Top chefs are supporting a campaign to remove farmed Salmon from menus – citing environmental and welfare concerns in salmon farming.

Salmon stands as Britain’s most valuable food export thanks to its many health benefits, being low in saturated fats and rich in omega-3.

Scotland is globally recognised for its salmon production, with the fish constituting 40 per cent of its overall food exports.

However, a growing number of chefs are distancing themselves from the widely popular pink-fleshed fish.

They point to various environmental and welfare issues in salmon farming, for example, concerns about the use of antibiotics and chemicals, the substantial quantities of wild fish diverted for feed instead of human consumption, its contribution to the diminishing numbers of wild salmon, and its lack of quality.

Restaurants, cafes and hotels across the country have made the decision to eliminate Farmed Salmon from their menus.

The expanding list includes Grace & Savour, a Michelin-starred venue in Solihull in the West Midlands, zero-waste restaurant Silo in east London, the renowned ‘nose-to-tail’ St John restaurant group, the Tate galleries and the Poco Tapas bar in Bristol, run by Guardian columnist Tom Hunt.

‘I think it’s such a poor product, and because of the effect that it has on wild salmon, I won’t serve it,’ Lloyd Morse, head chef at the Palmerston restaurant in Edinburgh, told The Guardian.

According to Matt Palmer from WildFish, a charity urging restaurants to join its Off The Table campaign which has garnered support from over 150 eateries, the population of wild Atlantic salmon in Britain has seen a significant decline since the 1970s. He attributes this decline, in part, to industrial salmon farming.

Palmer, who has previous experience as a veterinarian on salmon farms, points to parasitic sea lice as a significant concern. These lice can accumulate in farms and potentially spread to and infect wild salmon and sea trout, leading to potentially fatal consequences.

According to a report from Scotland’s Fish Health Inspectorate, deaths on Scottish fish farms nearly doubled in 2022 compared to the previous year, reaching 15 million.

Rising sea temperatures and micro-jellyfish are believed to be responsible for an 18% decrease in farmed salmon this year. Critics argue that overcrowding and the premature slaughter of fish before they reach full maturity raise ethical concerns.

Salmon Scotland, representing the Scottish salmon industry, maintains that sea lice pose a challenge to both farmed and wild salmon.

They argue that various factors contribute to the decline in wild salmon, including water quality, the impact of climate change and habitat loss. The organisation also emphasises that stocking densities for Scottish salmon are among the lowest in the world.

Chantelle Nicholson, chef-owner of the sustainable central London restaurant Apricity, previously featured salmon on the menu at her former establishment, Tredwells. ‘It’s popular. If you put it on the menu, it sells,’ she says.

However, the reported use of antibiotics forced her to remove the fish.

‘There’s some really good alternatives now. Chalk stream trout is similar but has a much better flavour and a lovely buttery texture,’ she explained to The Guardian.

Salmon Scotland reports that in 2021, 95 per cent of seawater farms refrained from using antibiotics altogether.

The Marine Conservation Society (MSC) rates organic and Aquaculture Stewardship Council-certified Atlantic salmon as ‘green’ in its traffic light system, while most other farmed salmon receive an ‘amber’ rating, signifying that improvements are necessary.

The MSC’s sustainability certification, indicated by the blue tick, is specifically for wild salmon products, predominantly sourced from North America.

‘Scottish salmon is the UK’s most popular fish and the country’s No 1 food export,’ said Tavish Scott, chief executive of Salmon Scotland.

He continued: ‘With domestic and global demand for Scottish salmon continuing to grow, the success of the Scottish salmon sector – and the jobs that depend on it – will not be put at risk from a handful of urban-based activist chefs.’