Kurt Oddekalv - leader of the Green Warriors of Norway - has sadly died. His fight against farmed salmon - which he famously labelled the "most toxic food in the world" - was legendary.
Kurt was the fiercest and bravest environmental warrior I have ever worked with - crusading against toxic salmon farms at home in Norway as well as in Scotland, Canada and Chile.
Kurt Oddekalv, a Norwegian environmentalist, says droppings from fish farms are destroying the coast and the environment. #frontlinePBSpic.twitter.com/x66pgCUE2K
Kurt was a force of nature. His energy, drive and humour will be sorely missed.
I worked closely with Kurt in 2012 when I joined the Green Warriors of Norway in their fight against salmon farming. He was a mentor, friend, father-figure and hero.
Kurt - a carpenter by trade - fought tirelessly for 40 years to protect nature with Friends of the Earth Norway and then with the Green Warriors of Norway.
Whether he was policing salmon farms in his 'Orca Queen' boat or shining a light on the use of toxic chemicals, Kurt railed against environmental injustice and exposed corporate corruption.
Or the time he dropped a ‘stinkbomber’ (stink bomb) at the AquaNor trade show when his Green Warriors returned stinky salmon farm wastes back to the Norwegian salmon farming industry.
The smell was so bad the farmed salmon shit had to be hosed away from the entrance!
"Grotesquely disfigured by raw lesions; you wouldn't want these poor creatures on your plate" write @ChrisGPackham & @MeganMcCubbin in 'Back to Nature' calling salmon farming "an ugly & unacceptable welfare issue". So why does @rspcaassured still certify 70% of Scottish salmon? pic.twitter.com/aUhNvagvct
Wild salmon and salmon farming are dealt with in nine pages including:
"Think about intensive battery chicken farming, only with fish & a direct line with our marine environment," write @ChrisGPackham & @MeganMcCubbin "Imagine this was on land; imagine if our cattle were covered in parasites & dropping dead in fields - it would never be tolerated" pic.twitter.com/2tziTqamFP
Buy "Back to Nature: How to Love Life & Save It" online here
Acoustic deterrent devices in the water can reach levels of up to 180 decibels or more, which deafens surrounding wildlife and alters their behaviour and sensory capabilities. Sing the petition below to ban ADD's!https://t.co/JfOuJQYYD6
Let's bring an end to the shooting of seals in Scotland by only sourcing salmon from farms that use safe, alternative seal deterrent methods . . . @LushTimesENhttps://t.co/OAF7y7wuDq
Chris Packham Tweeted in February 2020 that "Open cage salmon farming is fraught with very serious issues and clearly needs reform/regulation/cessation" and pledged that he was urgently liaising with the RSPCA to develop a new position.
Here's the top 20 biomass breaches during 2020 (data up to the end of September 2020):
Breaches of biomass during 2020 are already 45 (data up to end of September) - the highest number since 2009 when there were 66 biomass breaches. The weight of farmed salmon involved in biomass breaches was a staggering 7,647 tonnes in 2019 (the highest since 2007) and already 6,054 tonnes during 2020 (data up to the end of September). Here's the top 20 biomass breaches in 2019 - again led by Mowi:
Download data in full online here (use the CSV Export function)
Here's photos and video from a whistleblower featuring mass mortalities at Mowi's Isle of Muck salmon farm in 2019:
New data on mass mortalities on salmon farms in Scotland was slipped out last week (9 December) by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate - download the data up to the end of October 2020 online here
During the month of October 2020, almost half a million (493,484) farmed salmon were reported to the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate via 75 'Mortality Events' (understood to be only mass mortalities representing over 1% of biomass) - but 16 'Mortality Events' (all reported by Scottish Sea Farms) did not provide numbers. Here's the Top 30 highest 'Mortality Event Reports' in October 2020 with explained reasons for mortalities including Cardiomyopathy Syndrome, Pancreas Disease, Amoebic Gill Disease, Anaemia, Proliferative Gill Disease, Fungus, Post Treatment (chemical bath and mechanical) and Transport.
Here's the 16 'Mortality Event Reports' (all Scottish Sea Farms sites) reported during October 2020 where numbers of mortalities were "Not Provided":
Here's mortality data published by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation - with cumulative mortality over the full production cycle (in the sea-phase) for all salmon farms harvested out in the last year (November 2019 to October 2020):
Scottish Salmon Watch today (9 December 2020) wrote to the Scottish Government asking if this was a full record of toxic chemical use via wellboats during 2019 and asking why data for 2020 was still not published (whilst data for toxic chemical use on salmon farms via tarpaulins is already published online until the end of September 2020).
New Data Online Via 'Scotland's Aquaculture' - Mortalities, Toxic Chemicals & Biomass Exceedances! https://t.co/JggUtrpOT8 See which @rspcaassured "responsibly sourced" & 'organic' salmon farms are using lobster-killing pesticides & breaching pollution limits! @ScottishEPApic.twitter.com/Btr05oRqDZ
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Wed, Dec 9, 2020 at 10:42 PM Subject: FOI re. Hydrogen Peroxide use on salmon farms in Scotland since 1 January 2016 To: <CEU@gov.scot>
Please provide information on the use of Hydrogen Peroxide in salmon farming - via both wellboats, tarpaulins and any other methods - since 1 January 2016.
Please include Excel spreadsheets, data, emails, letters, reports and any other information related to the use of Hydrogen Peroxide in salmon farming in Scotland.
Please also include any information including emails, Cabinet Briefings and other details relating to the non-reporting and non-recording of Hydrogen Peroxide use.
As context, the information provided on 30 September 2020 via FOI/202000084741 - online via https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202000084741/ - included data on the use of Hydrogen Peroxide (Paramove) in 2019 via wellboats; namely:
Scottish Salmon Watch finds it difficult to believe that this was the only use of Hydrogen Peroxide in 2019 - where is the data for use of Hydrogen Peroxide via tarpaulins and any other methods of application?
Another FOI replied to by the Scottish Government on 30 September 2020 (FOI-202000084355) detailed an Excel spreadsheet of data of chemical use via wellboats for 2018: https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202000084355/ - including data on the use of Hydrogen Peroxide:
Again, Scottish Salmon Watch struggles to believe that Grieg Seafood was the only user of Hydrogen Peroxide in 2018.
