A new type of salmon farm has been granted a permit by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).
Loch Long Salmon claims that the semi-enclosed containment vessels, which will separate wild and farmed fish, could revolutionise the industry.
The pollution-limiting containers will debut next year on Loch Long, if planning permission is approved.
The proposed site for the new farm is at Beinn Reithe near Arrochar, in the Trossachs and Loch Lomond National Park.
It is the latest in a series of regulatory approvals required before the farm can be deployed, and comes after a two-year programme of surveys and modelling to demonstrate that the farm will not compromise the environmental quality of the loch.
The company has not requested permission to use chemicals to treat sea lice, as the semi-closed system should mean they cannot enter the pens.
The current form of fish farm must treat parasites with chemicals, which are then discharged into the water.
The environmental permit allows Loch Long Salmon to deploy five enclosures of 140 metre circumference, with a biomass limit of 3,452 tonnes.
The set-up has been approved by SEPA because more than 85% of waste and uneaten food is collected internally at the bottom of the enclosure to be brought ashore and treated.
It is believed that this will reduce the environmental impact of the site, protecting the seabed and surrounding marine environment.
In 2018, an inquiry held by Holyrood’s rural economy committee said “light-touch regulation” had failed and the industry needed to change.
It followed concerns about the high numbers of fish deaths caused by sea lice jumping onto farmed salmon from wild fish brushing past the pens.
In 2019, the regulator introduced its Finfish Aquaculture Sector Plan and a Revised Regulatory Regime. The plan is aimed at maintaining full compliance with environmental protection laws, while helping those investing in innovation and moving beyond compliance.
Loch Long Salmon hopes to begin construction this year, if planning is approved soon.
Stewart Hawthorn, director of Loch Long Salmon, said: “This exemplar project provides an opportunity to show closer to home what is possible and to secure the future of the salmon farming industry in Scotland - it will reduce environmental impacts while continuing to support vital jobs and economies in rural Scotland.”
Jo Green, acting chief executive at SEPA, said: “We want Scotland to be a world-leading innovator of ways to minimise the environmental footprint of food production and supply, and for aquaculture operators to have a strong and positive relationship with neighbouring users of the environment and the communities in which they operate.”
Scotland has more than 200 active fish farms and the industry expects consumer demand for salmon to continue growing.
The Scottish Salmon Producers Association estimates that the industry contributes more than £640m to the economy, selling more than £1bn of fish each year.
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