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12/13/2021

Mass mortalities at ASC-certified Mowi!

ASC certified Mowi morts

 

 



 

 

Here's an email sent earlier today (13 December 2021) to the ASC:

 

From: Don Staniford <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, Dec 13, 2021 at 12:51 PM
Subject: ASC support for 20%+ mortality?
To: Jack Cutforth <[email protected]>, Bertrand Charron <[email protected]>
Cc: Chris Ninnes <[email protected]>
 
In December 2020, the CEO of the ASC (Chris Ninnes - copied in here) ruled out ASC-certification on salmon farms with more than 10% mortality.  Chris's policy pledge on BBC Countryfile is online via https://twitter.com/TheGAAIA/status/1336243637500469249 and a blog is online via https://donstaniford.typepad.com/my-blog/2020/12/asc-certified-scottish-salmon-dead-in-the-water-.html 
 
If the ASC is maintaining a policy of not certifying salmon farms with a mortality rate of over 10% then surely it would rule out Mowi's ASC-certified sites at Harport, Rum, Marulaig Bay and Stulaigh as well as Mowi's salmon farms currently under 'initial audit' at Camas Glas, Loch Alsh, Groatay and Ardintoul (details via https://www.asc-aqua.org/find-a-farm/)?
 
Mowi ASC blog Dec 2021 #9.jpg
 
Mowi ASC blog Dec 2021 #10.jpg
Mowi ASC blog Dec 2021 #11.jpg

 
Here's mortality data published by Salmon Scotland (download via https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/reports) which blows out the water ASC certification for a raft of Mowi salmon farms due to mortality rates well above 10%:
 
Mowi ASC blog Dec 2021 #3.jpg
Mowi ASC blog Dec 2021 #4.jpg
Mowi ASC blog Dec 2021 #5.jpg
Mowi ASC blog Dec 2021 #6.jpg
Mowi ASC blog Dec 2021 #7.jpg
Mowi ASC blog Dec 2021 #8.jpg
 
Moreover, the recent mortality rate in October 2021 at Caolas a Deas West, Caolas a Deas East, Greanem and Grey Horse Channel raise red flags (cummulative mortality data will not be available until harvest but the data suggests a mortality rate well above the ASC's 10% threshold):
 
Mowi ASC blog Dec 2021 #2.jpg
 
Secondly, can you please provide details on why Mowi's certification of salmon farms at Carradale North, Cairidh, Maol Ban and Sconser Quarry (detailed via https://www.asc-aqua.org/find-a-farm/) was cancelled?
 
ASC cancelled.jpg
Was this due to unacceptably high mortalities?
 
Finally, what's the ASC's policy on antibiotics? 
 
Data disclosed by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency reveals huge doses of Florfenicol by Mowi at Loch Duich (another site under 'initial audit' by the ASC) and at Ardgour in Loch Linnhe (a site already certified by the ASC); and the use of Oxytetracycline by Mowi's salmon farms at Ardgour in Loch Linnhe, Camus Glas, Invasion Bay and MacLeans Nose (Mowi sites under 'initial audit') and Mowi's Gorsten salmon farm (already ASC-certified): Named & Shamed: Increasing Antibiotic Use by Salmon Pharms in Scotland - just say no to drugs, say no to Scottish salmon!
 
A swift reply would be much appreciated.
 
Thanks,
 
Don Staniford
 
Director, Scottish Salmon Watch
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
I raised the issue of mass mortalities on Mowi salmon farms with the ASC in December 2020:
 
 
From: Don Staniford <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, Dec 7, 2020 at 2:06 PM
Subject: Glenfinnan certification now rescinded?
To: Bertrand Charron <[email protected]>, Info <[email protected]>, Chris Ninnes <[email protected]>
 
 
Scottish Salmon Watch welcomes the commitment by the ASC to refusing certification for salmon farms where the mortality rate is more than 10% (as reported by Chris on BBC Countryfile last night: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000q6r1/countryfile-black-mountains).
 
In view of Mowi's mortality rate at 20% at their ASC-certified Glenfinnan salmon farm, when will the ASC be rescinding certification?
 
 
 
Data on mortalities at Glenfinnan salmon farm were reported in August 2020 by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate - details via: https://donstaniford.typepad.com/my-blog/2020/11/dead-in-the-water-new-data-reveals-mass-mortalities-disease-on-scottish-salmon-farms-.html
 
 
BBC Countryfile 6 Dec 2020 #7 ASC Chris Ninnes Glenfinnan morts.jpg
 
 
BBC Countryfile 6 Dec 2020 #7 ASC Chris Ninnes Glenfinnan morts #2.jpg
 
 
 
 
 
Thanks,
 
Don Staniford
 
Director, Scottish Salmon Watch
 
 
 
 


---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Don Staniford <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, Dec 7, 2020 at 2:41 PM
Subject: Re: Glenfinnan certification now rescinded?
To: Bertrand Charron <[email protected]>, Info <[email protected]>, Chris Ninnes <[email protected]>


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/
 
List of Scottish salmon farms Dec 2020 #1
List of Scottish salmon farms Dec 2020 #2
 
 
For example, Mowi's Cairidh salmon farm was the source of the roadspill on the A86 in September 2019: https://donstaniford.typepad.com/my-blog/2020/01/virus-ridden-mowi-revealed-as-source-of-a86-roadspill-in-september.html
 
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). 
 
