2020: The Year of Diseased Scottish Salmon – 27,000 Tonnes of Dead Fish, the Worst On Record!

 

 

It's official – Scottish salmon is the worst ever!  Official data – published by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency via 'Scotland's Aquaculture' which is sourced from monthly returns submitted by salmon farming companies – reveals that mortalities on salmon farms during 2020 exceeded a staggering 27,000 tonnes (an estimated 20 million dead salmon).   That's more than double the 10,000 tonnes of morts reported in 2013; almost four times more than the 7,000 tonnes reported in 2010 and the worst on record (2019 and 2017 were both just over 25,000 tonnes)!

 

July 2021 blog #3 2013 to 2020

 

 

 

 

Here's the worst monthly mortalities (by weight) reported on salmon farms during 2020 – headed by the Faroese/Norwegian owned 'Scottish' Salmon Company followed by Isle of Skye Salmon (owned by Norway's Grieg Seafood) and Norwegian-owned giants Mowi and Scottish Sea Farms.

 

July 2021 blog #1 Top 20 worst 2020

 

 

 

 

Mowi (who changed their name from Marine Harvest in 2019 due to "negative consumer perception") head the list of mortalities by company since 2013.  These six companies – all foreign owned/controlled – account for 99% of 'Scottish' salmon farming production.

 

July 2021 blog #6 companies

 

 

Salmonopoly with Fredriksen

 

 

 

 

 

Six out of the top twenty monthly mortalities since 2002 when data was made available were reported during 2020 – with The Scottish Salmon Company's salmon farm at Sgian Dubh in Loch Striven in August 2020 heading the list of shame.

 

July 2021 blog #2 Top 20 worst since 2002

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No wonder The Scottish Salmon Company warn the public to keep away from their disease-ridden salmon farms.

 

 

 

Here's video footage of mass mortalities at Quarry Point in 2019 filmed by Inside Scottish Salmon Feedlot's Corin Smith:

 

 

 

 

To put the scale of Scottish salmon's mort mountain into perspective, over a quarter (26%) of all farmed salmon in the sea phase of production are dying before they reach harvest size.    BBC Countryfile reported in December 2020:

 

 

 

 

Here's the source data as reported in October 2020 via the Scottish Government's Annual Fish Farm Production Survey 2019 – detailing survival rate ranges between a low of 71.8% (i.e. 28.2% mortality) in 2007 and a high of 85.4% (i.e. 14.6% mortality) in 2012.   The survival rate drastically differs between regions too with survival in in 2017 as low as 58.2% (i.e. 41.8% mortality) in the North West and as high as 80.8% (i.e. 19.2% mortality) in the South West.  The latest mortality rate we have data for is 2017 which reported only 73.8% survival i.e. 26.2% mortality. 

 

July 2021 blog #7

 

42 blog #33 42 blog #34

 

 

 

 

 

From hatch to catch (i.e. from imported ova from Iceland, Norway and Ireland – through the farming process in hatcheries and freshwater lochs – to 'Scottish' farmed salmon harvested in sea cages) around half of all farmed salmon are dying!

 

 

The Times reported earlier this month (1 July 2021):

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Daily Mail reported in May 2021:

 

 

 

 

 

 

In March 2021, Compassion in World Farming and One Kind published damning video footage of diseases and mortalities on salmon farms across Scotland.

 

 

 

 

 

The Ferret reported in March 2021:

 

 

 

 

Sadly, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency stopped reporting mortality numbers back in 2013 following lobbying by the salmon farming industry who claimed that publication would be "commercially damaging". 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's SEPA data up to 2012 on mortalities by weight and by number published by The Sunday Herald in February 2013. 

 

July 2021 blog #4

 

July 2021 blog #5

 

 

In November 2020, Scottish Salmon Watch estimated that 42 million farmed salmon die annually on salmon farms in Scotland (from hatch as eggs to 'catch' in sea cages) with ca. 20 million deaths in hatcheries and ca. 20 million in the sea phase of production.

 

 

 

 

In July 2020, The Ferret reported:

 

Ferret 13 July 2020 #1

 

Ferret 13 July 2020 #2 table

 

 

 

The Times reported in April 2021:

 

 

 

 

Watch shocking video footage of disease-ridden morts at RSPCA Assured Mowi:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Netflix's global hit 'Seaspiracy' features video footage from Mowi's ASC and RSPCA certified salmon farm at Gorsten in Loch Linnhe and The Scottish Salmon Company's disease-ridden salmon farm at Vacasay in Loch Roag.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's gruesome photos of Scottish salmon sourced from the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate – disclosed by Freedom of Information despite legal threats by Scottish Sea Farms, The Scottish Salmon Company and Mowi.

 

 

 

 

 

Gallery #3 reaching to grab pack

 

Gallery #2 curtain Scottish salmon sold here

 

 

 

 

 

Read more via:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scroll to Top