"The fish farm industry forms an integral part of Scotland's rural economy – creating jobs and providing capital in some of our most rural communities," crowed Fergus Ewing (Scotland's Minister for the Promotion of Foreign-Owned Salmon Farming) in The Herald (15 October 2018). "So it’s very encouraging to see salmon production value on the increase yet again."
"Demand for quality Scottish salmon continues to outstrip supply and the sector aspires to grow to meet demand, but we also recognise the importance of steady, sustainable development," he continued. "These new figures, alongside the investment in tackling emerging challenges give us great confidence in the sector’s ability for sustainable growth over the coming years."
The National reported (16 October 2018):
Fergus calmly kept the horror story quiet – the new figures forecast a 21% fall representing 39,000 tonnes of lost production in 2018 due to a nightmare combination of infectious diseases and mass mortalities.
Read the Scottish salmon farming industry's latest lice data online here
Watch a horror video on lice infestation via the BBC's The One Show broadcast on 10 September 2018:
Fish Farming Expert at least reported on the predicted fall in production in 2018 (15 October 2018):
In reality, the Scottish salmon farming industry is dead in the water with over 25,000 tonnes of dead salmon reported in 2017 (an estimated 15-20 million fish) along with skip loads of dead 'cleaner fish'.
Watch a video report online here
The new data published by the Scottish Government reveals that the mortality rate in the sea phase of production is now over a fifth – and if you account for the losses in the hatchery the true mortality rate from egg to plate stands at almost a half.
Here's the 2017 Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey:
In January 2018, Fergus admitted via a Scottish Parliamentary reply that over a quarter (26.7%) of all Scottish farmed salmon (nearly 13 million) were dying on salmon farms:
In April 2018, Fergus was at the Brussels Seafood Show flexing his muscles on behalf of the predominantly Norwegian-owned 'Scottish' salmon farming sector and pledging his support to a reckless expansion plan to double or even treble salmon farming production by 2030:
Last month Fergus Ewing vowed to deal with "detractors":
Here's a video from one of Fergus's "detractors" – photographer Corin Smith:
The Daily Record reported last month:
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