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SCOTTISH farmed salmon is becoming increasingly popular around the world, with exports having grown by 500 per cent over the past 20 years, according to the latest data.
Figures collated by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation - or SSPO - show that not only is overall production growing, but Scottish salmon is in big demand around the world.
The industry is important to the Scottish economy with around 6,000 people employed in fish farming and more than 1,500 employed by SSPO companies. The industry is thought to be worth at least £500 million a year in the UK as a whole, with well over half that figure benefiting the Scottish economy. There is also growing co-operation between Scotland and Norway, Europe's largest farmed salmon producer.
The memorandum of understanding signed by the countries' governments aimed to open the way for joint discussions on protecting the industry. Ways of lessening fish farms' impact on the environment were also to be explored. The producers organisation said it showed there was strong political support for the industry.
Should fisheries be closed during breeding time to allow stocks to reach more sustainable levels?
