Harmful Algal Blooms & Toxic Salmon Farms – Is Scottish Salmon Unfit for Human Consumption? https://t.co/VGdpTr4pj3 @FSScot @SSPOsays @tavishscott @HebridesNews @HighlandCouncil @ScotGovNetZero @scotgov @ScottishEPA @MairiGougeon @MairiMcAllan @_KateForbes @Ianblackford_MP @WHFP1 pic.twitter.com/IrZqbJ0SMe
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) June 24, 2021
Is a toxic blue-green algae bloom making Scottish salmon unfit for human consumption? And are the untreated waste effluents from salmon farms in Scotland contributing to harmful algal blooms (HABs)? These questions are now being asked in the wake of photo of a toxic blue-green algae bloom surrounding a salmon farm operated by 'Organic' Sea Harvest at Invertote near Staffin on the Isle of Skye.
The photo was posted last week in the private Facebook group 'Official Isle of Skye' (generating discussion amongst their 17,700 members).
The link between HABs and fish farming has long been established. UPI reported (8 June 2021):
New analysis of thousands of harmful algae blooms, or HABs, has revealed links between increases in the damage caused by algae blooms and human activities, including aquaculture development @UPI @UNESCO https://t.co/XBq2DrsIIW @SalmonChile @sernapesca @FAO
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) June 12, 2021
Fish Farming Expert reported (15 June 2021):
"The relationship between aquaculture-related nutrients and Harmful Algal Blooms therefore represents an important direction for further research" @salmonfarming1 @UNESCO @OBISNetwork @SalmonChile @sernapesca @marinescotland @ScottishEPA @UTAS_ @envirotas https://t.co/80lnT6sPmv pic.twitter.com/5cla0zX4Xw
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) June 15, 2021
The Oban Times reported (14 June 2021):
The Herald reported (10 June 2021):
Hebrides News reported (9 June 2021):
UNESCO reported (9 June 2021):
"The 7-year study by 109 scientists said the increase in coastal fish farms has been a key driver for disastrous economic impacts from harmful algal blooms….In fish farms, fish feed & waste materials are additional nutrients released into the sea" https://t.co/LLT0Aqit8c
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) June 14, 2021
Nature reported (8 June 2021):
"Increased use of coastal waters for aquaculture has been a key driver for occasionally disastrous, long-lasting economic impacts from HABs, in turn driving an awareness of new harmful algal species and new toxin types" @Nature https://t.co/3XfLDMXOYj
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) June 15, 2021
Fish Farming Expert reported in April 2021:
The Shetland Times reported in July 2020:
Highland Council and NHS Scotland advised in June 2020 that fish caught in waters affected by blue-green algae "should not be eaten":
The press release links to this Scottish Government report:
The waste impacts of salmon farms – and the links with eutrophication and algal blooms – has long been investigated in Scotland. A report by the Scottish Association of Marine Science submitted to the Scottish Parliament's salmon farming inquiry in January 2018 addressed the issue of waste pollution from salmon farms.
The Herald reported in March 2018:
Ecohustler reported in September 2020:
WWF Scotland reported in 2000.
In 2001, an EU-funded project called 'AQUATOXSAL' investigated the links between salmon farming and toxic algal blooms.
Back in 2002 I presented a paper – "A Big Fish in a Small Pond" – detailing links between waste discharges of salmon farms and pollution.
Marine Pollution Bulletin reported in 1989:
A report published by the Scottish Government in 2003 stated:
"In our opinion, it is very unlikely that fish farming should have a large-scale impact on the occurrence of harmful algal blooms, particularly on toxic algae, which are related to shellfish poisoning. Occurrence of such blooms, in general, appears to indicate that they are more common in pristine than in enriched waters and that they appear independently of fish farming activities. This does not mean that fish farming is a completely harmless activity: there is a coupling between excess nutrient loads and larger plankton production. In enclosed fjords, fish farming may contribute considerably to hypernutrification and changing nutrient ratios, particularly during summer."
Read more via "Holes: Scottish Salmon's Sewage Scandal" by Dr James Merryweather:
