Green Around the Gills

Update: 17% Mortality at Scottish Salmon in Feb 2021 (down from 35% in Sept 2020)!

 

Congratulations to 'Scottish' salmon for reducing mortality rates from 35% (1 in 3 fish dead) to 17% (1 in 6) from Sept 2020 to Feb 2021. Big shout out to @salmon_scottish for 43.8% survival (i.e. 56.2% mortality) at Plocropol @SSPOsays @rspcaassured https://t.co/a3w08wp8bt pic.twitter.com/rsgjDVphnw

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) April 27, 2021

 

 

 

January and February are traditionally very quiet months for mortality on salmon farms (the lull after the Xmas frenzy and lower water temperatures meaning less disease).   But some salmon farms have harvested out during February 2021 (the latest data currently available via the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation) revealing shocking levels of mortality at The Scottish Salmon Company's Plocrapool salmon farm (56.% cumulative mortality - that means more than half the farmed salmon died during the sea cage phase of production) and at Mowi's Torridon salmon farm (26.4% cumulative mortality - that means one in every four farmed salmon died during the sea cage phase of production). 

 

 

 

 

If you look at the stats from @ScottishEPA (who still have not published data after Sept 2020) mortalities in the second six months of the year account for ca. 70% of morts (October is the worst month for morts closely followed by September and November)https://t.co/ZIBqEI3owC pic.twitter.com/eZbEosrtjN

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) April 27, 2021

 

 

When Scottish Salmon Watch filmed at Mowi's disease-ridden salmon farm in Loch Torridon in September 2020 we uncovered stomach-churning dead fish (Mowi's lawyers threatened to sue us - yet again - soon afterwards). 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos and 'Case Information' published by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate in March 2021 (detailing an inspection in November 2020) reported Heart & Skeletal Muscle Inflammation, Cardiomyopathy Syndrome and Pancreas Disease with "numerous moribunds" which were "displaying lesions, physical damage and were hanging around at the surface" at The Scottish Salmon Company's Plocrapool salmon farm.

 

 

Fresh from Scottish Salmon's Plocropol salmon farm on the Isle of Harris - their "eyes had burst" reported @marinescotland with lesions, physical damage, Piscine Reovirus, lice infestation, torn fins & 80,000+ mortalitieshttps://t.co/1ZYSFmwryO @salmon_scottish @Try_Lochlander pic.twitter.com/VtLxqYulXW

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 10, 2021

 

 

 

Scottish Salmon Watch reported last month (15 March 2021):

 

Data Update: 1,886 'Mortality Event Reports' filed in Scotland since 2017 detailing over 21 million dead farmed salmon @marinescotland @SSPOsays @ScotlandMowi @salmon_scottish @scotseafarms @rspcaassured @GriegShetland @CookeScotland @LochDuartSalmonhttps://t.co/tfxR0VWuMN pic.twitter.com/3812SPYKKS

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 15, 2021

 

 

Mmm Mowi's @rspcaassured farmed salmon from Loch Torridon comes marinaded in diseases & viruses including salmon gill poxvirus, amoebic gill disease & epitheliocystis @ScotlandMowi @marinescotland @SSPOsays @sainsburys @AldiUK @LidlGB @coopuk @waitrose @Tesco @Morrisons @ASC_aqua pic.twitter.com/EbGosMFv56

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 9, 2021

 

 

 

Last month (9 March 2021), Scottish Salmon Watch revealed that Norwegian-owned Scottish Sea Farms failed to report mortality numbers in 61% of 'Mortality Event Reports' since January 2017.

 

Revealed: Scottish Sea Farms fail to report mortality numbers in 61% of 'Mortality Event Reports' @marinescotland - that's 167 missing cases which could be over 2 million @rspcaassured farmed salmon! @scotseafarms @marksandspencer @LeroySeafood @SSPOsays https://t.co/pvZAMsdhqC pic.twitter.com/vWsKR4apLC

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 9, 2021

 

 

 

According to the data published by the Fish Health Inspectorate on 4 March 2021 (up to the end of January 2021), Scottish Sea Farms are responsible for over half (54%) of the missing reports with The Scottish Salmon Company also failing to provide mortality numbers in over 100 cases.     

 

 

 

"Scottish Sea Farms is bringing the whole sordid salmon farming industry further into disrepute" said Scottish Salmon Watch "The lack of transparency over mortality reporting of Scottish salmon is a scandal" https://t.co/pvZAMsdhqC@scotseafarms @rspcaassured @Folketrygdfond pic.twitter.com/sdWnSWlbxP

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 9, 2021

 

 

 

In November 2020, Scottish Salmon Watch estimated that 42 million farmed salmon died in 2019 on salmon farms in Scotland.

 

Alexa, how many salmon die each year on Scottish salmon farms? 42 million* https://t.co/jRQzhheju6
Sadly we don't know for sure as the answer is deemed "commercially damaging" by @sspo!
Will @ScottishEPA & @marinescotland force disclosure? @salmon_scottish @rspcaassured pic.twitter.com/fua9nkM6g3

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 11, 2020

 

 

 

Last month the Norwegian Fisheries Minister said the deaths of 52 million farmed salmon in Norway in 2020 was "too high".  Meanwhile in secret Scotland there is no published data on numbers of mortalities on salmon farms after the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation successfully lobbied against disclosure in 2013 arguing that publication would be "commercially damaging".

 

Censored: Salmon farmers in Scotland refuse to publish numbers of deaths as disclosure is "commercially damaging" https://t.co/FiaGuR3KoG
Yet Norway published 2020 data detailing 52 million deaths - why the double standard when Norway owns 80% of 'Scottish' salmon? @ScottishEPA pic.twitter.com/S6d45qnsTx

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 11, 2021

 

 

Read more via:

• Update: 25 Million Mass Mortalities on Scottish Salmon Farms
• 52 million deaths in Norway - how many millions died on Scottish salmon farms in 2020?
• The Case Against Scottish Salmon - An Update on Diseases & Mass Mortalities!
• 2.2 Million Missing Mortalities at Scottish Sea Farms?
• Mass Mortalities Continue to Plague Scottish Salmon
• Alexa, how many salmon die each year on Scottish salmon farms? 42 million* (but we don't know for sure as the answer is deemed "commercially damaging")!
• Over One Million Morts for Scottish Salmon in September 2020!
• Survival of the Unhealthiest Scottish Salmon - New data reveals shocking mortality rates!
• Dead in the Water - New Data Reveals Mass Mortalities & Disease on Scottish Salmon Farms

 

 

If you're looking for data on numbers of @rspcaassured dead farmed salmon in Scotland they don't exist - in 2013 @SSPOsays lobbied @ScottishEPA not to disclose mortalities as it was deemed commercially damaging! https://t.co/cDEyvS04dO @strathearnrose @salmon_scottish @scotgp pic.twitter.com/FICRbrpGXJ

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) September 2, 2020

 

According to the data published by the Fish Health Inspectorate on 4 March 2021 (up to the end of January 2021), Scottish Sea Farms are responsible for over half (54%) of the missing reports with The Scottish Salmon Company also failing to provide mortality numbers in over 100 cases.     

According to the data published by the Fish Health Inspectorate on 4 March 2021 (up to the end of January 2021), Scottish Sea Farms are responsible for over half (54%) of the missing reports with The Scottish Salmon Company also failing to provide mortality numbers in over 100 cases.