The events, part of the Pure Salmon Campaign's second annual Global Week of Action, aim to focus attention on how current fish farming practices are claimed to "damage the marine environment and pose other dangers to human health and workers' safety".

Commenting, director of the Pure Salmon Campaign, Andrea Kavanagh, said: “Contaminants in farmed salmon make this fish a scary choice for consumers. With the toxic brew of chemicals often used in the production of farmed salmon, it is hard to tell if you are getting a trick or a treat.”

Ross Minett, Campaigns Director, Advocates for Animals said: “I doubt that most consumers are yet fully aware of the suffering endured by salmon on these underwater factory farms. Shockingly high mortality levels would not be tolerated in any other form of animal farming. With high stocking densities, overcrowding is commonplace in these forgotten factory farms under the sea. Fish are crammed into underwater pens with little or no concern for their welfare. In these highly intensive conditions the fish can suffer from a shockingly wide range of diseases. They can also suffer from sea lice infestation and skeletal deformities.

“I am sure many people will be astounded that companies which operate salmon farms around the Scottish coast use equipment which can be damaged by seals, a natural resident in our waters. The hundreds of thousands of fish that are allowed to escape each year from such intensive farms can suffer and die as they are not equipped to survive in the wild. Those that do survive can breed with wild salmon and weaken their gene pool. In addition, by allowing seals to damage their nets, these fish farms view seals as a threat to their profits which must be lethally controlled. Thousands of seals are thought to be shot or drowned each year by fish farms and fishermen. We have internationally important populations in our waters and a moral and legal obligation to protect them. Surely if fish farms are not to provide proper barriers to protect their own fish, then they should be forced to do so by the Government.”

The Edinburgh protest began outside the castle at 12.30pm. Campaigners were asked to move on and rallied outside Edinburgh Dungeon at 1pm. They then planned to move to Marks & Spencer on Princes Street and Sainsbury's on Rose Street.

www.fishupdate.com is published by Special Publications. Special Publications also publish FISHupdate magazine, Fish Farmer, the Fish Industry Yearbook, the Scottish Seafood Processors Federation Diary, the Fish Farmer Handbook and a range of wallplanners.

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