Scottish Salmon Watch was horrified to see dead and dying 'cleaner fish' floating on the surface of a salmon farm when they rowed out to the aptly-named Bagh Dail nan Ceann (Bay of the Dead Heads) located within the Argyll Coast & Islands Hope Spot earlier this month (2 July).
Disease-ridden Mowi (who controversially changed their name from Marine Harvest on 1 January 2019 due to "negative consumer perceptions") owns the salmon farm in the Sound of Shuna (Sound of Jura). Bagh Dail nan Ceann was rated as the third worst salmon farm in Scotland in a welfare report by OneKind in 2018 (Mowi's neighbouring salmon farm at Poll na Gille was rated the worst). Last year despite objections, Mowi won approval to expand the salmon farm from 2,500 to 3,500 tonnes making it one of Scotland's largest salmon farms.
Here's some of the gruesome images from our visit on 2 July 2019:
In Gaelic, Bagh Dail nan Ceann translates as 'Bay of the Dead Heads' and is recorded as an ancient battle site and "site of conflict" where 3,000 people died. According to local folklore, Bay of the Dead Heads was named after Viking raiders who slaughtered the native Scots and displayed their heads on spikes - like a scene from the 'Walking Dead' TV series or in medieval Britain.
As it happens, the owner of Mowi is Norwegian billionaire John Fredriksen (worth £7.5 billion according to the 2019 Sunday Times Rich List; $11.3 billion according to the Forbes billionaires list and "the richest Norwegian who has ever lived" according to Tradewinds). Fredriksen goes by the nicknames 'Storeulv' (Big Wolf) and McFreddy (not after Freddy Krueger but after Marine Harvest's ill-fated product placement with McDonalds).
Mowi's owner (via Geveran Trading) has been described by Forbes as the 'Viking Raider', MoneyWeek as 'The Viking King' and The Guardian as 'The Volatile Viking of Shipping'.
Read more on how 'Scottish' salmon is now tainted with the genes of Norwegian farmed salmon via:
The Sunday Times: Scots fish are ‘Vikings with kilts on’
The Sunday Times: "‘Tartan imposters’ charge as fish egg imports hit 90%"
Mail On Sunday: "90% of Scottish salmon 'ISN'T' from Scotland' - 66m eggs shipped in from abroad"
Salmon Eggsclusive: Scotland's 'King of Fish' is Now Viking Not Scottish!
The scenes of death and disease did not fill Scottish Salmon Watch with much hope - even though the area was designated as Scotland's first 'Hope Spot' in May 2019.
Read more via The Scotsman: "Scotland's west coast named UK's first Hope Spot for rich marine life"
When approaching the salmon farm, Scottish Salmon Watch saw leaping salmon which is a sign of lice infestation according to peer-reviewed scientific research published in 2018 which reported how salmon leap to oust parasites.
Scottish Salmon Watch suspected Mowi was in breach of the Animal Health & Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 - specifically in relation to "Unnecessary Suffering", "Cruel Operations" and "Ensuring Welfare of Animals" - with potential welfare abuse similar to the gruesome photographic evidence obtained from the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate in 2018.
Read more via:
Mowi's Disease-Ridden Mortalities - 1.6 million+ in 101 incidents (2017-2018)
New Report: "The State of Scottish Salmon Farming in 2018"
Scottish salmon farms in disease hell row after tons of rotting fish dumped in skips
Consequently, Scottish Salmon Watch safely and taking appropriate biosecurity precautions boarded the nearest cage in order to gather video evidence to report to the appropriate authorities (Marine Scotland, the Animal & Plant Health Agency and Police Scotland's Wildlife Crime Unit - read initial report dated 18 July online here and a second submission dated 20 July online here).
Lumpsuckers - so-called 'cleaner fish' which are used to remove parasitic sea lice from farmed salmon - were seen in distress at the surface either close to death or dead in the water. Peer-reviewed scientific research has reported how cleaner fish can carry infectious diseases, pathogens and viruses.
