A dossier of damning information circulated today to MSPs reveals stomach-churning facts about Marine Harvest's salmon farms in Scotland - including:
- 134 doses of the toxic organophosphate Azamethiphos during 2017 (with many more instances via well boats)
- 46 doses of the lobster-killing chemical Emamectin benzoate during 2017
- 26 doses of the toxic chemical Deltamethrin during 2017
- 3,333,356 litres of Hydrogen Peroxide used in 2017
- Antibiotic use at 12 sites during 2017 including 206,800 grams of Aquatet (Oxytetracycline hydrochloride) and 314,351 grams of Florocol (Florfenicol)
- 19 salmon farms breaching lice limits in 2016-2017
- 9 sites assessed by SEPA as "Poor" in 2016 with 13 "failing" sites in 2015
- Systematic breaches of Environmental Quality Standards for toxic chemicals in sediments and breaches of SEPA's biomass limits
- Over 3 million mortalities in 2017 (ca. 5,000 tonnes) with over 750,000 mortalities in the first 10 weeks of 2018
- "Complex gill health and severe anaemia" reported in Loch Greshornish during 2018
- Cardiomyopathy Syndrome, Amoebic Gill Disease, Proliferative Gill Disease, Anaemia, Pasturella skyensis and Pancreas Disease reported during 2017
- 65 sites using Acoustic Deterrent Devices which are known to recklessly disturb cetaceans
- 121 seals killed between 2011 and 2017 (2018 data is not yet available)
Read more about Marine Harvest's appalling environmental track record in Scotland via 'Media Backgrounder: Marine Harmfest Scotland (download as a Word file online here)
Read more via:
- Press Release: "Scottish Parliament Inquiry Grills Salmon Farmers"
- Press Release: "Freeloading Fish Farms: Tax Polluting Scottish Salmon"
- BBC News: "Scottish salmon farming petition signed by 30,500"
- BBC Radio 4 'You & Yours' on lice-infested Scottish salmon (20 April 2018)
- BBC One Show on Scottish salmon farming (again)
- Botulism Alert for Scottish Farmed Salmon!
- Daily Mail: "We've no idea if we're curbing damage of fish farms, admit watchdogs"
- Press Release: "Deafening Impact of Salmon Farms on Cetaceans"
- Press Release: "The Scottish Environment Pollution Agency"