Community opposition is building on Papa Westray to Cooke Aquaculture's super-sized salmon farm in Orkney @bbcorkney https://t.co/NSIEVfAxBF (starts at 9 mins 50 secs)
Over 100 objections to @cookescotland @cookeseafood @OrkneyCouncil @ArianeBurgessHI @scotgp @PapayRanger— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) August 24, 2022
Community opposition to Canadian-owned giant Cooke Aquaculture is building on the Orkney Islands – with over 100 objections filed with Orkney Islands Council and over 100 people signed onto a petition objecting to plans for a massive salmon farm off Papa Westray at East Moclett. BBC Radio Orkney featured opposition to Cooke Aquaculture's expansion plans in 'Around Orkney' on Wednesday (24 August 2022).
BBC Radio Orkney reported (24 August 2022) that the local community council has raised concerns about waste impacts – concerns echoed by a new protest group set up on Papa Westray. "They have a limit of 3,850 tonnes of fish – now the effluent just for East Moclett works out to the equivalent of 49,500 humans," said Katherine Chattington of No East Moclett Group. "Cooke Aquaculture haven't been absolutely upfront with us – they didn't involve Papa Westray community council on the planning application. They only involved Westray community council."
"The local community don't want another @CookeScotland farm on their doorstep & if local communities don't want large industrial farms shouldn't that count for more than a companies wishes to expand in the face of the fact that we need to be addressing these environmental issues" pic.twitter.com/wNYKcCecKc
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) August 26, 2022
"I'm objecting to this particular farm at this time because there's already a number of Cooke Aquaculture farms in the area," said Ariane Burgess, Green MSP for the Highlands and Islands who is spearheading a petition against Cooke's expansion plans at East Moclett. "The local community don't want another one on their doorstep and if local communities don't want large industrial farms shouldn't that count for more than a companies wishes to expand in the face of the fact that we need to be absolutely addressing these environmental issues."
An objection filed by No East Moclett Group with Orkney Islands Council in June 2022 outlined community concerns on Papa Westray:
"Currently run it is a filthy and unsustainable industry where other countries such as Argentina have
banned open cage aquaculture due to the trashing of the local ecosystems and marine environments" (No East Moclett Group) @cookeseafood @CookeScotland @ScotlandSalmon @scotgp pic.twitter.com/HLQM51IzFD— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) August 26, 2022
Papa Westray resident Wendy Elves filed an objection with Orkney Islands Council in March 2022 – including:
"It is a very sad state of affairs when local residents state that there is no point putting in letters of objection to this planning application because historically concerns & objections have been ignored" (Papa Westray's Wendy Elves) @OrkneyCouncil https://t.co/V4BIATLIZh pic.twitter.com/m5guCvhF1y
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) August 26, 2022
Papa Westray residents Alan and Lynda Sharp objected to Orkney Islands Council in March 2022:
Sylvan Jenaer of Papa Westray wrote to Orkney Islands Council in February 2022:
"I am a resident of Papay & object in the strongest terms to this fish farm. It will bring no benefits to the island & much harm to the environment & marine life. Do we have to invite David Attenborough to get people to see sense?" (Sylvan Jenaer @OrkneyCouncil)@cookeseafood pic.twitter.com/9snQWcZ5ir
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) August 26, 2022
Sophie Chattington of Papa Westray wrote to Orkney Islands Council in February 2022:
"Despite being classed as organic, the farm plans to use chemotherapeutics" wrote Sophie Chattington "Deltamethrin has been shown not only to be acutely toxic to non-target crustaceans such as lobster larvae, but also found to have a large impact zone around the farm itself" pic.twitter.com/5pfHJb4lJp
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) August 27, 2022
Paul Baker of Papa Westray wrote to Orkney Islands Council in February 2022:
"My children make up 50% of the school numbers & we hope they will carry on loving Papay for years to come but with the beaches being surrounded & polluted, where can they play? We already spend the time picking up rope & pipe. Is this need or greed?" (Paul Baker @OrkneyCouncil) pic.twitter.com/5A8a0VZ3bM
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) August 27, 2022