In April 2018, a FOI disclosure by the Scottish Government provided data on Hydrogen Peroxide use via wellboats (although it appears the data returns were not complete): https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-18-00985/ - including:
Please note that GAAIA published data on Hydrogen Peroxide use in February 2017 obtained from SEPA via FOI for period 2005 to 2015 - online here
A FOI reply from the Scottish Government in April 2019 provided some details on Hydrogen Peroxide use on salmon farms but no site specific data: https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-19-00723/
Another FOI reply from the Scottish Government in December 2017 provided information on mortalities associated with the use of Hydrogen Peroxide in salmon farming: https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-17-02755/
Please therefore provide data on the use of Hydrogen Peroxide since 1 January 2016 (effectively an update on the data published by GAAIA in February 2017) and provide information pertaining to why the use of Hydrogen Peroxide has remained unreported, unrecorded and/or unpublished including any discussions with SEPA, the SSPO, Mowi and other salmon farming companies.
Please consider this a formal FOI request under the relevant FOI and Environmental Information regulations.
Please provide the information electronically.
Please provide a receipt for this FOI request.
Thanks,
Don Staniford
Director, Scottish Salmon Watch
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Wed, Dec 9, 2020 at 10:46 PM Subject: Fwd: FOI re. Hydrogen Peroxide use on salmon farms in Scotland since 1 January 2016 To: AccesstoInformation <foi@sepa.org.uk>
Please provide information on the use of Hydrogen Peroxide in salmon farming - via both wellboats, tarpaulins and any other methods - since 1 January 2016.
Please include Excel spreadsheets, data, emails, letters, reports and any other information related to the use of Hydrogen Peroxide in salmon farming in Scotland.
Please also include any information including emails, discussions with the Scottish Government, SSPO and any other parties relating to the non-reporting and non-recording of Hydrogen Peroxide use.
As context, the information provided on 30 September 2020 via FOI/202000084741 - online via https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202000084741/ - included data on the use of Hydrogen Peroxide (Paramove) in 2019 via wellboats; namely:
Scottish Salmon Watch finds it difficult to believe that this was the only use of Hydrogen Peroxide in 2019 - where is the data for use of Hydrogen Peroxide via tarpaulins and any other methods of application?
Another FOI replied to by the Scottish Government on 30 September 2020 (FOI-202000084355) detailed an Excel spreadsheet of data of chemical use via wellboats for 2018: https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202000084355/ - including data on the use of Hydrogen Peroxide:
Again, Scottish Salmon Watch struggles to believe that Grieg Seafood was the only user of Hydrogen Peroxide in 2018.
In April 2018, a FOI disclosure by the Scottish Government provided data on Hydrogen Peroxide use via wellboats (although it appears the data returns were not complete): https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-18-00985/ - including:
Please note that GAAIA published data on Hydrogen Peroxide use in February 2017 obtained from SEPA via FOI for period 2005 to 2015 - online here
A FOI reply from the Scottish Government in April 2019 provided some details on Hydrogen Peroxide use on salmon farms but no site specific data: https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-19-00723/
Another FOI reply from the Scottish Government in December 2017 provided information on mortalities associated with the use of Hydrogen Peroxide in salmon farming: https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-17-02755/
Please therefore provide data on the use of Hydrogen Peroxide since 1 January 2016 (effectively an update on the data published by GAAIA in February 2017) and provide information pertaining to why the use of Hydrogen Peroxide has remained unreported, unrecorded and/or unpublished including any discussions with the Scottish Government, the SSPO, Mowi and other salmon farming companies.
Please consider this a formal FOI request under the relevant FOI and Environmental Information regulations.
Please provide the information electronically.
Please provide a receipt for this FOI request.
Thanks,
Don Staniford
Director, Scottish Salmon Watch
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Thu, Dec 10, 2020 at 9:58 AM Subject: Addendum: FOI re. Hydrogen Peroxide use on salmon farms in Scotland since 1 January 2016 To: AccesstoInformation <foi@sepa.org.uk>
In addition to the FOI filed last night (9 December 2020), Scottish Salmon Watch fully appreciates that SEPA has disclosed various data on Hydrogen Peroxide via FOI previously - including via https://www2.sepa.org.uk/disclosurelog/#
Scottish Salmon Watch does not seek to duplicate previous FOI disclosures but merely is seeking a comprehensive database for Hydrogen Peroxide use in the same way as use of Azamethiphos, Deltamethrin and Emamectin benzoate is recorded and published via Scotland's Aquaculture (this sadly does not currently include use via wellboats) and via SEPA's SPRI (this is sadly not current and does not distinguish between use via wellboats and tarpaulins).
We understand via a FOI disclosure in November 2019:
For the sake of clarification, Scottish Salmon Watch is therefore requesting data for ALL use of hydrogen peroxide on salmon farms since 1 January 2016. Where this does NOT include wellboat use please indicate as such (the previous data disclosed in January 2017 via F0187295 AntibioticHydrogenPeroxideData released for 2002 to 2015 is understood to NOT have included Hydrogen Peroxide use via wellboats).
New Data Online Via 'Scotland's Aquaculture' - Mortalities, Toxic Chemicals & Biomass Exceedances! https://t.co/JggUtrpOT8 See which @rspcaassured "responsibly sourced" & 'organic' salmon farms are using lobster-killing pesticides & breaching pollution limits! @ScottishEPApic.twitter.com/Btr05oRqDZ
New data was posted on 4 December 2020 via 'Scotland's Aquaculture' web-site - adding information for Q3 2020 (July to September) to the database on mortalities, toxic chemical use and biomass exceedances (data for Q4 2020 is expected to be published in early March 2021).
You can use 'Advanced Filter' to search for a particular salmon farm or company and if you click on CSV Export you can open up an Excel spreadsheet with data since 2002. Here's a summary of the Top 20 salmon farms reporting the highest numbers of mortalities (by weight) during 2020 (data up to the end of September):
Total weight of mortalities so far during 2020 (up to the end of September) is 20,523 tonnes - in the same period last year 17,171 tonnes were reported so 2020 is shaping up for a record year with perhaps as many as 30,0000 tonnes of dead farmed salmon!
The data published by Marine Scotland and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency reveals that during the first nine months of 2020 there have already been 45 cases of biomass exceedances reported by salmon farms - with Mowi and Scottish Sea Farms leading the breaches. Here's the Top 20 biomass exceedances (that means sites which have more fish than permitted in the pollution regulations - although in March/April 2020 the rules were relaxed):
In the run up to Xmas, Scottish Salmon Watch is calling on supermarkets to introduce plain packaging for farmed salmon like the "ugly" new packaging for cigarettes.
