Scotland’s salmon sector appears ready to evolve, yet it remains constrained by legislation built for another era and by legacy behaviours that no longer reflect a modern, collaborative industry.

Scotland stands on the edge of something genuinely significant. For the first time, our rural industries – tourism, aquaculture, food and drink, agriculture, energy, and forestry – are not only being recognised as the beating heart of our economy, but as the foundation for a new era of national prosperity.

Scotland’s wild salmon are in crisis, yet the national conversation about why has become increasingly narrow. Salmon farming is often portrayed as the main culprit, but recent scientific assessments and regulatory reviews have reinforced just how complex that picture actually is.

As Scotland heads toward next week’s election, very few pieces of recent legislation carry the same long term implications as the Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2026.

As the last Scottish Parliament entered its final legislative sprint, the Rural Affairs and Islands (RAI) Committee’s February-March 2026 hearings on salmon farming should have signalled a fresh start. Instead, they felt uncomfortably familiar, a rerun of conversations Scotland has now been having for nearly a decade.

Exploring why some of Scotland’s most contested debates remain unresolved despite extensive evidence and policy intent – and how a new government could help break the deadlock.