Opinion
Sense and sentinels
I have always been sure that it was unnecessary for Scottish Ministers to appoint a regulator to manage sea lice. As the weeks go by, I am also increasingly convinced that the appointment of SEPA to this role was a major mistake.
Having watched their efforts from the outset, I firmly believe that SEPA have little understanding of sea lice and the interactions with wild fish. I suspect that SEPA have simply listened to a narrative promoted by Scottish Government scientists based on mathematical modelling and have adopted the narrative as their approach to regulation but critically, without any real understanding of what it means.
Read MoreA positive spin
My grandkids came to stay last week and I am currently sitting in a soft play centre in Forfar, having my hearing aids blown up by the sheer noise.
Read MoreFact-free campaigns
The reputation of salmon farming has suffered as a result of criticism that does not have much to back it up, says Martin Jaffa.
Read MoreWhere has the time gone?
This month, I hope you will forgive a subject a little closer to home, as an important milestone has just passed for me.
Read MoreWhat price differentiation?
The climate for fish sales and prices globally is generally set fair, with the odd bump. This is in stark contrast to the outlook for production globally, especially for salmon.
Read MoreBig fish, little fish
The salmon sector in Norway appears to be embarking on a journey that Scottish producers took many years ago – the journey of evolving from being an industry of many producers to just a handful.
Read MoreActivism and its effects
What is very clear is that our democracy is not threatened as much by the incredible incompetence of our politicians but by the corruption of our civil service.
Read MoreOne sided
A new podcast on the future of wild salmon features numerous guests, but only one narrow viewpoint, argues Dr Martin Jaffa.
Read MoreProtecting human rights
The recent investigations uncovering human rights abuses in the farmed seafood industry, most recently in the shrimp industry in India, are very unsettling to read. While we all agree that these abuses should have no place in any industry, the reality is starker and more uncomfortable.
Read MoreCounter argument
An article in the Guardian newspaper looked at why people reject so much of the bountiful catches from the sea in favour of the same few species. The article asks how reliance on just a handful of popular fish species can be changed.
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