Why we are calling for farmed salmon to be banished from The Traitors breakfast table

BAFTA-winning The Traitors has quickly become a cultural phenomenon. Celebrity and civilian versions of the TV show fill the UK’s winter evenings with gripping displays of deceit and deception. But the show’s real traitor is hiding in plain sight.

An iconic, much anticipated feature of the show is the morning ritual around the breakfast table, with the buffet itself well known for drawing attention from viewers. But, nestled amongst the pastries and fruit, a real traitor to Scotland’s environment lurks: farmed salmon.

In this blog, Sondhya Gupta explains why this popular television series has the opportunity to make a powerful statement about responsible food choices that could help save an endangered species, the wild Atlantic salmon. Before you dive in, follow the link below to sign the petition – it only takes 30 seconds.

But it’s just a TV show. Why are you campaigning against light entertainment?

The Highland castle location of Ardross, where The Traitors UK and US versions are filmed, plays a huge role in the show. With incredible aerial footage of Scotland’s dramatic hills and lochs, the castle and surrounding landscape are as big a personality as any of the contestants.

And while it’s tempting to believe that the smoked salmon served at the castle is integral to the Highland landscape, nothing could be further from the truth. Industrial salmon farming harms Scotland’s now dwindling native wild salmon populations and nobody should be excited to see farmed salmon served.

To sell its products, the salmon farming industry relies heavily on the idea of it being fundamentally ‘Scottish’. Having smoked farmed salmon featured on TV in such a visible way, in a setting the industry bases its whole misleading marketing on, is a gift to it. Companies pay a lot for product placement deals in TV and film, or prime advertising slots for a reason. And here the salmon farming industry is getting it for free.

A programme watched by millions has an opportunity to make a powerful statement about the food choices it normalises

The power of popular culture to normalise or change peoples’ perceptions and understanding should never be underestimated. ‘Inform, educate and entertain’ have been foundational pillars of the BBC since its inception in the 1920s and we all know how dramas ‘based on real events’ can bring issues to the public attention in a way that changes the conversation.

By bringing our work into the realm of popular culture, we are meeting people where they are. A way to spread our message to millions who may never otherwise learn about the harms of salmon farming. And that is how we raise awareness and grow a movement for change.

Farmed salmon: the real traitor at the breakfast table

Wild Atlantic salmon have been in such a dangerous decline for the past quarter century, they are now classified as endangered in UK waters. A major cause of the diminishing population of this magnificent fish is salmon farming.

As well as playing a key role in reducing the number of Scotland’s wild salmon and sea trout, salmon farming in Scotland’s sea lochs and coastal waters also causes extensive damage to marine and freshwater ecosystems. WildFish regularly reviews the scientific literature evidencing the impacts of salmon farming which include:

• Fish crowded together in cages create a breeding ground for sea lice parasites, exposing juvenile wild salmon to these parasites during their migration through coastal waters that can impact their survival at sea. Regulations designed to manage this risk are not in force due to ongoing litigation.
• Significant quantities of chemicals are used to treat farmed salmon, with residues, waste and untreated effluent released into coastal waters surrounding salmon farms.
• Escapes from salmon farms are a persistent problem. Escaped farmed salmon can spread disease and interbreed with wild salmon populations, weakening the genetic resilience and survival prospects of already vulnerable wild populations.
• Mortality rates of farmed salmon are as high as 40%, with 35 million farmed fish dying in Scottish salmon farm sites before harvest between January 2023 and October 2025.
• Salmon farming also depends heavily on wild-caught fish for feed, drawing on already overfished seas in an inefficient conversion of wild protein into farmed salmon. Some of the fish used in feed could otherwise support people directly, while continued demand risks depleting the wild fish stocks relied upon by coastal and subsistence communities around the world.

There is almost no wild Scottish salmon available to buy

The ‘Scottish’ salmon we see in supermarkets and restaurant menus is produced by harmful industrial systems owned by six multinational corporations, none of which are Scottish owned. Furthermore, independent analysis demonstrates that this industry is failing to pay its way in Scotland.

So when contestants like Stephen Fry exclaim, ‘Ooh, smoked salmon!’, we are unfortunately looking at the product of a deeply harmful salmon farming industry.

The BBC has done so much to bring the natural world into people’s homes. Some of my earliest memories are of snuggling down in my pyjamas to watch the very first series of Life on Earth. These nature programmes played a huge part in instilling in me the belief and drive to protect the spectacle, majesty and beauty found around us. Salmon farming, on the other hand, has huge costs on wildlife and our planet.

Follow the link below and call on the BBC and Studio Lambert to banish farmed salmon from The Traitors breakfast table.

List of references 

• https://www.fishfarmingexpert.com/gilpin-bradley-mowi-scotland-wester-ross-fisheries/scotlands-last-independent-salmon-farmer-bought-by-mowi/1359320
• https://wildfish.org/latest-news/independent-analysis-shows-salmon-farming-is-failing-to-pay-its-way-in-scotland/

By: Sondhya Gupta

Off The Table Campaign Manager