Underwater video footage shows parasites infesting both lumpsuckers and farmed salmon within Mowi's salmon farm. Here's photo stills from the video footage taken on 2 July 2019:
Here's a summary video report on Scottish Salmon Watch's visit to Bagh Dail nan Ceann on 2 July:
And another video report featuring dead cleaner fish at Mowi's 'Bay of the Dead Heads' salmon farm:
Read more about welfare problems of cleaner fish on Scottish salmon farms via:
Cleaner fish welfare on Scotland’s salmon farms
Fish used to help clean salmon of sea lice are at risk, warn animal rights campaigners
Fish that eat lice off farmed salmon suffer, says report
Dirty Secrets Lurking Under Scottish Salmon's Lice Skirt
Cleaner fish hit by health problems
In 2018, Marine Harvest was given the green light for a £6 million lumpfish hatchery on the Kintyre peninsula with "the capacity to produce 800,000 of the cleaner-fish per year". Salmon Business reported in February 2018 that:
"Marine Harvest is also said to be overhauling another site in Wales to produce more cleaner fish. For now, the company gets it cleaners from Otter Ferry Seafish in Argyll and the Native Marine Centre in Weymouth."
In April 2019, Mowi reported that it has bought a lumpfish hatchery in Wales:
Ocean Matters "is proud to now offer Lumpfish Certification to promote sustainable salmon farming through co-habitation".
Read more on why co-habitation of cleaner fish and farmed salmon may lead to disease problems via:
The Sunday Times: "‘Clean fish’ bring danger of disease to salmon farms"
Tests show lumpsuckers can infect salmon with AGD
Cleaner fish hit by health problems
Piscirickettsia salmonis infection in cultured lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus L.).
First record of Tetramicra brevifilum in lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus, L.)
Bacterial Disease is Leading Cause of Mortality in Lumpfish
Risk assessment of fish health associated with the use of cleaner fish in aquaculture
Disease forces cull of 10,000 “cleaner” fish
In 2018, Scottish Salmon Watch took video footage of lice-infested and dead cleaner fish at other salmon farming facilities in Scotland.
Dead and dying cleaner fish was not the only welfare problem identified by Scottish Salmon Watch during our brief visit to Bagh Dail nan Ceann. A continuous clicking sound was being emitted by the Acoustic Deterrent Device employed on the Mowi salmon farm - an OTAQ Seal Fence.
Read more via "Sounding Off On Salmon Farms - Acoustic Deterrent Devices evade Marine Noise Registry" and SARF report 112: "Influences of lower-frequency Acoustic Deterrent Devices (ADDs) on cetaceans in Scottish coastal waters"
Sign a petition calling for a ban on ADDs!
Mowi Scotland's salmon farm at Bagh Dail nan Ceann has a history of disease and mortality problems - including "complex gill issues" and "Anemia" reported in November 2017 and 6,000 morts in October 2017 due to a chemical treatment with Azamethiphos.
In terms of toxic chemical use, the site reported the use of the lobster-killing Azamethiphos in March 2019.
And again at the same Mowi salmon farm in November 2018:
And lobsters in the vicinity of Mowi's salmon farm were subjected to another dose of the toxic Azamethiphos in October 2018:
As well as a dose of the toxic lobster-killer Emamectin benzoate in September 2018:
Read more on the toxicity and lethality of Azamethiphos and Emamectin benzoate via:
New salmon sea lice treatment threshold serves industry not oceans
Fish Farmageddon: Scottish Salmon's Lethal Legacy
Early the following day after filming at Mowi's Bagh Dail nan Ceann salmon farm a boat carrying huge tanks of the toxic chemical Hydrogen Peroxide (the same boat as the video below) was seen heading to the farm (3 July).
Read more on the use of Hydrogen Peroxide via:
All is not well with sick Scottish salmon
Sky-Rocketing Chemical Use on Scottish Salmon Farms
Mowi's Bagh Dail nan Ceann salmon farm was only stocked in September 2018 but rapidly reached a biomass of 2,027 tonnes by March 2019.
