The fish farm in these pictures by Bill Heaney is NOT the one where dead and dying salmon floating in cages were found by Scottish Salmon Watch.
Video evidence obtained by The Ferret also shows hundreds of dead fish, many with lesions, in bins at premises used by a company called Kames Fish Farming.
The footage was taken by Scottish Salmon Watch and has prompted an investigation by government agencies into alleged welfare abuses.
Don Staniford, a veteran campaigner on fish farming and director of Scottish Salmon Watch, visited a fish farm at Loch Tralaig, just south of Oban, earlier this month, and took video of dying fish in cages at a farm run by Kames Fish Farming.
He also filmed plastic bins full of dead salmon, aka “morts”, at a site on land at Kilmelford used by Kames Fish Farming. The Kilmelford premises is close to Loch Tralaig and is the firm’s head office.
The mort videos at Kilmelford were shot on 5 September 2020. The video footage of the farm in Loch Tralaig was shot on 10 September 2020.
Staniford sent an official complaint to the Fish Health Inspectorate and the Animal and Plant Health Agency, and alleged the company had breached the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.
“I watched and was shocked at their complete disregard for dying fish belly up on the surface of their farm.”
DON STANIFORD, SCOTTISH SALMON WATCH
He wrote: “I visited Kames Fish Farm in Loch Tralaig. At 8am on Thursday (10 September 2020) I witnessed farmed salmon floating dead and dying on the surface of all four cages.
“When the Kames Fish Farm workers arrived at 9.30am they spent their time filling feeding containers and lifting one of the nets to apply carcinogenic formaldehyde instead of dealing with the fish welfare problem. I watched and was shocked at their complete disregard for dying fish belly up on the surface of their farm.”
Staniford passed his footage to The Ferret and in response to our questions the Scottish government confirmed that an investigation had begun.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said that following a joint inspection by the Fish Health Inspectorate and Animal and Plant Health Agency, allegations relating to animal welfare concerns will be investigated by the latter body.
“Our 10-year farmed fish health framework aims to significantly improve the health of farmed fish in Scotland and should lead to a significant reduction in mortality,” the government spokesperson added.
“The framework commits industry, government, vets, trade associations and Scotland’s Aquaculture Innovation Centre to work together to provide a strategic, evidence-based approach to the short- and long-term improvement of fish health in Scotland.”
An Animal and Plant Health Agency spokesperson said: “We take potential breaches of animal welfare legislation very seriously and investigate all allegations. Where welfare regulations are breached, appropriate action is taken. We do not comment on individual cases.”
In May, The Ferret reported that Sepa had investigated claims that heavy use of formaldehyde at Loch Tralaig in Argyll had damaged wildlife and left the loch “stinking”. The claims were denied.
Kames Fish Farming has been asked to comment.