BBC Countryfile 6 Dec 2020 #7 ASC Chris Ninnes Cairidh morts #2.jpg
 
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
 
BBC Countryfile 6 Dec 2020 #7 ASC Chris Ninnes SSPO mort rates.jpg
 
 
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 <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, Dec 8, 2020 at 8:11 AM
Subject: Mowi's Stulaigh - 36.8% mortality with welfare abuse
To: Chris Ninnes <[email protected]>, Bertrand Charron <[email protected]>, Info <[email protected]>

How can the ASC seriously consider certifying Mowi's Stulaigh salmon farm?

 
Best fishes,
 
Don
 
 
 
 
 
The ASC replied:
 
 

From: Bertrand Charron <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, Dec 8, 2020 at 2:30 PM
Subject: RE: Glenfinnan certification now rescinded?
To: Don Staniford <[email protected]>

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”.

Should you want to learn more about the ASC Salmon Standard and its precise/specific requirements, I would kindly suggest that you read in full the document which can be found here: https://www.asc-aqua.org/what-we-do/our-standards/farm-standards/the-salmon-standard/ 

Mortality standard

Best regards,

Bertrand Charron

Science & Sustainability Communications Manager

E: [email protected]

Web: www.asc-aqua.org

On Twitter: @ASC_aqua

      

Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)

HNK, Arthur van Schendelstraat 650 |3511 MJ Utrecht, The Netherlands

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
Watch video footage when Scottish Salmon Watch visited Mowi's Gorsten salmon farm joined by the producers of 'Seaspiracy':
 

 
 



 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
Scottish Salmon Watch reported in June 2021: 
 

 
 
 
 
Scottish Salmon Watch reported in June 2020:
 

 
 
 
 
Scottish Salmon Watch reported in March 2021:
 

 
 
 
 
Scottish Salmon Watch reported in January 2020:
 

 
 
 
 
Read more via:
 

Mass Mortalities - 66% in one month at The Scottish Salmon Company on the Isle of Gigha!

Lousy 'Scottish' Salmon - the most lice-infested salmon farms named & shamed!

Irresponsible Scottish Salmon Exposed: 'Scotland's Aquaculture' Publishes Data on Toxic Chemicals Use, Morts & Biomass Breaches

STV News: "Thousands of rotting salmon ‘stink out’ village after mass death at farm"

X-Rated Video: 90% Mortality at The Faroese/Norwegian 'Scottish' Salmon Company?!

Video Nasties of Dead Farmed Salmon Pile Up All Over the World!

Videos of Mort Disposal by The Scottish Salmon Company - like a serial killer disposing of dead bodies before the police arrive!

Demand for moratorium on new fish farms after mortality rates revealed

"The shocking death rates on Scotland's salmon farms revealed"

Seaspiracy's Salmon Shocker: Please Boycott RSPCA Assured Scottish Salmon!

Stop the Scottish Salmondemic - please avoid disease-ridden farmed salmon like the proverbial plague!

Taking the Fish - Illegal Salmon Dump Caught Taking Diseased Fish from the Mainland Despite 'Derogation'!

FOI Lifts Lid on the Stench of Scottish Salmon: Government Legal Department Target Illegal Dumping of Diseased Salmon

The Times: "Fish graveyard ‘severely hampers’ life for islanders, officials claim"

Mowi's 'Healthy' RSPCA Assured & ASC-Certified Salmon Farm at Gorsten (as featured in Seaspiracy)

Update: Mortality Rate Over 36% At RSPCA Assured Scottish Salmon!

Revealed: Burned, Buried & Ensiled Scottish Salmon 

Update: 25 Million Mass Mortalities on Scottish Salmon Farms

52 million deaths in Norway - how many millions died on Scottish salmon farms in 2020?

Mowi Moves Goalposts on ASC Certification

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

ASC-Certified Scottish Salmon Dead in the Water!

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

The Ferret: "Farmed salmon deaths from disease reach record high"

The Killing Farms - Scottish Salmon's Horror Story Continues!

Solving Scottish Salmon's Multi-Million Mortality Problem

ASC-Certified Shellfish Killers (not to mention seals, diseases, lice, pollution etc)

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Greenwashed farmed salmon Jpeg

 
 
 

Pre-order a copy and more details via Don Staniford: [email protected]

 

Greenwash graphic #1

 

 

 

 

Posted at 01:00 PM |

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