Even accounting for disease and mortality problems which could trigger early harvesting the average harvest cycle in the sea is ca. 16 months so the farmed salmon and cleaner fish at this site could be expected to remain until Xmas at least. How much more welfare abuse will be committed? How many more infectious diseases, pathogens and viruses will be reported? And how many more toxic chemicals will be used?
In terms of infectious diseases and Amoebic Gill Disease in particular, Mowi Scotland's Health Manager Sabina Maclean is expecting "a painful September and October for the salmon industry in Scotland".
Scottish Salmon Watch did not dive under Mowi's salmon farm at Bagh Dail nan Ceann but diver David Ainsley has dived under a nearby Mowi salmon farm at Poll na Gille.
Mowi's Poll na Gille salmon farm was assessed as the worst for welfare according to a report - "Fish Welfare on Scotland's Salmon Farms" - published by OneKind in August 2018 - with Mowi's Bagh Dail nan Ceann salmon farm ranked the third worst in Scotland.
BBC Panorama broadcast video footage of Mowi's dead salmon in May 2019:
Read more via BBC News: "Salmon farming giant Mowi probed over chemical use"
Watch a video report shot under the Mowi salmon farm at Poll na Gille:
Scottish Salmon Watch is calling for video surveillance of salmon farms - including CCTV.
Read more via:
Earlier this month, Mowi pledged to close down salmon farms in Loch Duich and Loch Ewe.
Mowi Scotland's Managing Director Ben Hadfield - who coined in over £800,000 in 2018 - said with a straight face earlier this month.
Read more via Fish Farmer (13 July):
Scottish Salmon Watch invites Mr Hadfield to visit his salmon farm at Bagh Dail nan Ceann to see for himself what Mowi's "success story" on cleaner fish looks like. Does this look like success to you?
The move to offshore salmon farms - where the currents are stronger and storms are the norm - is a recipe for further welfare disaster. Mr Hadfield would do well to remember what happened at Mowi's salmon farm at Carradale in Kilbrannan Sound in March 2018 when 300,000 farmed salmon were battered to death in heavy seas and gale force winds. Photos leaked by a whistleblower show how the farmed salmon were flayed to the bone.
Read more via Sunday Mail: "Gutted - 300,000 salmon are killed as storm batters fish farm" and "The State of Scottish Salmon Farming in 2018"
Sainsbury's (who supply exclusively from Mowi), Lidl and Aldi wouldn't even have had to take the skins off for their RSPCA Assured Skinless Scottish salmon fillets.
Watch a video report on Mowi's skinless Scottish salmon online here
Maybe Mowi and Sainsbury's will soon be launching a new range of "responsibly sourced" cleaner fish which can be marketed alongside their disease-ridden Scottish salmon?
Mowi - like its predecessor Marine Harvest - is fast building up a woeful track record of welfare, disease and environmental problems. Earlier this month, Scottish Salmon Watch exposed dead farmed salmon floating on the surface of Mowi Ireland's ASC-certified salmon farm in Lough Swilly - with wild fish pictured swimming close by the dead salmon.
Read more via Secret Filming in Ireland - Mowi Salmon is Dead in the Water!
In April 2019, Mowi Ireland had a salmon farm licence revoked followed a breach of biomass.
In Chile, Mowi risks a huge fine following an escape of farmed salmon - and risks losing their salmon farm licence at Punta Redonda following the escape of 680,000 fish.
Earlier this month, Scottish Salmon Watch lifted the lid on a cache of containers of the carcinogenic chemical Formaldehyde in Loch Arkaig.
Read more via EXPOSED: Mowi's Cache of Carcinogenic Chemicals On Conservative MSP's Estate
In May 2019, Scottish Salmon Watch exposed another cache of toxic chemicals used to kill sea lice on salmon farms across Scotland.
In May 2019, Scottish Salmon Watch filmed a 'Thermolicer' - a torture chamber for farmed salmon condemned by Compassion in World Farming - operating at Mowi's ASC-certified salmon farm in Loch Leven.
If Mowi was being honest with their customers then their marketing would be more X-rated.
Mowi's dubious attempts to re-write history require serious ground-truthing.