Here's how packs of Scottish salmon would look like if retailers were forced to be more honest in their advertising and marketing (view all in a photo gallery online via 'Scottish Scamon').
"So-called 'healthy' Scottish salmon is a sham, scam and a consumer con," said Don Staniford, Director of Scottish Salmon Watch. "Peer-reviewed science shows that salmon farming is unhealthy for our global oceans, both wild and farmed fish as well as our own health. Before buying Scottish salmon shoppers should be faced with gruesome photos of diseased and deformed fish."
"Anyone who watches the sickening videos of horrific welfare abuse inside salmon feedlots would seriously think twice before supporting such a toxic and unhealthy industry," continued Staniford. "Instead of being branded as 'RSPCA Assured', 'organic' and 'responsibly sourced', Scottish salmon should be sold in plain packaging like tobacco. Salmon farming should carry Government health warnings in terms of environmental health, animal health and public health."
Please join thousands around the world in taking the pledge not to eat farmed salmon - details online here
Watch Chris Ninnes, CEO of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, on @BBCCountryfile hammer the nail in the coffin of Scottish salmon by demanding less than 10% mortality on @ASC_aqua certified farms - 77% of salmon farms cannot meet the mortality standard! @SSPOsays@ScotlandMowipic.twitter.com/TZzuKoIXWB
Watch via BBC iplayer online here (salmon clip starts at 11 minutes 30 seconds)
The ASC's pledge to rule out certification for salmon farms reporting greater than 10% mortality leaves Mowi's commitment to 100% ASC-certification dead in the water along with dozens of other disease-ridden salmon farms across Scotland. Here's mortality data published by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation - with cumulative mortality over the full production cycle (in the sea-phase) for all salmon farms harvested out in the last year (November 2019 to October 2020):
Out of 96 salmon farms which harvested out over the last twelve months (November 2019 to October 2020) only 22 would pass muster with the ASC's 10% mortality standard and a staggering 74 would fail - that's a pass rate of just 23% with 77% of salmon farms failing to meet the ASC standard.
If you focus on the 28 Mowi salmon farms which harvested out over the last year (SSPO data for November 2019 to October 2020) only one salmon farm (Sconser Quarry) reported cumulative mortality at less than 10% - with an average mortality rate of 24.4% (that's a quarter of all Mowi's farmed salmon dying a horrible death).
Mowi's Stulaigh salmon farm in Loch Eynort is currently undertaking an "initial audit" but this is a salmon farm with a mortality rate of 36.8% (the second highest of all Mowi salmon farms over the last year) and will a history of welfare abuse and infectious diseases.
No wonder Mowi did not want the public seeing photos!
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Mon, Dec 7, 2020 at 2:06 PM Subject: Glenfinnan certification now rescinded? To: Bertrand Charron <Bertrand.Charron@asc-aqua.org>, Info <info@asc-aqua.org>, Chris Ninnes <chris.ninnes@asc-aqua.org>
Scottish Salmon Watch also notes that other Mowi salmon farms with an appalling track record of disease and mass mortalities are currently undergoing an initial audit. Note via https://www.asc-aqua.org/find-a-farm/
Data published by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate in August 2019 shows that Mowi's Cairidh salmon farm in Loch Ainort reported 11,433 mortalities in August 2019 out of a reported stock of 18,155 (although the Case Information also refers to 206,000 fish transferred from Mowi's Rum salmon farm): https://www2.gov.scot/Resource/0054/00549126.pdf (start at p103).
Such information strongly suggests that mortality rates at Mowi's Cairidh salmon farm (especially if you account for mortalities at Rum when the fish were on site there) were far in excess of 10%. In fact, mortality data reported by the SSPO in October 2019 details 18.3% mortality at Cairdih and 17.8% at Gorsten (another Mowi salmon farm under initial assessment by the ASC): https://www.scottishsalmon.co.uk/reports
Suffice to say that Scottish Salmon Watch encourages the ASC to review the mortality data published by the SSPO as well as Mowi in particular. If the ASC adopts a 10% mortality threshold (Scottish Salmon Watch would advocate much lower) for certification then Mowi's Gorsten salmon farm and Mowi's Cairidh salmon farm would be ruled out.
Best fishes,
Don
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Tue, Dec 8, 2020 at 8:11 AM Subject: Mowi's Stulaigh - 36.8% mortality with welfare abuse To: Chris Ninnes <chris.ninnes@asc-aqua.org>, Bertrand Charron <Bertrand.Charron@asc-aqua.org>, Info <info@asc-aqua.org>
How can the ASC seriously consider certifying Mowi's Stulaigh salmon farm?
From: Bertrand Charron <Bertrand.Charron@asc-aqua.org> Date: Tue, Dec 8, 2020 at 2:30 PM Subject: RE: Glenfinnan certification now rescinded? To: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Hi Don,
Thank you for your interest in, and support of, the ASC !
Please find below elements of reply to your question:
è « In view of Mowi's mortality rate at 20% at their ASC-certified Glenfinnan salmon farm, when will the ASC be rescinding certification? »
Firstly, it is important to stress that in order to maintain its independent position the ASC is not the one which ‘grants’ or ‘rescinds’ certification. Certificates are issued by an independent conformity assessment body (CAB). The CAB, or certifier, carries out the assessment of the farms and decides whether they meet the necessary requirements to become ASC certified, and also carries out ongoing ‘surveillance audits’ during the certification period to ensure ongoing compliance. This practice is referred to as third party certification and it is widely recognised as the highest level of independent assessment. ASC manages the Programme and is the ‘standard setter’; and all audit reports are transparently made available to the public via the ASC website. ASC thus does not generally comment on the specific performance of individual farms.
Regarding your comment regarding specific mortality rates, please do note that the ASC Salmon Standard sets several requirements, notably as per indicators 5.1.5, 5.1.6 and 5.1.7 [see excerpt below]. The ‘10%’ maximum mortality rate in a farm’s most recent production cycle refers to “viral disease-related mortality”* [5.1.5] and not to overall mortalities if other non-viral causes have been explained/specified. The latter could include predators, bacterial, algal-bloom, stress –related etc. mortalities. [* “Viral disease-related mortality count shall include unspecified and unexplained mortality as it could be related to viral disease.”]
