Fish Farmer, April 2015
In his April 2015 column for what was then the Scottish Salmon Producers Association (now Salmon Scotland), Professor Phil Thomas pointed to the state of the Scottish economy and suggested that allowing the fish farming sector to grow could be part of a solution.
As he put it: “Disappointing to report that such expansion is still beset by frustrating obstacles to progress.”
In particular, he singled out the planning system for marine developments. This will no doubt be a familiar complaint to fish farmers today. More recently a report for the Scottish Government by Professor Russel Griggs set out proposals for streamlining the planning system, which are currently being trialled.
The industry is still frustrated at the rate of progress, and we are likely to see more editorials on the theme of planning, in future editions.