The report found salmon farming helped sustain school rolls, teaching posts, local shops and businesses as well as directly employing more than a third of the population of one island.
The study involved interviews with community members, a survey of salmon farmers and supply chain organisations.
Researchers found: “Salmon farming acts as key anchor industry in many remote and island communities, particularly in places where year round employment is scarce.”
More than 350 employees were recruited locally by salmon farmers in 2025, and 139 apprenticeships were delivered.
On the Isle of Muck, in the Inner Hebrides, salmon farming directly employs 34 per cent of the population, which the report found helps to “sustain year-round local services and economic activity”.
Interviewees in island communities such as Uist in the Western Isles and Westray in Orkney stressed the importance of salmon farming in “sustaining schools, attracting younger families and supporting long term viability”.
At least 20 pupils at the primary school in Westray are children of salmon farm workers, and teaching posts have been added in Orkney due to increased demand.
Without the salmon farm, one of Westray’s shops would be unable to continue at its current staff levels, the owner told interviewers.
The report found “clear evidence that salmon farming drives economic growth and provides long term economic security in small communities”.
Minister for Agriculture, Marine and the Islands, Jim Fairlie, received the report on a visit to the Scottish Sea Farms site at Gremista, Shetland.
Researchers also found salmon farming was embedded in the fabric of communities, providing up to £748,000 per year to support infrastructure, schools, community halls, sports clubs and cultural events.
This community benefit money was distributed across Scotland from the four surveyed salmon farming companies between 2020 and 2025.
The report found this investment has had a “transformative impact” on rural communities such as Drimnin, on the Morvern peninsula in the Highlands, where broadband funding has improved community resilience, enabled locals to work from home and helped local businesses to prosper, including the local distillery.
One local community member in the village told researchers: “Without Scottish Sea Farms, the 50-60 households who rely on the internet would not be getting this service.”
The report, commissioned by Salmon Scotland, found: “In areas facing depopulation, ageing demographics or economic changes, sustained cultural investment from salmon farmers helps communities maintain identity, confidence, and stability, acting as a stabilising influence during periods of change.”
In Unst and Yell on Shetland, community members said salmon farming is a “core part of local identity, with its long-established presence supporting generational employment and enabling people to remain in the community”.
The analysis found more than 3,500 people used or benefited from transport initiatives or projects supported by salmon farmers in 2025, including road and ferry infrastructure, emergency and community transport, logistics assistance and use of company vehicles.
This included salmon producer Mowi helping to fund community buses in Glenelg and patient transport to hospital in Ardnamurchan.
In 2025, salmon farmers delivered 88 education events, reaching more than 10,000 students.
The report also found more than 100 beach cleans were supported annually, covering more than 80 miles of coastline.
Tavish Scott, chief executive of Salmon Scotland, said:
"This report shows that farm-raised salmon is the lifeblood of many of Scotland's coastal, rural, and island communities, supporting thousands of well-paid jobs, and sustaining a supply chain in local areas and across the country.
"Salmon farms enable people to live and work in the communities where they have grown up and help retain schools and families in areas plagued by depopulation.
"The hundreds of thousands of pounds of community benefit provided each year by salmon farmers make a real difference to the communities of which they are an integral part, from helping people get to hospital appointments, to rebuilding roads and providing broadband."
Jim Fairlie, Minister for Agriculture, Marine and the Islands, said:
“Scotland's aquaculture sector is a real success story, supporting jobs and livelihoods in our island and coastal communities while producing food enjoyed around the world. As the UK's biggest food export, salmon farming alone contributes hundreds of millions of pounds to the Scottish economy each year.
“Seeing first-hand the skill, dedication and innovation across the industry reinforces just how important it is that we continue to back this sector. Apprenticeships and training opportunities are helping to build a skilled workforce rooted in our island and coastal communities.
“It's not just about economic growth, it's about giving people in our rural and island communities the opportunity to build careers and futures where they live.”
Dr Eva Kleinert, social and equality impacts lead at AECOM said:
“Drawing on interviews, survey evidence and case studies, this research found that many communities view salmon farming as an important source of employment, investment and support for local services.
“The findings highlight the significant role the sector can play in helping remote and island communities remain economically and socially resilient.”
Analysis from AECOM of the role of salmon farming in Scotland’s communities found it significantly supports the economic and social fabric of the country’s rural, coastal and island communities.
