Reading through the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate's 'Case Information' is a real eye-opener. Photos of an inspection at the North Papa salmon farm operated by Norwegian-owned Grieg Seafood in March 2019 are scarier than bug-eyed Momo.
The physical damage is "attributed to a recent Optilicer treatment" and the farmed salmon have been dosed on antibiotics to treat Winter sores.
Exophthalmia is referred to as pop-eye and is a condition linked to Cardiomyopathy Syndrome.
If beauty is measured by what's inside then these fish from Grieg Seafood's North Papa salmon farm are ugly as sin.
Here's the FHI 'Case Information' report for Grieg Seafood's North Papa inspection dated 28 March 2019 (p96 to 124) which detailed positive tests for Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis virus, Aeromonas salmonicida and Paranucleospora theridon:
Another Grieg Seafood salmon farm in Shetland at Gob na Hoe reported over 3,000 mortalities due to an Optilicer treatment in March 2019.
Here's the FHI 'Case Information' detailing "physical damage to heads and tails" and "severe lesions":
In March 2019, another FHI 'Case Information' report for March 2019 details welfare problems and over 10,000 mortalities due to the operation of a Thermolicer at the Norwegian-owned Scottish Sea Farms site at Teisti Geo in Shetland.
In January 2017, nearly 6,000 farmed salmon died at a Grieg Seafood salmon farm due to the heated 'torture chamber' called the Thermolicer:
More details on mass mortalities due to the operation of the Optilicer, Hydrolicer and Thermolicer are available online here
Read more via "Ban Water Torture on Scottish Salmon Farms – Over 100,000 farmed fish Thermoliced & Hydroliced to death since August 2017"
More background is available via Welfare Abuse at Scottish Salmon Farms – Why No Legal Enforcement Or Prosecutions?
Including:
Mass mortalities and welfare abuse of farmed salmon is also a lethal side-effect of mechanical treatments including the 'Thermolicer' (a torture chamber for farmed salmon designed to heat treat lice-infestation).
Authorities in Norway are considering a ban on the Thermolicer. Salmon Business reported in August 2019:
Farmed salmon across Scotland continue to suffer pain, welfare abuse and mass mortalities due to continued use of the Thermolicer.
Back in 2016, Compassion In World Farming (CIWF) called for a ban on the Thermolicer in Scotland describing it as a "brutal treatment", "inherently stressful" and with "poor welfare". CIWF's call for a ban followed a report in The Sunday Herald detailing over 175,000 dead farmed salmon including 95,000 dead fish at a Mowi (Marine Harvest) salmon farm due to the operation of a Thermolicer.
Read more via Oops: fish farm firm kills 175,000 of its salmon by accident
In January 2018 a Norwegian veterinarian "highlighted major head injuries she has seen to fish treated with warm water delousing machinery".
In July 2018, Scottish Salmon Watch called for a ban on the Thermolicer citing a further 100,000 deaths in 14 separate incidents between August 2017 and January 2018.
The press release continued:
Scottish Salmon Watch believes that the continued operation of the Thermolicer on salmon farms represents a breach of Section 19 ("Unnecessary Suffering"); Section 21 ("Cruel Operations") and Section 24 ("Ensuring Welfare of Animals") of the Animal Health & Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.