Furthermore, and in all cases, ASC-certified salmon farms have to demonstrate to auditors (as per 5.1.7) that they have a “farm-specific mortalities reduction programme that includes defined annual targets for reductions in mortalities and reductions in unexplained mortalities”.
If it’s “fairly easy to achieve social distancing” at salmon farms @SSPOsays, then why were @BBCCountryfile denied a quick look at some healthy, nutritious salmon? (Like the Mowi one with fin rot) 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/L4dM18KHD1
— Sustainable Salmon Research (@salmonresearch) December 8, 2020
Watching Fergus Ewing, Scotland's Minister for the Promotion of Norwegian Salmon Farming in Scotland, talking pish about "sustainable" 'Scottish' salmon on Scottish Parliament TV https://t.co/Nz2xCGmbEX Underneath his shirt he's wearing his corporate colours! @FergusEwingMSPpic.twitter.com/Ttgjz6GbGH
Imidacloprid - Banned because it's extremely toxic to aquatic life and hazardous to the aquatic environment. Who would think that allwoing it to be used in Scottish salmon farms would be a good idea? @FergusEwingMSP@scotgov - that's who. https://t.co/oqDbIkdDsS
Last month (4 November 2020), Scottish Salmon Watch filed a FOI request for information relating to the inspection of salmon farms since 1 May 2020:
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Wed, Nov 4, 2020 at 10:38 AM Subject: FOI re. inspections of salmon farms since 1 May 2020 To: SM-APHA-Enquiries APHA <enquiries@apha.gov.uk>
Please provide information relating to the inspection of salmon farms since 1 May 2020.
Please include inspection reports, emails, letters, photos, videos, assessments and any other information relating to the inspection of salmon farms since 1 May 2020.
This FOI request would certainly capture information in relation to Kames Fish Farming's Loch Tralaig salmon farm.
Fish Farming Expert reported (27 May 2020) that the RSPCA suspended in-person assessments of salmon farms on 23 March with contactless assessments available by mutual agreement on Monday (1 June):
An investigation has been launched into conditions at an Argyll fish farm after footage emerged of dead and dying salmon floating in cages on a freshwater loch.https://t.co/WZTX93fdnL
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Wed, Dec 2, 2020 at 10:23 AM Subject: Re: FOI re. inspections of salmon farms since 1 May 2020 To: SM-APHA-Enquiries APHA <enquiries@apha.gov.uk>
Could you please double check your records?
Specifically in relation to the FOI request which asks for "information relating to the inspection of salmon farms since 1 May 2020" which we interpret more widely than APHA.
This in our view would include any correspondence on inspections of salmon farms even if none took place. For example, there would presumably be email correspondence with the Scottish Government and other parties in relation to welfare abuse allegations at Loch Tralaig.
Where is the information on Loch Tralaig and APHA's "joint inspection" with FHI?
Please consider this a formal request for a review or deal with more quickly by disclosing the information requested on 4 November 2020.
Thanks,
Don
And Scottish Salmon Watch filed a FOI request with the Scottish Government:
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Wed, Dec 2, 2020 at 10:33 AM Subject: FOI re. welfare abuse investigation of Kames in Loch Tralaig To: <ceu@scotland.gsi.gov.uk>
Please provide information relating to allegations of welfare abuse by Kames in Loch Tralaig since 1 July 2020.
Please include inspection reports, emails, letters, photos, videos, assessments, discussions with Kames, APHA, RSPCA and other agencies and any other information relating to Kames in Loch Tralaig since 1 July 2020.
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Wed, Dec 9, 2020 at 9:33 AM Subject: Fwd: FOI re. inspections of salmon farms since 1 May 2020 To: SM-APHA-Enquiries APHA <enquiries@apha.gov.uk> Cc: <APHA.Scotland@apha.gsi.gov.uk>
Further to Scottish Salmon Watch's formal request for a review dated 2 December 2020 (see enclosed below), please find corroborative evidence that APHA did in fact inspect Kames's Loch Tralaig salmon farm in September 2020. Here's information sourced from a FOI disclosure yesterday (8 December 2020) from the Scottish Government:
Please see the next email for full FOI disclosure.
This begs the question: why did APHA lie when it stated on 20 November 2020 that it had "carried out no inspections" of salmon farms since 1 May 2020?
Following APHA's reply to this review, Scottish Salmon Watch will be filing an official complaint.
Thanks,
Don
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Wed, Dec 9, 2020 at 9:57 AM Subject: FOI re. mortalities & chemical use at freshwater salmon farms since 1 January 2019 To: AccesstoInformation <foi@sepa.org.uk>
Please provide information on mortalities and chemical use at freshwater salmon farms (including hatcheries) since 1 January 2019.
Please note a FOI reply yesterday (8 December 2020) from the Scottish Government which included:
The FOI disclosure yesterday (8 December 2020) by the Scottish Government implies that SEPA receives mortality data (and perhaps chemical use data) in exactly the same way as marine salmon farms but does not publish it via Scotland's Aquaculture.
Please therefore provide the Excel spreadsheets for ALL freshwater salmon farms with data on mortalities and chemical use since 1 January 2019.
Please also provide any email correspondence and letters from Kames detailing mortalities at freshwater salmon farms including Loch Tralaig (this aspect of the FOI may be already subject to a FOI).
Please deal with this FOI via the relevant FOI and Environmental Information Regulations.
Please provide a receipt.
Please provide the information electronically.
Thanks,
Don Staniford
Director, Scottish Salmon Watch
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Wed, Dec 9, 2020 at 11:01 AM Subject: Fwd: Your recent correspondence with Scottish Government and partner agencies - 202000109111 To: <Neil.Purvis@gov.scot>
Neil,
Your letter dated 8 December 2020 includes:
Could you please provide details of "fish farm site and record inspections undertaken at Loch Tralaig"?
Presumably, the Scottish Government has other information which Scottish Salmon Watch requests access to.
Please consider this a formal FOI request or deal with informally.