The Scottish Greens are supporting the stance taken by residents of Papa Westray in opposing a super-sized salmon farm on their pristine doorstep – here's the objection from Ariane Brugess MSP filed with Orkney Islands Council in March 2022:
Tourists who visit the Orkney Islands to enjoy the pristine environment are making their voices heard against Cooke Aquaculture – Jo Koszel of Leeds filed an objection with Orkney Islands Council in February 2022:
Amy Liptrot of Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire wrote to Orkney Islands Council in February 2022:
"Intensive salmon farming runs counter to the ways the sea should be protected. The easterly view from the Papay school which I wrote about in my book The Outrun is an iconic and beautiful part of life on the island that is currently unspoiled by industry" @amy_may @OrkneyCouncil pic.twitter.com/VAH9BJ1fjE
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) August 26, 2022
Picture – from https://t.co/fgoIU4SCq1 – shows (Left to Right): Sarah Brocklehurst (producer); Nora Fingscheidt (director/screenwriter); Saoirse Ronan (cast/producer); Freya Evans (cast); Amy Liptrot (author/screenwriter); Dominic Norris (producer) pic.twitter.com/P5JzPvPO8P
— BBC Radio Orkney (@bbcorkney) August 22, 2022
Sarah McKinnon of Kirkwall (the capital of the Orkney Islands) wrote to Orkney Islands Council in February 2022:
H Owens, who lives in Leominster but has family on Orkney, wrote to Orkney Islands Council in February 2022:
Jade Jones-Elves of Ipswich wrote to Orkney Islands Council in February 2022:
Jade Jones Elves: "The pollution this will bring to the surrounding area & to the marine life seems uncalled for & is a major over sight on the council's & company's behalf. This is not a risk worth taking so close to a protected area! We need to protect our remaining wild zones" pic.twitter.com/4l8gyFjtIb
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) August 27, 2022
David Gabra of Glasgow kept his objection filed with Orkney Islands Council in February 2022 short and punchy:
"Big fishing is killing the planet & harms local communities. This salmon farm should not be allowed to come to Papay. **** off!" (David Gabra objecting to the East Moclett salmon farm @cookeseafood @CookeScotland @OrkneyCouncil) pic.twitter.com/DRlq4VotFW
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) August 27, 2022
Read all the objections filed against Cooke Aquaculture – and other documents – via Orkney Islands Council's planning portal:
Supporting Cooke's expansion plans off Papa Westray on Orkney is ethically & ecologically bankrupt – salmon farming is a false economy which leaves a legacy of death & environmental destruction! @cookeseafood @CookeAquaculture @ScotlandSalmon @TavishScott https://t.co/iQKP4evPGU pic.twitter.com/GR5yMw7PTK
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) August 26, 2022
Community opposition has followed Cooke Aquaculture all over the world – especially in North America where Cooke's lice-infested feedlots have left a trail of death, disease and legal action in their wake. Here's just some of the bad press generated by Cooke's lousy feedlots (trying Googling 'Cooke salmon illegal chemicals'; 'Cooke salmon escapes'; 'Cooke salmon disease PRV' and 'Cooke salmon protests' and you catch the drift):
Too Many Cookes – community resistance against Cooke Aquaculture makes waves all around the world! @cookeseafood @CookeScotland @wildfishNW @SalmonNews @BobBrownFndn @EcologyAction @scotgp @CCNScotland @WildFishCons https://t.co/iQKP4evPGU pic.twitter.com/4KrzAxws00
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) August 26, 2022
Here's some information circulated locally on Orkney by opponents of Cooke's proposal for a super-sized salmon farm at East Moclett off Papa Westray:
[Read more via No East Moclett Group's objection filed with Orkney Islands Council]
In view of the gruesome photos of Cooke's 'organic' salmon at Ouseness off Westray in Orkney recently published by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate, it is not surprising that locals are revolting.
Organic Scamon: here's what Cooke Aquaculture's salmon from Westray on Orkney look like (as inspected by @marinescotland in May) @The_Orcadian @bbcorkney @OrkneyCouncil
Why does the @SoilAssociation certify salmon farms as 'organic'? @SoilAssocScot @CookeScotland @cookeseafood pic.twitter.com/7FTcnt01zG— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) August 24, 2022
Cooke is no stranger to community opposition – with pushback against their toxic salmon farming operations all over the world. Down Under, Cooke is encountering resistance in Tasmania where it has recently bought Tassal.
