Fishing The Fly Scotland Forum

Derek Roxborough

salmon farms
« on: 05/10/2018 at 20:37 »
SEPA have published details of 57 salmon farms not living up to their environmental responsibilities, about 20% of the total, :z10 this includes over use of chemicals :shock Derek Roxborough

Andy MacArthur

Re: salmon farms
« Reply #1 on: 05/10/2018 at 22:18 »
You could argue that SEPA are also not living up to their responsibilities?

Hamish Young

Re: salmon farms
« Reply #2 on: 06/10/2018 at 08:20 »
You could argue that SEPA are struggling to meet their responsibilities as a regulating body and our environmental 'guardians'.
You might also suggest that Marine Scotlands Fish Health Inspectorate have something to answer here.

However, both are largely under-staffed and under-resourced which to an extent places the onus on environmental and fish health concerns towards ineffective self-regulation of the salmon farming industry.

I read that SEPA is preparing to launch a revised regulatory framework for salmon farming (and presumably all fin-fish farms) including improved monitoring and a fresh approach to the siting of farms. Whilst this sounds good, I expect it sounds better than it will actually deliver 'in the flesh'.

H

Derek Roxborough

Re: salmon farms
« Reply #3 on: 06/10/2018 at 20:14 »
will it be "Watch this space"? Derek Roxborough

Bob Mitchell

Re: salmon farms
« Reply #4 on: 07/10/2018 at 10:42 »
Could be that S.E.P.A. will be forced to do more the number of letters etc. that are in the newspapers etc. This topic [farmed salmon] is being brought to the general publics notice more and more each week so keep fingers crossed.
Bob.

Hamish Young

Re: salmon farms
« Reply #5 on: 07/10/2018 at 20:35 »
If SEPA are to do more then - by and large - the Scottish Government will need to endorse and fund any developments. As the Salmon farming industry is a political hot potato at the moment.... I wonder.....  :-\

Rob Brownfield

Re: salmon farms
« Reply #6 on: 09/10/2018 at 14:19 »
Don't forget that the salmon farms operate a "voluntary" code...tiz worthless if they cannot be held to account.

I do find it concerning when a government creates a committee and inquiry to look at the regulation, husbandry and worth of the salmon farming industry and then completely ignores its findings because it does not suit their political agenda of increasing salmon farm production, increasing export and being seen as a "green" government.

The committee stated that Scottish salmon farming could not be sustained at it's current levels and it's net worth to the country was negligible. The very next day the SG announced 3 new farms, a £6m investment and a pledge to increase exports by 30%.

What I find interesting is that exports are worth around £500m, but we import £350 million pound of salmon from abroad. That import is made up of ova (49,370,000) and Parr/Smolts (1, 956,000). Therefore the £500m has to have at least the cost of the brood stock removed from its total for a more realistic figure.

So, the figures for export are grossly misrepresented. Recent reports have put the actual figures of "contribution to the economy" at around the same level as what the SG have pumped into the industry.

In other words, its not sustaining itself.

Mortality rates are running at around 23% across the total 18 month production cycle. When we are dealing with around 60, 000,000 fish a year, that's nearly 14 million salmon a year dying in production.  Figures for "escapees" are difficult to find because of the way escapes are reported, but at least 300,000 escaped in 2016. It is likely that this figure is a low estimate.

All these figures are available on the Scottish Government website in the Committee Reports section.

Hamish Young

Re: salmon farms
« Reply #7 on: 10/10/2018 at 12:59 »
This morning I read a copy of a piece in Private Eye about the relationship between the RSPCA and Salmon farming, whilst most was familiar there was one particular bit of detail that  was new to me andI feel it's worth sharing.

In a previous post in this thread I wrote:
... SEPA is preparing to launch a revised regulatory framework for salmon farming (and presumably all fin-fish farms) including improved monitoring and a fresh approach to the siting of farms. Whilst this sounds good, I expect it sounds better than it will actually deliver 'in the flesh'.

So with the new strategy in mind it seems that Anne Anderson, chief compliance officer  at SEPA and by and large the architect of the new strategy for fish farm regulation, has announced her departure from that role. According to Private Eye she will be taking up a new job as director of sustainability at the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO) which oddly enough is the industry wide body representing the interests of fish farming operations and producers in Scotland.

So the new strategy will already be pointless as the gamekeeper has turned poacher before it launches.

How depressing.

H

Mike Barrio

Re: salmon farms
« Reply #8 on: 10/10/2018 at 13:15 »
Just a big can of worms Hamish ........  :X1

Derek Roxborough

Re: salmon farms
« Reply #9 on: 10/10/2018 at 20:56 »
Wow! I didn't see that one coming, and I bet SEPA didn't either, :z8  Derek Roxborough

Hamish Young

Re: salmon farms
« Reply #10 on: 11/10/2018 at 08:08 »
Just a big can of worms Hamish ........  :X1
No arguments there Mr B, the machinations within and between the industry and the regulators is... errrr.... quite fascinating.

Wow! I didn't see that one coming, and I bet SEPA didn't either, :z8  Derek Roxborough

So here's a question..... I wonder what SEPA are doing to establish if their new strategy for fish farm regulation is actually going to be fit for purpose.... ???

Rob Brownfield

Re: salmon farms
« Reply #11 on: 11/10/2018 at 14:31 »
Here is the report from the Animal Plant and Health Agency submitted to the Scottish Government. The SG made the report public in accordance with their "transparency" policy. I think you will agree that this policy requires some fine tuning!!


 




Mike Barrio

Re: salmon farms
« Reply #12 on: 11/10/2018 at 14:33 »
 :z4

James Laraway

Re: salmon farms
« Reply #13 on: 11/10/2018 at 14:59 »
honest to goodness, i know i should not mention politics but the SNP's version of 'freedom of information' is " we will only release what we want to..."

they have an appauling record in terms of freedom of information requests.

Hamish Young

Re: salmon farms
« Reply #14 on: 12/10/2018 at 08:26 »
The SG made the report public in accordance with their "transparency" policy. I think you will agree that this policy requires some fine tuning!!

Actually.... this is where some of my day to day work is possibly of benefit to the discussion.

The redacted part (which is all the really useful information we want to see) has been blocked out in accordance with central government policy on the marking of data. The classification 'Official' is fairly standard fare for most communication within government and with external bodies/companies etc. The descriptor (sensitive) is the kicker here....

Where information marked 'Official' can be considered commercially sensitive or have  damaging  consequences  (for individuals, an organisation or government generally) if it were to be in the public domain, it may gain a 'descriptor'. In this case 'Sensitive'.
The information in the report is considered sensitive in nature, the form is very clearly produced with the additional descriptor to reinforce the security of the information.
So, in this case, obtaining an un-redacted copy is unlikely.

It's all in the wording.

H

 




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