Thanks,
Don
From: <Neil.Purvis@gov.scot> Date: Mon, Dec 14, 2020 at 4:17 PM Subject: RE: Your recent correspondence with Scottish Government and partner agencies - 202000109111 To: <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Dear Don
In response to your query, I am replying in general terms and not specifically just in relation to Kames, please note the following:
FHI communications with the aquaculture industry, particularly in relation to the registration and authorisation of fish and shellfish businesses, emphasise the industry’s legal requirements related to record keeping. We have an expectation that all aquaculture production businesses will follow these requirements. During a site inspection, stock numbers are confirmed through communication with site staff, mortality records are inspected to the date of the previous inspection or the date of stock input, and consideration is given to the records of stock movements on and off site (inclusive of those for both live and dead animals). Where necessary, information can be compared and considered in relation to previous FHI cases. This approach gives an overall impression of the accuracy in terms of present stock levels, with consideration to the factors which may affect this, mortality, movements, harvests, escapes etc. Record checks help provide the evidence to support this. Where any anomaly or query results, further discussions are undertaken with site staff to resolve this. If questions still remain then other information sources can be considered such as reported mortality levels to the SSPO (where undertaken) or information within Scotland’s Aquaculture website as well as stock movement records relating to supply and destination sites. Where there is any indication of inaccurate reporting or recording of information this will be investigated further and enforcement action can be taken in accordance with the appropriate aquatic animal health regulations.
Earlier this month, Scottish Salmon Watch asked Folketrygdfondet to investigate the Norwegian Government Pension Fund's investments in Scottish salmon farming:
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Fri, Nov 13, 2020 at 12:02 PM Subject: The Scottish Salmon Company To: <folketrygdfondet@ftf.no> Cc: <marika.burvald@ftf.no>
Would it be possible for you to "stay vigilant" on The Scottish Salmon Company?
As the largest shareholder in Bakkafrost surely Folketrygdfondet must ensure that their investments are ethical and environmental?
Scottish Salmon Watch would like to brief you on ongoing welfare abuse, disease problems and mass mortalities at The Scottish Salmon Company (your investments in Mowi, Leroy, SalMar and Grieg Seafood have similar problems).
Scottish Salmon Watch believes that Folketrygdfondet's investment in salmon farming in Scotland is bringing the Norwegian Government's Pension Fund into disrepute and asks you to divest from The Scottish Salmon Company.
At the very least, Scottish Salmon Watch encourages Folketrygdfondet to investigate ongoing problems at The Scottish Salmon Company.
Updated information is published regularly by the Scottish Government and video footage inside salmon farms has shown ongoing welfare abuse.
Scottish Salmon Watch would be only too happy to update you via Zoom.
From: Marika Burvald <Marika.Burvald@ftf.no> Date: Mon, Nov 16, 2020 at 2:07 PM Subject: RE: The Scottish Salmon Company To: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Cc: Arkiv <arkiv@ftf.no>
Dear Mr Staniford
Thank you for your questions and for offering to share your views on The Scottish Salmon Company. Please do so by e-mail to me and I will be happy to forward it to my colleagues for their information. As you might know, as a large owner Folketrygdfondet cannot comment on individual companies.
You also sent a separate question on why Folketrygdfondet's shareholding in Bakkafrost is registered in Sweden, not Norway. I am afraid I do not know the reason for this, and the question should rather be directed to the company.
Kind regards
Marika Burvald
Communications Manager, Folketrygdfondet
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Mon, Nov 16, 2020 at 4:04 PM Subject: Re: The Scottish Salmon Company To: Marika Burvald <Marika.Burvald@ftf.no> Cc: Arkiv <arkiv@ftf.no>
Simple questions then:
Why does the Norwegian Government Pension Fund support welfare abuse, mass mortalities and infectious diseases via their shareholding in The Scottish Salmon Company?
Similarly, via the Norwegian Government Pension Fund's shareholdings in Mowi, Grieg Seafood and Leroy/SalMar (joint owners of Scottish Sea Farms) why are you condoning welfare abuse and environmental problems?
Scottish Salmon Watch would be happy to expand upon our concerns via Zoom and/or an in-person meeting.
Takk,
Don Staniford
Director, Scottish Salmon Watch
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Sun, Nov 29, 2020 at 4:25 PM Subject: Letter to Ministry of Finance re. Mowi, Bakkafrost, Grieg, Leroy & SalMar To: <nils.bastiansen@ftf.no>
Nils,
Here's a letter to the Minister of Finance which Folketrygdfondet are copied into: online here
You may remember meeting over a decade ago in Oslo when the Pure Salmon Campaign briefed Folketrygdfondet on salmon farming issues.
I've enclosed below correspondence with Marika.
If you had time to meet in person or via Zoom it would be much appreciated.
Takk,
Don
Director, Scottish Salmon Watch
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Sun, Nov 29, 2020 at 4:42 PM Subject: Letter re. Mowi, Bakkafrost, Grieg, Leroy & SalMar To: <postmottak@etikkradet.no>
Please pass onto the members of the Council on Ethics.
Would it be possible to arrange a meeting or Zoom call to discuss how companies invested in via the Government Pension Fund are breaching the 'Ethical Guidelines' in Scotland?
Now it seems the foreign control of 'Scottish' salmon is extending to the Netherlands where Visscher Seafood (part of the Brouwer Food Group) is now a part-owner of 'Organic' Sea Harvest.
Organic Sea Harvest's web-site makes no mention of the Dutch connection - only stating that "Villa Seafood UK is a joint venture between Villa Seafood Group in Norway and the principals of Dom International in Canada":
Dig deeper in the Companies House web-site and you will see that Villa Seafood is controlled by Visscher Seafood in the Netherlands, Villa Seafood in Norway and an anonymous company (Dom International) in Canada:
How the use of lobster-killing chemicals, infectious diseases and mass mortalities (not to mention yesterday's planning refusal) fits in Visscher Seafood's "all natural" branding is unclear.
In addition to being owned by Dutch, Canadian and Norwegian interests, 'Organic' Sea Harvest source their 'Scottish' salmon from imported salmon eggs (ova) from Norwegian-owned Mowi in Ireland and Stofnfiskur in Iceland (a subsidiary of Norwegian-owned Benchmark who was caught importing virus-laden ova into the United States). A Freedom of Information disclosure by the Scottish Government in February 2020 revealed that Organic Sea Harvest imported 584,000 salmon eggs in February 2019 from Mowi Ireland to be on-grown by Landcatch Natural Selection Ltd at their Ormsary Hatchery in Argyll with another 675,00 salmon eggs imported in November 2019 from virus-laden Stofnfiskur in Iceland (read more online here).
