Bite-size films give public a taste of salmon farming
Three short videos have been launched by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO) to show the priority the industry gives to environmental responsibility to benefit fish health, local wildlife and the sea.
The videos are similar in concept to the TV adverts by Lidl, in which customers are taken to the source of the supermarket chain's food to see the conditions in which it is produced.
In each of the SSPO's films, a visitor – a lifestyle blogger, a chef and a student concerned about looking after the planet – was taken around a salmon farm to see for themselves how the industry addresses issues such as fish health, energy use, feeding, and recycling.
Recycled materials
Student Daisy, who says "I know Scottish salmon is great quality but how environmentally friendly and sustainable is it really?", is shown fish being fed at Marine Harvest's Loch Duich farm. The video voice-over lists examples of how materials used at fish farms are recycled.
Edinburgh lifestyle blogger Jo Fraser, author of the mummyjojo.com website, who also asks if salmon farming is safe for the environment, is shown environmental monitoring taking place at a Scottish Salmon Company site.
And chef Justin Maule, who runs high-end contract catering firm and preserves maker Wild Fig, said the quality and provenance of his ingredients is paramount but admitted: "I have no idea how Scottish salmon is actually produced."
Maule is seen accompanying a Scottish Sea Farms employee carrying out fish health checks. The chef then cooks salmon on a barbecue on a walkway before serving it up to SSF staff on a feed barge.
Engaging ways to tell our story
SSPO chief executive Scott Landsburgh said that salmon farmers need to show the science, the processes and the level of investment that underpin good fish farming. He added: “Salmon farming is a complex and highly technical business and so we have adopted engaging and shareable ways to tell our story. These films have been exceptionally well received and demonstrate how the industry is constantly making progress to maintain its good reputation for producing sustainable, high quality salmon.”
SSPO spokeswoman Julie Edgar said the videos had been designed for distribution on social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter. "They have deliberately been made very short, with captions, so they can be used on social media."
The videos will also be used at presentations the SSPO makes to the likes of the Scottish Parliament.
See the videos below:
https://vimeo.com/247779369
https://vimeo.com/247773440
https://vimeo.com/247781498
