The Scottish Government has been criticized for the "slow progress" made by a parliamentary inquiry into regulating the salmon farming industry, which took five months to gather evidence before reaching a conclusion.

Reports show MSPs "seriously considered" calling for a moratorium on new farms and expansion of existing farms amid concerns about continued high salmon mortality, but refrained from doing so due to uncertainty about the impact on jobs and communities.

The report calls on the Scottish Government to "step up its leadership" and set an immediate timetable to address concerns about the long-term viability of salmon farming in Scotland, with a minister to oversee this within a year.

Farmed Scottish salmon is the UK's largest global food export, worth £645m a year. The industry supports 2,500 direct jobs in sparsely populated islands and rural communities, and an estimated 10,000 jobs in the wider supply chain.

The investigation comes as mortality rates on Scottish salmon farms hit record highs, sparking greater scrutiny of fish welfare and environmental pollution. In 2023, an unprecedented 17.4 million salmon died in farms before harvest, exceeding the 17.2 million in 2022. That same year, salmon farming production reached its lowest level in decades, according to the Scottish Government's fish farm production survey published in October.

The industry blames the excess deaths on factors beyond its control, including unusually high numbers of microjellyfish, which may be linked to global warming. Campaigners blame overcrowding and other welfare issues.

The inquiry, conducted between April and October, follows a scathing report into the industry in 2018, which cited high death rates, "lax" regulation and environmental concerns, and concluded that the industry's Any expansion will require urgent action and regulatory reform.

Councilor Finlay Carson, convener of the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee, said he recognized the industry's efforts to invest and innovate amid challenges.

"But further progress should be made on implementing the 2018 recommendations and predicting the impact of climate change and rising sea temperatures on the industry," he said. “Ultimately, the role of the Scottish Government, along with industry, is to drive a change agenda that enables the science, research and regulatory environment to keep pace with the rapidly changing marine environment.”

Carson told the Guardian that if no progress was made to address its concerns within 12 months, the committee would start looking into the impact of the suspension.

The inquiry made a series of recommendations, including new powers to cease production at sites with persistently high mortality, greater transparency (including mandatory publication of weekly salmon mortality data), welfare standards for farmed fish and an end to farm siting Near wild fish. Salmon migration routes.

Environmental and welfare groups welcomed the report but said it was "very disappointing" that it failed to call for a pause in industry growth.

John Aitchison, spokesman for the Scottish Coastal Communities Network campaign group, said: "The extremely high mortality rates on Scotland's salmon farms are a national disgrace, so we welcome these recommendations."

In October, more than 1 million fish were recorded dead at a farm run by the UK's largest supplier, Mowi Scotland - the highest death toll of farmed salmon in Scotland.

Abigail Penny, executive director of Animal Equality UK, said: “This shocking report exposes the long-standing failures of Scotland’s farmed salmon producers and reiterates what we have known for years: the industry is in crisis state."

Tavish Scott, chief executive of the Scottish Salmon Industry Group, said: “We engaged constructively with MSPs to provide evidence of the significant progress our industry has made and we note that much of their advice was directed at the Scottish Government.”

Cabinet secretary for rural affairs Mairi Gougeon said the government had made "significant progress" in a number of areas including sea lice management and environmental protection since the 2018 survey.

"I thank the committee for its detailed report and recognize the call for rapid progress in other key areas," she said. "We will consider the report carefully and respond promptly."