🎣 Nederlanders eten graag een portie zalm om gezonde vetten binnen te krijgen. Maar sinds 2011 is de hoeveelheid omega 3 in kweekzalm gehalveerd. Hoe kan dat?
Councillors Alex MacInnes @iasgairmuir and Alister Mackinnon are both elected members of Highland Council and are pushing through their own salmon farm under the misleading and false "Organic" name.
Thanks to a hugely significant planning decision yesterday (26 November), Skye's disease-ridden salmon farming industry will not be having yet another salmon farm to pollute and blight the seascape.
Mass mortalities of cleaner fish and farmed salmon were reported by the Fish Health Inspectorate at Organic Sea Harvest's Invertote salmon farm off North East Skye.
Councillors Alex MacInnes @iasgairmuir and Alister Mackinnon are both elected members of Highland Council and are pushing through their own salmon farm under the misleading and false "Organic" name.
Alarming scenes captured at Scottish salmon farms supplying Co-op, M&S, Sainsbury’s, Lidl, Aldi & Morrisons reveal putrid conditions that lead to invasions of flesh-eating parasitic sea lice.https://t.co/8Syk2GdxNr@NadaFarhoudpic.twitter.com/B4zPWWAAYV
How is the use of a toxic neonicotinoid (Imidacloprid) - banned for use in terrestrial agriculture in Europe in 2018 - in salmon farming "sustainable" or indeed "ethical" in any way? @FerdOwner
Mass mortality data published earlier this month (6 November 2020) by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate reveal the scale of Grieg Seafood's disease problems on the Isle of Skye as well as in Shetland - including 146 'Mortality Event Reports' totaling 1.7 million dead salmon since reporting began in January 2017 (1.2 million have been reported in 2020). Here's the latest mortality reports (data up to the end of September 2020) with Complex Gill Disease, Cardiomyopathy Syndrome, Treatment losses (Salmosan/Hydrogen Peroxide), Pancreas Disease, Bacterial Challenge, Heart & Skeletal Muscle Inflammation, Physical Damage from Optilicer Treatments, Winter Ulcers, Bacterial Infection (Moritella & Vibrio), Amoebic Gill Disease, Damaged Gills - Bleeding, Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis and Anaemia cited as reasons for deaths:
In September 2019, Scottish Salmon Watch reported on welfare problems at Grieg Seafood's North Papa salmon farm in Shetland including physical damage is "attributed to a recent Optilicer treatment".
As much as 99 per cent of farmed salmon production from Scottish-branded companies is controlled outwith Scotland. Most of the industry is Norwegian, and one major parent company is registered in Jersey, an offshore tax haven.https://t.co/vxzBIgSWYy
Despite Bakkafrost's geographical "mistake" of identifying Sweden not Norway as the source of the money behind Folketrygdfondet it is clear that Bakkafrost's largest shareholder is the Norwegian Government with other investors hiding behind a world's who's who of banks and trusts.
In August 2020, Scottish Salmon Watch revealed that imports of Norwegian salmon eggs - banned in May 2019 due to the risk of Infectious Salmon Anaemia - had re-started in April 2020 to be used as 'elite' broodstock for 'Scottish' salmon.
Of 234.7 million salmon ova imported into Scottish salmon farms via 213 consigments since 1 January 2016 (data up to 2 July 2020), 146. 3 million (62%) via 125 consignments were sourced from Norway, 60.2 million (26%) via 60 consignments were sourced from Iceland and 28.2 million (12%) via 28 consignments were sourced from Ireland.
The list of companies importing ova since 1 January 2016 (data up to 2 July 2020) was headed by Mowi with 41 consignments totaling 74.8 million followed by The Scottish Salmon Company with 45 consignments totaling 37.7 million; Scottish Sea Farms with 30 consignments totaling 36 million; Grieg Seafood with 16 consignments totaling 25 million and Cooke Aquaculture with 24 consignments totaling 16.9 million.
Download collated ova import data (2016 to July 2020) online here
Norwegian-owned Mowi changed their name from Marine Harvest in January 2019 due to "negative consumer perception" despite objections from the Mowinckel family - from which the name Mowi is derived. Norway's Financial Times (Dagens Naringsliv) reported in December 2018:
John Fredriksen's twin daughters are now too old as they are in their late 30s to be included in the Forbes World's Youngest Billionaires List but these A-list billionaires look set to be presiding over Mowi when their father retires.
"A virulent variant of Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA) virus has been detected in broodfish from a Norwegian sea site operated by AquaGen, which supplies many of the eggs used in Scottish salmon farming," reported Fish Farming Expert in July 2017.
"We have found another solution. We lost the one export permit to Scotland and found another solution this year with a partner that delivers to Scotland," AquaGen’s Nina Santi told SalmonBusiness in January 2018. "We’ll be back with deliveries to Scotland in mid-2018."
AquaGen chairman Odd Magne Rødseth, speaking to Fish Farming Expert in November 2017, said "the move to start egg production in Scotland would help serve the Scottish industry better and was also a precautionary measure against any ban on the import of eggs. “You never know whether will find some reason to close the border,” he said (predicting the ban on ova imports from Norway in May 2019). A few months before the ban on exports of ova from Norway due to Infectious Salmon Anaemia, Insider reported in March 2019:
Salmon farming companies started flooding Scotland with foreign-sourced salmon eggs (ova) decades ago. FOI data disclosed by the Scottish Government in November 2018 reveal how the genetic integrity of 'Scottish' salmon has been eroded by ova imports from Norway, Iceland and Ireland.
It is obvious that foreign investors are abusing Scotland's high quality reputation and iconic history of wild Atlantic salmon to make money. The Q3 2020 presentation of The Scottish Salmon Companu included reference to the "strategic rationale" of Scotland including the claim that it is a region characterised by "high quality salmon from Scottish Provenance priced at a premium" (i.e. foreign companies like Bakkafrost can exploit Scotland's image to make more profits):
In appropriating the good name of Scottish salmon, foreign-owned companies have turned Salmo salar (the Latin name for Atlantic salmon - the leaper) into a leper.
