Mass Mortalities Continue to Plague Scottish Salmon

New Data Online Now: Nearly half a million dead salmon reported in October 2020 via 75 'Mortality Events' headed by @salmon_scottish @MowiScotlandLtd @GriegShetland
But 16 reports (all @scotseafarms) do not provide numbers @marinescotland Why the secrecy? @FergusEwingMSP pic.twitter.com/vUSxF7ID9b

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 14, 2020

New data on mass mortalities on salmon farms in Scotland was slipped out last week (9 December) by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate – download the data up to the end of October 2020 online here

During the month of October 2020, almost half a million (493,484) farmed salmon were reported to the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate via 75 'Mortality Events' (understood to be only mass mortalities representing over 1% of biomass) – but 16 'Mortality Events' (all reported by Scottish Sea Farms) did not provide numbers. Here's the Top 30 highest 'Mortality Event Reports' in October 2020 with explained reasons for mortalities including Cardiomyopathy Syndrome, Pancreas Disease, Amoebic Gill Disease, Anaemia, Proliferative Gill Disease, Fungus, Post Treatment (chemical bath and mechanical) and Transport.

Here's the 16 'Mortality Event Reports' (all Scottish Sea Farms sites) reported during October 2020 where numbers of mortalities were "Not Provided":

Scottish Sea Farms fail to provide numbers of mortalities for 16 'Mortality Events' in October 2020 – including mass mortalities in Loch Creran (exposed by @BBCCountryfile @joe_crowley) https://t.co/YipDHj0eXL
Why is @rspcaassured @scotseafarms hiding the numbers of dead salmon? pic.twitter.com/U28zB5HvPM

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 14, 2020

Here's mortality data published by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation – with cumulative mortality over the full production cycle (in the sea-phase) for all salmon farms harvested out in the last year (November 2019 to October 2020):