"The fish farming industry is the most encouraging thing to happen on the west coast of Scotland since the reign of Macbeth", asserts Mr John Noble, landlord of one of the country's biggest fish farms on the shore of Loch Fyne.
Mr Noble's tenants, Lighthouse of Scotland, are set to produce 2,000 tonnes of farmed salmon a year, equivalent to the entire catch of wild salmon in Scotland, fuelling speculation that salmon will eventually become as common as the battery chicken on Britain's dinner tables.
The speed at which the industry is growing is phenomenal. This year it is estimated that 22,000 tonnes of salmon will be farmed, but this will rise to about 55,000 tonnes in five years.
New markets are being sought; it is hoped that Scotch salmon will overtake the snail as exports to France and Germany grow.
Already farmed salmon, which the industry maintains should have all the taste of a wild fish, sells at ú2-ú3 a pound. Group Captain John Proudlock, secretary of the Association of Scottish District Salmon Fishery Boards, an organization which is becoming increasingly concerned about the growth of fish farming, said: "I think it is getting very hard to tell the difference between a wild salmon and one farm reared."
Mr Noble, who owns the Ardkinglas estate on the shores of Loch Fyne, conceded that a wild salmon in peak condition was the best, but he said: "The best wild salmon can be loused up by bad cooking."
Indeed, the Scottish Salmon Growers' Association has presided over salmon tastings involving both wild and farmed fish, at which no one could tell the difference.
Mr Noble sees the industry as a godsend to the west coast. It has created more than 1,500 jobs and is worth ú100 million a year. The Highlands and Islands Development Board has strongly supported the fish farms because of their contribution to the economy there are now about 400, most farming salmon.
The industry's detractors were recently criticized by Mr Archie McCunn, a member of the development board, who said farmers were threatened by self-styled custodians of the environment who wanted to "preserve the Highlands in aspic".
Certainly, the industry is under constant attack from environmental groups concerned at the possibility of disease and damage to one of Britain's most beautiful regions.
The Scottish Wildlife and Countryside Link believes that controls on fish farming are still inadequate and that the industry is in danger of becoming out of control.
It has called for national planning guidelines and a ban on fish farming in some lochs to preserve wildlife. One of the biggest worries is that pollution from salmon affects other species such as oyster and lobster.
Many communities are split over new developments, but an opinion poll taken in Kinlochbervie, north-west Sutherland, over plans for a fish farm came out with a 10 per cent majority in favour.
The Scottish Salmon Growers' Association said members were already funding research into the long-term effects of fish farming on the environment. The association does not believe salmon will rival chickens on the counter.
The cost of farming will ensure that farmed salmon remains a relative luxury. It takes at least three years for a salmon egg to mature into a fish worthy of the market place, and the cost of labour, equipment, veterinary care and the high risks, such as storm damage, will keep the king of fish on his throne, wild or farmed.
