The recent escape of 73,600 salmon from Mowi's farm off Colonsay (thus far not officially reported) would rank 10th in the list of worst escapes since 1995 (from when data has been made publicly available) and the worst since 2014. An estimated 4 million farmed salmon have now escaped in over 200 incidents in Scotland since 1995 with scientific research showing that one in four 'wild' Scottish salmon are genetically polluted by the genes of Norwegian farmed salmon. Here's an official list of Scottish salmon's worst escapes (sourced from published data via Scotland's Aquaculture):
Download in full as a PDF online here
"Scottish salmon are being battered by storms with mass escapes from disease-ridden salmon farms inevitable," said Don Staniford, Director of Scottish Salmon Watch. "Moving salmon farms further offshore is a recipe for ecological and welfare disaster. Scientific research published by RAFTS in 2013 showed that one in four 'wild' Scottish salmon was genetically polluted with genes from Norwegian origin escaped salmon. And scientific research published by the Royal Society of London in 2003 reported that repeated escapes of farmed salmon precipitated an 'extinction vortex' in wild salmon. The Scottish Government need to close the net on escapes and that means fines to deter repeat offenders."
Here's photos of farmed salmon flayed and skinned alive during the 'Beast from the East' in March 2018 – leaked by a whistleblower working at Mowi's salmon farm at Carradale in Kilbrannan Sound when 300,000 fish were battered to death:
Read more via:
Sunday Mail: "Gutted – 300,000 salmon are killed as storm batters fish farm"
Blowing the Whistle on Scottish Salmon
Whistleblower Photos of Marine Harvest
Call to jail fish-farm bosses who allow escapes
Scottish Salmon's Great Escape
Intrafish reported (10 January 2020):
Read more via The biggest farmed salmon escapes of 2019