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Labour MSP Colin Smyth says the government have yet to put in place the necessary regulatory framework to oversee any expansion of salmon farming to protect the environment.

Mr Smyth insists the economic and social benefits of salmon farming were well highlighted, but for these to continue the environmental and animal welfare impacts must be tackled.

He points out mortality rates on salmon farms is 20%.

The Labour MSP says there is still no commitment from the government to make the changes needed.

The current regulatory system has been described as confusing and poorly coordinated he says.

The Labour MSP was disappointed the committee ruled out a moratorium on new salmon farms.

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A salmon producer has reported seeing a reduction in seal culling after introducing new nets to keep them away from fish.

Fish farms are licensed to kill the animals to prevent them from attacking and eating salmon in the farm cages.

Scottish Sea Farms (SSF) said the number of seals culled last year was 31% down on the year before.

It added that culling of seals was a "last resort".

Read more.

Salmon farming is a big employer in the west coast and northern isles of Scotland, but is the industry harming the numbers of wild fish in Scottish rivers and having a knock-on economic effect on small towns reliant on fishing tourism?

Landward: Saving Our Salmon met Katrine and Dennis Johnson, who work on a salmon farm, to find out their opinions.

Lib Dem MSP Mike Rumbles says the committee recommended Marine Scotland be tasked with the delivery of improvements and take on a coordination role.

Each regulation body seems to take a siloed view of regulation so there was not one body taking an overview of the whole process, he says.

This has led to a "light touch" regulation and enforcement regime, explains the Lib Dem.

He urges the Scottish government to develop guidance for local government to help with decisions about new fish farms.

Some salmon farms could close because of tough new rules being proposed by Scotland's environmental watchdog.

Sepa wants to reduce the amount of liquid medicines, animal waste and uneaten food from fish farms which are polluting the marine environment.

It has concluded a major study which raised concerns about chemical treatments for parasitic sea lice.

The study found the chemicals had a longer-lasting environmental impact than previously understood.

Read more here.

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Green MSP John Finnie highlights concerns about the expansion of salmon farms raised by the Scottish Creel Fishermen's Federation.

Mr Finnie warns there are number of challenges in the fish farming industry.

He asks if the precautionary principle is being applied, why is there not a moratorium on new fish farms.

The Green MSP says we need more urgency into this debate and there should be a moratorium pending these issues.

Labour MSP Rhoda Grant says failing to get regulations right in salmon would damage an important industry.

To see the repopulation of rural Scotland, they must have thriving economies and fish farming plays an important role in this, insists Ms Grant.

She urges the government to consider the "cluttered landscape" of regulation, saying it does not work particularly well and businesses find it overly bureaucratic.

Working together to find out more about the salmon species would benefit both the farming and fishing industries, she says.

Ms Grant says Brexit also poses a threat to fish farming, as changes to imports and exports could damage the industry.

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Almost one in five salmon farms in Scotland failed to meet statutory environmental standards, according to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa).

The regulator published its annual assessment of whether environmental licence conditions have been met in October.

It said 56 of the country's 297 licensed fish farms were rated "poor", "very poor" or "at risk".

The figures come despite increased scrutiny on the sector.

Read more here.

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Tory MSP Donald Cameron says his family business has a financial interest in a fresh water salmon farm, owned and managed by Marine Harvest.

Mr Cameron adds he also has an interest in wild fisheries.

The Tory MSP says the real issue is that it is incredibly important that a piece of work is done, outside aquaculture, looking at the decline of wild fisheries.

He welcomes the findings of the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee report, which he says is balanced and reasonable.

Both it and the ECCLR committee reports identified significant failings that must be addressed, he says.

The Tory MSP welcomes a small improvement in salmon mortality rates.

Mr Ewing announces the Scottish government is working with Skills Development Scotland and others to create an aquaculture skills plan to support young people into the sector.

In March, Scotland will host a meeting of fish farm inspectors he adds.

We are taking steps to ensure an appropriate balance between business and the environment is achieved, states the cabinet secretary.

The rural economy secretary says a review of the sea lice compliance regime will be completed this Spring, and it is expected to result it the regime being tightened.

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Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing accepts the status quo is not an option.

Mr Ewing says, according to HIE, over 10,000 jobs rely on salmon farming and it has become a key part of Scotland's food and drink success.

He argues the industry has revitalised coastal, island and rural areas.

The rural economy secretary adds: "There is no doubt that salmon farming plays a key role in our ambitions for our nation."

He agrees the industry is low carbon and provides crucial nutrition.

Ms Martin says the environment committee agrees with the rural committee that current regulatory measures are insufficient.

Both committees would like to see a full commitment from industry, agencies and government to address the problems, she tells the chamber.

We look forward to strategic guidance on the location of fish farms, she adds.

SNP MSP Gillian Martin points out salmon is now affordable due to fish farms, is a massive contributor to the economy and salmon farming is also one of the lowest emission farming methods.

Ms Martin, speaking as the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee convener, says the inquiry, external found there were significant gaps in knowledge and further information is necessary, as well as further research.

The committee also found a need for salmon farms to display they can mitigate the environmental impact of the industry, says Ms Martin.

The convener expresses concern about the government's response to the committee's report that the precautionary principles was being effectively applied.

This was not what we heard in evidence sessions, he states.

Turning to reports which appeared in the media regarding the committee's inquiry, Mr Mountain raises concerns about an unknown member of the committee leaking information.

It led to a level of distrust within the committee about the privacy of discussions and its papers, he says.

He recommends the parliament strengthens the code of conduct on such issues.

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A major research initiative is to be launched to help understand and prevent diseases affecting farmed salmon - including sea lice and gill health conditions.

Tens of millions of pounds are spent annually in response to disease outbreaks at Scottish salmon farms.

The £3.5m programme will focus on prevention, rather than treatment.

Farmed salmon is one of Scotland's biggest food exports, valued at more than £1bn a year.

Read more here.

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Mr Mountain says no expansion should be committed at sites where high or increased levels of fish mortality are found.

The convener warns Scotland is in danger of setting a lower bar than elsewhere and he regrets that the Scottish government does not agree about limiting expansion.

SEPA's regulatory tools are not adequate and it must respond to its failures, says Mr Mountain.

He pivots to the location of salmon farms, calling for a:

• precautionary approach to new sites
• need to locate salmon farms away from wild salmon migratory routes
• strategic approach to sites
• work to move existing poorly sited farms

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The committee's inquiry was launched in June 2017 after Scottish government ministers said they wanted to see "sustainable growth" in the industry.

It heard evidence from salmon producers, environmental groups, scientists and academics.

A separate report for the inquiry, from the Scottish Parliament's environment committee, warned of "irrecoverable damage" from future salmon farming if environmental concerns were not addressed.

It said there had been little activity in tackling environmental problems since 2002.

Mr Mountain says "urgent and meaningful action needs to be taken" to address regulatory deficiencies.

A regime which is fair and proportionate will benefit the sector as it meets its environmental responsibilities, he tells the chamber.

On sea lice, the committee convener says there should be a mandatory and timely approach to the reporting of infestations, with appropriate penalties when they are not.

He highlights that in other countries, the reporting of sea lice is done weekly in arrears.