Salmo domesticus has turned Salmo salar - the Leaper - into a leper. Salmon farming is a pariah not a panacea pic.twitter.com/UCfhXT0HhR
Data published by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate on 6 November 2020 reveal that The Scottish Salmon Company has officially reported a staggering 590 'Mortality Events' since February 2017 (data up to the end of September 2020) totaling 5.3 million dead salmon (94 cases did not provide/disclose numbers so that figure will be significantly higher). Here's the top 20 (i.e. worst in terms of numbers of morts) 'Mortality Event Reports':
Mass mortalities and infectious diseases are sadly nothing new at The Scottish Salmon Company. Seafood Source reported in November 2016:
Shocking video footage of welfare abuse inside a salmon farm operated by The Scottish Salmon Company in Loch Roag and a burial pit for mass mortalities was broadcast by the BBC One Show in 2018:
Who owns The Scottish Salmon Company? You'd be forgiven for thinking it was a Scottish company but dare to peek under the tartan kilt and look past the 'Scottish Provenance' advertising and you'll find Norwegian, Swedish* and Faroese investors along with a shady history involving a Ukrainian banker, an anonymous Swiss bank account and an office in the tax haven of Jersey.
Whilst out walking the dog last month I came across an old box for transporting salmon with the logo of Bakkafrost - the owner of The Scottish Salmon Company - still visible under the pile of poo bags. In order to discover the money men behind this foreign-owned company, you need to dig deep and need a strong stomach!
Spotted on our beach walk today - the piles of dog poop are collected in an old farmed salmon box. Very apt since Bakkafrost (owners of The Scottish Salmon Company) are used to dealing in complete crap! @salmon_scottish@Folketrygdfondpic.twitter.com/e6my7ikgvG
Search The Scottish Salmon Company's web-site and you will struggle to discover who is lurking under the tartan kilt of this "Scottish standard bearer".
Hi Will. Native Hebridean Salmon is bred from wild Hebridean Salmon and farmed only in Hebridean waters. It has complete traceability to the Scottish Hebridean Islands. - Mark
The Q3 2020 presentation included reference to the "strategic rationale" of Scotland including the claim that it is a region characterised by "high quality salmon from Scottish Provenance priced at a premium" (i.e. foreign companies like Bakkafrost can exploit Scotland's image to make more profits):
Bakkafrost's largest shareholder is Folketrygdfondet - described on their web-site as "professional investment manager whose main task is to manage the Government Pension Fund Norway on behalf of the Ministry of Finance".
In June 2019, lawyers representing The Scottish Salmon Company's controlling shareholder Yuriy Lopatynskyy threatened legal action against Scottish Salmon Watch for publishing information via 'Scottish Scamon'. Here's the legal threat served in June 2019:
Read the section of the report on The Scottish Salmon Company which lawyers for Yuri Lopatinsky objected to (Scottish Salmon Watch did not remove the offending report and stands by the published information).
Salmon Business reported earlier in September 2019 that the 'Ukrainian investor' selling his stake in The Scottish Salmon Company to Bakkafrost was Yuri Lopatinsky:
Yuri Lopatinsky has registered businesses in Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, next door to the First Minister of Scotland (according to Insider he owns Bute House, the residence of the First Minister of Scotland).
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Fri, Nov 13, 2020 at 12:02 PM Subject: The Scottish Salmon Company To: <folketrygdfondet@ftf.no> Cc: <marika.burvald@ftf.no>
Would it be possible for you to "stay vigilant" on The Scottish Salmon Company?
As the largest shareholder in Bakkafrost surely Folketrygdfondet must ensure that their investments are ethical and environmental?
Scottish Salmon Watch would like to brief you on ongoing welfare abuse, disease problems and mass mortalities at The Scottish Salmon Company (your investments in Mowi, Leroy, SalMar and Grieg Seafood have similar problems).
Scottish Salmon Watch believes that Folketrygdfondet's investment in salmon farming in Scotland is bringing the Norwegian Government's Pension Fund into disrepute and asks you to divest from The Scottish Salmon Company.
At the very least, Scottish Salmon Watch encourages Folketrygdfondet to investigate ongoing problems at The Scottish Salmon Company.
Updated information is published regularly by the Scottish Government and video footage inside salmon farms has shown ongoing welfare abuse.
Scottish Salmon Watch would be only too happy to update you via Zoom.
From: Høgni Dahl Jakobsen <hodj@bakkafrost.com> Date: Fri, Nov 13, 2020 at 12:13 PM Subject: RE: Komið umvegis heimasíðuna To: dstaniford@gaaia.org <dstaniford@gaaia.org>
Thank you for your question. This is clearly a mistake from our side – apologies for that. Folketrygdfondet is Norwegian and this will be corrected on our webpage.
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Mon, Nov 16, 2020 at 11:43 AM Subject: Folketrygdfondet registered in Sweden not Norway? To: <folketrygdfondet@ftf.no>
Is there a reason why Folketrygdfondet's shareholding in Bakkafrost is registered in Sweden not Norway?
How many salmon die each year on Scottish salmon farms? Now that may sound like a straightforward question with a simple answer. Like 42 being the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. As it happens the estimate for the number of farmed salmon mortalities in Scotland in 2019 is an eye-popping 42 million - with ca. 20 million dying in freshwater hatcheries and farms and ca. 20 million in sea cages and via transfers by wellboat (working is shown below).
We're therefore left with data up to only 2012 and are faced with mind-bending extrapolation and interpolation to arrive at answers for the years 2013 to 2019. At least the data from 2010 to 2012 gives actual numbers of mortalities which along with data on weight of mortalities gives an indication of the ratio of mortalities by number to mortalities by weight. Roughly speaking one thousand tonnes of mortalities = 700,000 dead salmon but this will obviously depend on the stage of salmon farming production (with mortalities in the hatchery when the fish are much smaller weighing less and mortalities in the sea phase of production weighing much more).
Pythagoras, Einstein, Tao as well as Matt Damon in the film 'Good Will Hunting' would all struggle to decipher the conundrum that is Scottish salmon's mortality problem.
We also have data on mortalities published by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate - but this incomplete data set only relates to mortality events which are greater than 1% (i.e. it does not capture all mortalities) and 16% of cases have missing figures.
In order to pick through the white noise, we have to channel Matt Damon's mathematical genius and use all available data. Our ballpark answer suggests mortalities in the sea phase of salmon farming production to be as low as 10 million and as high as 25 million per year since 2012 (when data is last publicly available) but then you have to factor in another 18-25 million morts per year in the freshwater phase of production.