Scottish Salmon Watch hopes that "morally bankrupt and environmentally repugnant" Mowi will close down all their salmon farms.
Download a shorter version of this blog as a PDF online here
On 18 July 2019, Mowi's legal representative sent the following email:
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: McSherry, Euan <[email protected]>
Date: Thu, Jul 18, 2019 at 6:16 PM
Subject: Unauthorised intrusion at Bagh Dail nan Ceann (694168)
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Mr Staniford
Unauthorised Access
This firm has repeatedly written to you on instruction of our client, Mowi Scotland Limited (Mowi) - formerly known as Marine Harvest (Scotland) Limited - asking you to remove defamatory material which you have communicated on public forums and to cease your unauthorised incursions and activities at Mowi’s fish farms and processing plants in Scotland. This email focuses on the latter in relation to the content of two online videos published by you and accessed via the following links:
These videos demonstrate that, on the evening of 2nd July 2019, you attended at Mowi’s Bagh Dail nan Ceann fish farm (the Farm) without authorisation. It is not known how you accessed the Farm but it is probable that you did so with the assistance of a fuel-powered vessel. Specifically, you are filmed (i) on the outer rim of one circular cage at the Farm, (ii) penetrating the above-surface netting of the cage with what appears to be an electronic device and (iii) inserting the said device below the water surface of the cage. Your incursion and activities occurred without obtaining the permission of Mowi or the relevant authorities. This incident has been reported to the police in line with Mowi’s policy for responding to intruders. In the circumstances detailed in this email, and in order to protect fish, visitors, staff and property, Mowi requires you to desist from taking any further unauthorised access to, or having any further unauthorised interaction with, it’s fish farm at Bagh Dail nan Ceann in the Sound of Shuna and requests that you provide an undertaking to desist in the terms contained in the undernote to this email.
Mowi has legitimate and grave concerns about this intrusion as it contravenes their biosecurity and health and safety policies and safe ways of working. All Mowi farms (whether aquatic or terrestrial) operated throughout Scotland need to ensure the highest standards of animal health and welfare, and of staff and visitor health, safety and wellbeing. All visitors need to comply with site specific protocols in order to protect fish, visitors, staff and property. As well as the risk to fish health and welfare, Mowi has duties to its staff, its regulators, the Crown Estate and the public to ensure that it prevents your potentially hazardous interference with Mowi’s sites. For those reasons, it will be forced to take further action unless you co-operate with its requests and desist from further unauthorised access at any of its sites. Further unauthorised activities and incursions will be reported to Police Scotland. Mowi reserves the right to take civil proceedings against you should you continue to pursue unauthorised activities on, over or at our client’s fish farms and processing plants across Scotland.
If you refuse or delay to confirm your undertaking in these terms Mowi will be left with no choice but to take steps to protect the Farm, and its rights in relation thereto, through the courts. No further warning will be given. We trust that will not be necessary and look forward to receiving the requested undertaking from you no later than 5pm on Monday, 22nd July.
Regards,
|
Euan McSherry |
Undernote:
I, Don Staniford, hereby undertake to Mowi Scotland Limited (the Company), that neither I, nor any person instructed on my behalf, will access or interfere with the Company’s fish farm at Bagh Dail nan Ceann in the Sound of Shuna, and for the avoidance of doubt neither I nor any person instructed on my behalf, will take, or cause to be taken on to the Company’s fish farm at Bagh Dail nan Ceann in the Sound of Shuna, any equipment, vehicles, vessels, goods, gear or other apparatus without the express written consent of the Company.
I replied later on 18 July 2019:
From: Don Staniford <[email protected]>
Date: Thu, Jul 18, 2019 at 8:19 PM
Subject: Re: Unauthorised intrusion at Bagh Dail nan Ceann (694168)
To: McSherry, Euan <[email protected]>
Date: Sun, Jul 21, 2019 at 7:35 PM
Subject: Breach of Animal Health & Welfare Act at Bagh Dail nan Ceann (Bay of the Dead Heads)
To: McSherry, Euan <[email protected]>