Anglers are backing a move in the Scottish Parliament to force individual fish farms to publish information on sea lice instead of it being aggregated across regions.
They claim the present arrangement makes it impossible to determine which farms have problems controlling sea lice.
The Salmon and Trout Association Scotland (S&TAS) is giving its full support to an amendment proposed to the Aquaculture and Fisheries Bill.
If passed it would require anyone in fish farming or shellfish farming to publish information relating to the number of parasites counted in the course of a weekly count within one month of compiling it.
There was a debate in the Scottish Parliament on the Aquaculture and Fisheries Bill last week and the issue was raised.
According to the S&TAS, the overwhelming consensus was that farm-by-farm publication of sea lice data was necessary and appropriate, and that MSPs had posed the question: "What has the salmon farming industry got to hide?"
A spokesman for the industry body, the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation, said it wanted to work with "rational" wild fish representatives to improve the health and welfare of farmed and wild fish. The body also said it was disappointed with the lobbying as it was misguided and contrasted with scientific opinion.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said ministers had stated the need to allow the sector to develop a voluntary sea lice data publication scheme.
"However we are considering the proposed amendment alongside others being tabled as part of the Stage 2 process of the Aquaculture & Fisheries Bill, " she said.
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