If we want to calculate total mortality of farmed salmon then we need to go back to imports of ova (eggs) and follow the life-cycle of salmon from hatch in the hatchery to on-growing as smolts in sea cages. For that we have a useful data set in the shape of an annual fish farm production survey published by the Scottish Government.
Data junkies and geeks will love the information presented in the latest survey for 2019 published in October 2020 - with 63 million to 71 million ova laid down each year leading to 38.5 million to 53 million smolts put to sea (a mortality figure ranging from 18 million to 25 million per year):
So you have something like 70 million ova laid down to hatch each year leading to the annual production of ca. 50 million smolts (i.e. ca. 30% annual mortality during the hatchery phase of salmon farming production).
Mortality data published by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate (data published on 4 November 2020 up to the end of September 2020) details mass mortalities in the hatchery with 118 'Mortality Event Reports' for freshwater salmon farms reported since January 2017 totaling 6.6 million dead salmon. Here's the top 10 biggest mortality events for freshwater hatcheries since 2017 with Mowi's 1.5 million morts at Lochailort heading the list of shame:
If you look at mortality in the sea phase of salmon farming production there's been a staggering 1,509 'Mortality Event Reports' since February 2017 (data up to the end of September 2020) totaling 13.2 million (with 200+ events not disclosing/reporting numbers). Here's the top 20 biggest mortality events for sea cage salmon farms since 2017 with Scottish Sea Farms at Snaraness in Shetland heading the list of shame:
If you look just at the data for September 2020, there were 78 'Mortality Event Reports' totaling close to 1 million dead salmon (965,020) - here's the top 10 with mortality rates up to a whopping 43%:
Mortality data for August 2020 was also close to 1 million with 996,329 farmed salmon officially reported as dying due to Pancreas Disease, Anaemia, Cardiomyopathy Syndrome, Gill health, complex gill disease, post treatment mortality, post-physical delicing, Sea lice (Caligus) grazing damage, treatment losses and other issues.
In August 2020, nearly one million (996,329) farmed salmon were reported as dying due to Pancreas Disease, Anaemia, Cardiomyopathy Syndrome, complex gill disease, post treatment mortality, post-physical delicing, Sea lice (Caligus) grazing damage etc https://t.co/jI6ajOUOS9pic.twitter.com/jFTvCuEQSa
And expect mortalities in October 2020 to be well over 1 million since it is statistically-speaking the worst month for mortalities accounting for 14% of the year's dead salmon. Scottish Salmon Watch warned in October 2018:
Here's the worst mortality rates at most of Scotland's salmon farms during July 2020 (not all salmon farming companies - e.g. Kames - are members of the SSPO):
Of the salmon farms harvesting out in May 2020, the cumulative mortality ranged from 5% to 42%:
Of the five salmon farms which harvested out in April 2020 the cumulative mortality ranged from 10% to 31%.
Only four salmon farms were harvested out in March 2020 with cumulative mortality ranging from a high of 39% to a low of 12%:
Cumulative mortality at salmon farms which harvested out in February 2020 ranged from a high of 39% to a low of 8.5%:
Cumulative mortality ranged from a high of 40% and a low of 8% at salmon farms harvested out in January 2020:
There's obviously a range of mortality rates between years, sites and even regions but an industry-average mortality rate in excess of 20% would seem accurate with mortality rates rising over the last decade.
The 2019 Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey published in October 2020 reported survival rates of 73.8% (i.e. 26.2% mortality) for 2017 (the last year available). Here's the crucial data which can assist in our calculations.
You can see from the above table that data for 2018 and 2019 is not yet published but the survival rate ranges between a low of 71.8% (i.e. 28.2% mortality) in 2007 and a high of 85.4% (i.e. 14.6% mortality) in 2012. The survival rate drastically differs between regions too with survival in in 2017 as low as 58.2% (i.e. 41.8% mortality) in the North West and as high as 80.8% (i.e. 19.2% mortality) in the South West:
From the data published by the Scottish Government in October 2020 we know that anywhere between 38 million and 52 million smolts are put to sea each year so a survival rate of say 75% (i.e. 25% mortality) would therefore equate with between 9.5 million and 13 million morts.
If 13,627 tonnes of morts equates with 8.5 million farmed salmon (as was the case in 2012) then 25,772 tonnes of morts (as reported in 2019) equates with 16.5 million morts
Or if 9,717 tonnes of morts equates with 6.8 million farmed salmon (as was the case in 2011) then 25,772 tonnes of morts (as reported in 2019) equates with 18 million morts
Or if 7,159 tonnes of morts equates with 5.5 million farmed salmon (as was the case in 2010) then 25,772 tonnes of morts (as reported in 2019) equates with 19.8 million morts
Data for the first six months of 2020 is also published via 'Scotland's Aquaculture' web-site with 9,930 tonnes reported compared to 8,610 tonnes in the first six months of 2019. Here's the top 20 worst salmon farms for morts (up to June 2020):
Since we know mortalities in the second half of the year are significantly higher than in the first half of the year (in 2019 there were 17,162 tonnes of morts in the second half of the year compared to 8,610 tonnes in the first - roughly double) then we could realistically assume there will be perhaps 20,000 tonnes of mortalities in the second half of 2020 with 30,000 tonnes in total. If so, we could expect maybe 24 million mortalities in the seawater phase of salmon farming production in 2020. Video evidence certainly suggests that 2020 is another annus horribilis for Scottish salmon.
Scottish Salmon Watch has given it our best shot and invites anyone else to come up with an answer which is until there is full disclosure by salmon farming industry will have to remain guesswork.
Scottish Salmon Watch reckon ca. 20 million farmed salmon die each year in the sea phase of production with another 20 million fish dying each year in hatcheries and freshwater farms. So from hatch to catch (i.e. from import as eggs into the hatchery to harvest out of sea cages for processing to supermarkets) there could be ca. 40 million morts (maybe even 42 million).
If you have a better guesstimate or an inside track on mortality numbers please do meet the maths challenge. You never know - the weight of public pressure may force disclosure!
Scottish Salmon Watch invites other answers and hopes a Will Hunting or Beth Harmon steps up to the challenge.
Calling all Math geeks, Big Bang nerds & Brainboxes: Please help calculate how many salmon die each year on Scotland's disease-ridden farms! Desperately seeking Will Hunting or Beth Harmon to decipher the conundrum that is #Scottish#salmon Details via https://t.co/jRQzhgWI5wpic.twitter.com/rp85nlO0ht
