Rainbow trout

Rainbow trout farming in marine net pens can have a negative environmental impact.Farmed rainbow trout in marine net pens does not deplete local freshwater supplies. Habitat alteration is also small scale through the use of mooring grids only. All juveniles are sourced from hatcheries.While there is a lack of information on the environmental impacts of chemical usage in freshwater ponds, this is thought to be effectively regulated and is covered by both the Quality Trout UK Standard and the Code of Good Practice, as well as being regulated by CEFAS (England and Wales) and SEPA (Scotland). Trout farms also can discharge directly into the environment but there is no evidence of a country or region level negative impact resulting from this discharge, and it is effectively mitigated by regulation and standards.Rainbow trout farmed in seawater are susceptible to sea lice infestation and there is concern about how well sea lice control is regulated, as well as a lack of data around rainbow trout and sea lice. Disease outbreaks can also happen but there is no evidence to suggest that these outbreaks threaten the viability of the region.Large escape events have happened in the last decade in marine net pens. In Scotland in 2020, there was one escape incident involving the loss of 1601 fish from a rainbow trout site. In 2019, there were three incidents involving the loss of 37,372 fish from rainbow trout sites. Escaped rainbow trout can alter the natural environment by indirectly affecting aspects of the wild population behavior, predators and disease interaction.

Quality Trout UK standard covers both fish welfare and humane slaughter. A Veterinary Health Plan is required which covers transport and staff are required to be trained in welfare practices.

This assessment scores well for management measures but would benefit from 3rd party certification.Aquaculture policy in the UK is a devolved matter, with the separate administrations of Wales, England, Northern Ireland and Scotland responsible for its collective oversight. Aquaculture is not yet included in the River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) and MCS would like to see this included in the next RBMPs (produced every 7 years).In the UK, there is regulatory framework in place to address the environmental impacts of aquaculture. This includes the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC and the Birds Directive 2009/147/EC, which form the cornerstones of the EU’s nature conservation policy and protect valuable habitats and species. There is also regulation in place to cover the use of land and water resources, discharges including effluents and their impacts, biosecurity and disease management. These regulations are thought to be mostly effective, however there is a lack of standard criteria on habitat protections.