Download FOI Backgrounder in full online here
Download FOI review to Police Scotland dated 5 April 2021 online here
Appendix:
From: <casehandling.service@gov.scot>
Date: Thu, Apr 1, 2021 at 5:33 PM
Subject: Your recent correspondence with Scottish Government and partner agencies – 202100155371
To: <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Apr 1, 2021 at 5:33 PM
Subject: Your recent correspondence with Scottish Government and partner agencies – 202100155371
To: <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Please find attached a response to your correspondence.
From: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Feb 11, 2021 at 8:02 PM
Subject: FOI re. illegal killing of seals & breaches of Seal Licences by salmon farms since 1 January 2018
To: <ceu@scotland.gsi.gov.uk>
Date: Thu, Feb 11, 2021 at 8:02 PM
Subject: FOI re. illegal killing of seals & breaches of Seal Licences by salmon farms since 1 January 2018
To: <ceu@scotland.gsi.gov.uk>
Please provide information on the illegal killing of seals and breaches of Seal Licences by salmon farmers since 1 January 2018.
Please note that FOI-2020-00118346 replied to by the Scottish Government on 1 February 2021 disclosed some information but refused other information stating:
Online in full via Letter from the Scottish Government to Scottish Salmon Watch dated 1 February 2021 (FOI-202000118346)
This new FOI request requests the "Wildlife Crime intelligence held by the Scottish Government" since 1st January 2018 in relation to seals killed by salmon farms. Scottish Salmon Watch has also filed a FOI request with Police Scotland.
In particular, please include any information relating to seals killed by Grieg Seafood in Loch Dunvegan. A Tweet on 8 February 2021 (replying to a Tweet on 18 January 2021) included a photo of a harbour seal with a bullet wound to the head on the shore of Loch Dunvegan:
Please also provide the report to Police Scotland's Wildlife Crime Unit cited in the following email disclosed via FOI-2020-00118346 on 1 February 2021:
Scottish Salmon Watch believes this report – and any other correspondence not already disclosed – should have been disclosed via FOI-2020-00118346.
FOI-2020-00118346 also included a letter sent by Marine Scotland to Scottish Sea Farms in Shetland dated 14 January 2021 – including:
Online in full via https://donstaniford.com/wp-content/uploads/pdf-55-scottish-sea-farms-outwith-their-licence-14-jan-2021.pdf
It appears that there may be missing documentation pertaining to this case – either refused or omitted via FOI-2020-00118346.
In any case, this FOI requests information on this case (and any others) up to today's date and may therefore include a reply from Scottish Sea Farms.
Please also include information on "seal licence misdemeanours" even if they were not actioned and resulted only in a verbal warning. Note that the Scottish Government's FOI disclosure on 1 February 2021 (FOI-2020-00118346) included:
Finally, please also include any reaction and reference to the reward offered by Animal Concern – as reported by The Ferret earlier this month via: £5,000 reward offered for information on illegal shooting of seals
In conclusion, please provide information on the illegal killing of seals and breaches of Seal Licences by salmon farmers since 1 January 2018.
If the Scottish Government refuses to provide specific information, please provide generic data on the number of cases reported to Police Scotland's Wildlife Crime Unit and the number of seal licence breaches and "misdemeanours" by salmon farming companies.
Please consider this a FOI request under the relevant FOI and Environmental Information regulations.
Please provide a receipt.
Please provide the information electronically.
Thanks,
Don Staniford
Director, Scottish Salmon Watch
From: <casehandling.service@gov.scot>
Date: Tue, Mar 23, 2021 at 8:14 PM
Subject: Your recent correspondence with Scottish Government and partner agencies – 202100154178
To: <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Mar 23, 2021 at 8:14 PM
Subject: Your recent correspondence with Scottish Government and partner agencies – 202100154178
To: <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Please find attached a response to your correspondence.
