EXPOSED: “Disappointing” Breaches of Biosecurity at ASC-Certified Mowi – Call to Close Down Farms!

Dear Scottish Ministers,

Please find attached a letter – which includes:

In view of ongoing mass escapes and breaches of biosecurity from salmon farms across Scotland, what actions are Scottish Ministers taking to tackle the growing problem?

In terms of mass escapes, $camon $cotland is particularly disturbed by the lack of action taken against Norwegian-owned giant Mowi for repeated poor maintenance, equipment failures and corporate negligence. 

Data published by Marine Scotland via ‘Scotland’s Aquaculture’ shows that Mowi has reported over 433,000 farmed fish escapees since 1999 with the following mass escapes due to equipment damage, net failures and human error:

16 June 2022: Colonsay – 15,000 to 20,000 (Hole in Net)

2 June 2022: Grey Horse Channel Outer (Greanem) – 32,463 (Equipment Damage)

23 February 2021: Hellisay – 19,686 (Equipment Damage)

20 August 2020: Eilean Grianain (Carradale) – 48,834 (Weather/Mooring Failure)

17 January 2020: Colonsay – 73,684 (Weather/Pen Failure)

14 October 2019: Hellisay – 23,970 (Equipment Damage/Net Failure)

13 November 2018: Hellisay – 24,752 (Hole in Net)

5 June 2015: Eilean Grianain (Carradale) – 16,000 (Hole in Net)

29 June 2009: Marulaig Bay – 10,534 (Human Error)

13 October 2008: Loch Duich – 7,424 (Hole in Net)

25 July 2008: Ardmaddy – 5,500 (Hole in Net)

29 November 2007: Isle Ewe – 23,805 (Unknown)

8 January 2007: Seaforth – 11,900 (Hole in Net)

12 August 2004: Arbhair – 10,000 (Equipment Damage)

28 April 2003: Isle Ewe – 16,000 (Equipment Damage)

20 March 2003: Aultbea – 11,476 (Hole in Net)

Whilst Scottish Ministers pays lip service to 100% containment, other countries have taken action to stem the tide of mass escapes.

Seafood Source reported in August 2020: “Chile’s Superintendency of the Environment, SMA, has levied a CLP 5.3 billion (USD 6.7 million, EUR 5.7 million) fine against Mowi for what the watchdog said was “irreparable environmental damage” resulting from the escape of more than 690,000 Atlantic salmon from one of its farms in 2018….In its sanctioning procedure SMA cited outdated water current measurements at the Los Lagos region, Calbuco district center built in 2017, failure to implement recommended moorings, and evidence of wear and tear of the nets and mooring lines to which the company did not respond, as cause for the fine.”

Intrafish reported in May 2021: “Salmon farming giant Mowi has been fined NOK 3.7 million (€370,457/$450,732) by authorities in the Trondelag region of Norway for a March 2018 incident that saw 54,000 fish escape.  Norwegian aquaculture equipment group Egersund Net was fined NOK 750,000 (€75,093/$91,365) for the same incident, the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries said Friday.  Police officials in Trondelag issued the fines to the companies, citing violations of federal policies on escape prevention from aquaculture facilities.”

So why has Mowi escaped prosecution and punishment in Scotland for repeated mass escapes due to equipment failures and net failures?

The Scottish Parliament's Rural Economy & Connectivity Committee recommended in November 2018 that “appropriate sanctions should be developed and introduced in Scotland” in relation to escapes from salmon farms.

Since the Scottish Parliament's Rural Economy & Connectivity Committee report in November 2018, a staggering 332,948 farmed fish have been reported as escaping in Scotland (according to the briefing to Scottish Ministers in September 2022). 

How many more disease-ridden escapees will the Scottish Government allow to flood into Scotland (and even England’s) waterways before action is taken against Mowi and other repeat offenders?

$camon $cotland, to steal a ‘holding line’ from the Scottish Government, finds it incredibly “disappointing” that Scottish Ministers have failed to take action against Mowi for repeated corporate negligence in relation to escapes.   Scottish Ministers seem more interested in ‘holding lines’ than in holding the disease-ridden salmon farming industry to account.