 3,600 Scottish suppliers.
More than 2,460 people are directly employed in salmon farming across Scotland, with around 11,000 jobs supported in total. Production across the west coast, Highlands and islands provides around 850 million meals each year.
The Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey provides an annual picture of employment and production across Scotland’s farmed Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout and other fish sectors, allowing trends in the industry to be monitored over time.
Image: Salmon Scotland
