The Devil is in the Data - why no published figures on use of toxic chemicals via wellboats?

 

The Devil is in the Data - why no published figures on the use of the toxic chemicals Azamethiphos, Deltamethrin, Hydrogen Peroxide & Imidacloprid via wellboats? @ScottishEPA @marinescotland @nature_scot @salmon_scottish @FergusEwingMSP @SSPOsays @scotgp https://t.co/ylOo17mBul pic.twitter.com/CDPHpSfBTX

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 10, 2020

 

 

Information disclosed by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) on 9 October 2020 sheds a little more light on the use of toxic chemicals via well boats but the waters are still exceedingly murky with a lack of published data in 2019 and 2020. 

 

 

 

Scottish Salmon Watch has asked SEPA and Marine Scotland why data on the use of toxic chemicals such as Azamethiphos, Deltamethrin, Hydrogen Peroxide and Imidacloprid via well boats is not publicly available. 

 

 

During "streamlining" will you please publish data on the use of Azamethiphos, Deltamethrin, Hydrogen Peroxide & Imidacloprid via wellboats? Data for use on salmon farms is published up to July 2020 but wellboat data is still not available for 2019! https://t.co/ylOo17mBul pic.twitter.com/Pfq9fGygWd

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 10, 2020

 

 

 

The devil is in the data - and data on the use of toxic chemicals via wellboats is still lacking in full for 2019 and 2020 (even though toxic chemical use on salmon farms is already publicly available for the first six months of 2020).  Data for 2018 and previous years is hidden away by SEPA and the Scottish Government with data on the use of Hydrogen Peroxide and the neonicotinoid Imidacloprid (which may have been trialled in Scotland in 2019 and 2020) is locked away behind Freedom of Information refusals. 

 

 

 

Scotland's Aquaculture web-site is an excellent resource but data on the use of toxic chemicals via wellboats is not available.

 

 

 

Click on 'Fish Farm Monthly Biomass and Treatments' are you will read the devil in the detail - "This dataset does not include treatments carried out on wellboats.  The full annual SPRI data returns inclusive of wellboat information can be found here":

 

 

Click on SEPA's Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI) and you will discover that the little devils have still not disclosed all data for 2019 let alone 2020.

 

 

For example, if you search for the use of 'Azamethiphos' (a lobster-killing organophosphate) in 2019 you will find a series of salmon farms where data is N/A (Not Available):

 

 

 

If you search for the use of 'Deltamethrin' (another lobster-killing chemical) in 2019 you will find a series of salmon farms where data is N/A (Not Available):

 

 

 

At least data on the use of Azamethiphos and Deltamethrin is publicly available (even if the use via wellboats and use on salmon farms is not differentiated) - there exists no data on the use of Hydrogen Peroxide by salmon farms even though we know via FOI requests that use of this toxic chemical (shown by peer-reviewed science to impact on marine life including shellfish and seaweed) has sky-rocketed over the last decade.

 

 

 

SEPA's FOI disclosure (F0192092) detailed use of the toxic chemical Azamethiphos via wellboats during 2018 - here's the Top 10 biggest users of this toxic organophosphate:

 

 

Deltamethrin - a toxic chemical shown by a recent scientific paper to be "a significant risk to lobster larvae living near fish farms" - was used by the following sites in 2018 via wellboats. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SEPA's FOI disclosure (F0192092) also included:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Further information was disclosed in November 2019 by the Scottish Government via FOI-19-02442 - including well boat data disclosed via Dropbox:

 

 

 

 

 

Read more via:

Closing the Net on Salmon Farming's Use of Toxic Chemicals

 

 

Read press release and media backgrounder in full as a PDF online here

 

 

 

 

 

More via:

Download Summary - FOI reply from the Scottish Government on toxic chemical discharges via wellboats 31 Aug 2020

Download FOI reply from the Scottish Government on toxic chemical discharges via wellboats 31 Aug 2020 Letter

Download FOI review request to SG via wellboats 31 Aug 2020 refusal 2 Sept 2020

 

 

 

 

Addendum:

 

From: FOI Helpdesk <[email protected]>
Date: Friday, October 9, 2020
Subject: SEPA Response - [F:0192092]
To: [email protected], [email protected]

Dear Mr Don Staniford

 

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION - RESPONSE

 

Thank you for your request, received by SEPA on 08/07/2020. Please see the enclosed response and accept my apologies for the delay in response to your enquiry.

If you are not satisfied with our response below, you have 40 working days from the date of this letter to request a formal review from SEPA at: 

Access to Information
SEPA
Strathallan House
Castle Business Park
Stirling
FK9 4TZ
Email: [email protected]

If you are still not satisfied, you can appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner.

www.itspublicknowledge.info/appeal

Your unique reference number is F0192092. Please quote this in any future contact with us about your request.

 

Regards

 

Fiona Laird

SEPA Access to Information team

Email: [email protected]

Tel: 01786 457700

 

 

 

 

 

From: Don Staniford <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, Oct 20, 2020 at 1:47 PM
Subject: Re: SEPA Response - [F:0192092]
To: FOI Helpdesk <[email protected]>

I have a quick query re. the data disclosed via F019209.

 

If you look at the two Excel spreadsheets dated 2018:

 

 

 

Why are there discrepancies between the file titled "MCFF-Wellboat Treatments 2018" and "Wellboats - Treatments 2018"?

 

For example, in the Excel spreadsheet headed "Wellboats - Treatments 2018" the use of Azamethiphos by Cooke in 2018 at Djubawick appears to add up to 300g and Bastaness appears to add up to 1.2 kg:

 

 

However, in the Excel spreadsheet headed "MCFF-Wellboat Treatments 2018" it is listed as 0.6 kg and 0.15 kg:

 

 

Presumably, Salmosan is 50% Azamethiphos?

 

 

That would make sense - but if you look at Grieg Seafood's data entry in the Excel spreadsheet headed "Wellboats - Treatments 2018":

 

 

 

It does not tally with the Grieg data entry via "MCFF-Wellboat Treatments 2018: 

 

 

 

Hydrogen Peroxide is not even included for example. 

 

An explanation of the data sets would be much appreciated.

 

Finally, could you please provide data on chemical use via well boats for 2019?

 

An email disclosed via F019209 dated June 2020 indicates that SEPA should now have the data:

 

 

 

Please provide this information and consider this a new FOI request under the relevant FOI and Environmental Information regulations.

 

Thanks,

 

Don Staniford

 

Director, Scottish Salmon Watch

 

 

From: Access to Information Enquiries <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, Oct 26, 2020 at 4:15 PM
Subject: SEPA Response - [F:0192092]
To: Don Staniford <[email protected]>
Cc: Access to Information Enquiries <[email protected]>

Dear Mr Staniford

Thank you for your email relating to your recent request F0192092.

We passed your query to the relevant team who advise

The spreadsheet "Wellboats - Treatments 2018"  was sent to SEPA by Marine Scotland.

SEPA extract the quantities of azamethiphos and deltamethrin, for the SPRI team.

SEPA created the spreadsheet “MCFF-Wellboat Treatments 2018”. 

Salmosan is 50% azamethiphos so the 1.2kg of Salmosan in the "Wellboats - Treatments 2018" sheet equates to 0.6kg azamethiphos in the “MCFF-Wellboat Treatments 2018” sheet.

Grieg’s entry on the "Wellboats - Treatments 2018” totals 34640g of Salmosan.  This equates to the 17.32kg entered for Grieg’s azamethiphos use in the “MCFF-Wellboat Treatments 2018” sheet.

We hope this is helpful

If you are not satisfied with our response previously provided for F0192092 you can request a formal review from SEPA at:

Access to Information

SEPA

Strathallan House

Castle Business Park

Stirling

FK9 4TZ

Email: [email protected]

If you are still not satisfied, you can appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner.

www.itspublicknowledge.info/appeal

Your unique reference number is F0192092. Please quote this in any future contact with us about your request.

Regards

Cara Everitt

SEPA Access to Information team

Email: [email protected]

Tel: 01786 457700

 

 

From: Don Staniford <[email protected]>
Date: Thu, Oct 29, 2020 at 11:21 AM
Subject: FOI re. well boat use of chemicals by salmon farms in 2018, 2019 & 2020
To: <[email protected]>

Please provide information on the use of chemicals by salmon farms via well boats in 2018, 2019 and 2020 (including the use of Hydrogen peroxide).

 

Please provide Excel spreadsheets, data and any emails to SEPA in relation to the data disclosed. 

 

Please include any emails and any other information since July 2020 in relation to the transfer of regulatory powers from Marine Scotland to SEPA (a previous FOI request was denied on 31 August 2020 but it was stated that 2019 data "should be completed by the end of September"). 

 

Please include any data analysis where total chemical use via well boats has been collated including any breakdown of chemical use via well boats vs chemical use via tarpaulins at the salmon farm. 

 

As context please note SEPA FOI reply dated 9 October 2020 via F019209: https://www2.sepa.org.uk/disclosurelog/#

 

Please consider this a FOI request under the relevant FOI and Environmental Information regulations.

 

Please provide the information electronically.

 

Please provide a receipt.

 

Thanks,

 

Don Staniford

 

Director, Scottish Salmon Watch

 

 

Ask @ScottishEPA - or wait until 2022 for the data to be publicly posted via the Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory https://t.co/9hw8m1o4Wy
Some chemical data is posted online but not well boat use https://t.co/GlePzttr2G @marinescotland

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 5, 2020