"I think the reason a company like @cookeseafood with a chequered and dodgy environmental record comes here is because Tassal & @huonaquaculture have opened the doors," said @Alitarctica @BobBrownFndn @7hofmhobart "They've trashed the environment already" https://t.co/tztj8DzqjW
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) August 24, 2022
"Cooke Aquaculture is on notice that the public will not accept increases in animal cruelty in Tasmanian waters" @BobBurtonoz @guardian @NOFF_Tasmania @cookeseafood @huonaquaculture @TassalSalmon https://t.co/tJSqlzvQj8 @BobBrownFndn @TasmanianGreens @envirotas @ChristineMilne
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) August 22, 2022
A new book – "Salmon Wars: The Dark Underbelly of Our Favourite Fish" – by award-winning investigative journalists Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins lifts the lid on Cooke's unsavoury track record in North America.
"The criminal corporations & their complicit politicians are actively harming the marine environment & pushing their toxic product to unaware consumers. After reading Salmon Wars I doubt you will choose to eat net pen farmed salmon again" (Yvon Choinard @patagonia) #SalmonWars pic.twitter.com/K5clcU6l06
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) July 22, 2022
Salmon Wars: The Dark Underbelly of Our Favourite Fish cites the following cases involving noxious neighbour Cooke:
Read the full story – with cited sources and references – via 'Salmon Wars'
CBC News reported on Cooke's illegal use of toxic chemicals in New Brunswick, Canada, in 2013:
A cartoon published in the Canadian press around the same time illustrates the toxic nature of Cooke Aquaculture.
Cooke's disease-ridden feedlots in Washington in the United States have kept journalists busy for years – here's a few articles from The Seattle Times on the spread of Piscine Reovirus:
The spread of infectious diseases and viruses has plagued Cooke's operations all over the world – including Chile:
And at home in Canada:
Scottish Salmon Watch compiled a dossier on Cooke's crimes against nature in the 2019 report '$cottish $camon' – read the Cooke dossier online here
Cooke only entered the Scottish market less than a decade ago in 2014.
BBC News reported in January 2018:
In February 2019, Scottish Salmon Watch obtained photos of diseased dead salmon from one of Cooke's farms in Orkney (photos taken at Coplands docks in Stromness):
Death shadows Cooke Aquaculture's lethal salmon feedlots. In February 2019, The Sunday Post reported that following an investigation by Marine Scotland Cooke Aquaculture was fined £2,000 for failing to report the killing of five seals in Basta Voe to the licencing authority within 48 hours.
In March 2021, Scottish Salmon Watch obtained gruesome photos of dead seals via Freedom of Information from the Scottish Government:
Please open your eyes to the bloody cruelty of Scottish salmon! https://t.co/88Kn1lZwpx@cookeseafood @CookeScotland @ShetlandTours @Shetnews @bbcshetland @shetlandtimes @tavishscott @SSPOsays @LizzieDalyWild @wildathillswick @SeaShepherdScot @SealScotland @SOSealsFund @ciwf pic.twitter.com/Lsce6ks7TM
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 8, 2021
750lb walrus poses “no risk” to farmed salmon say Cooke https://t.co/oqOxAtJn0D
At least @CookeScotland didn't kill Freya the walrus as it's done with seals! @LizzieDalyWild @wildathillswick @SealScotland @SOSealsFund https://t.co/M00n4n52aN pic.twitter.com/QeYZZQhwTt— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 13, 2021
If anyone is left in any doubt about the wisdom of allowing Cooke to expand around the waters of Orkney then please watch this video exposing animal cruelty by Cooke in Maine:
And here's more photos – obtained via Freedom of Information from the Scottish Government – showing Cooke's cruel operations in Scotland:
The Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture revealed back in 2017 that the Scottish Environment Protection Agency was preparing to open the floodgates to super-sized salmon farming – with Orkney and Shetland earmarked for massive expansion. Rob Edwards reported in The Sunday Herald in May 2017:
Locals already have to work year-round clearing salmon farm waste and debris from their beaches and shores. They don’t want to lose their last stretch of shoreline where they can swim or enjoy the beach without noise and pollution! https://t.co/adaN2Waf9w @scotgp @OrkneyCouncil
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) August 8, 2022
The Cooke colossus – backed by their corporate supporters and slick PR – will not be beaten back easily. Fish Farming Expert reported in January 2022:
Fish Farming Expert reported last week (18 August 2022):
For all Cooke's arguments of jobs, jobs, jobs – the simple fact is that there are no jobs on a dead planet.
Cooke's lethal legacy must be stopped dead in its tracks.
WARNING: Here's photos of Cooke Aquaculture's "organic" salmon in Scotland @CookeScotland @cookeseafood https://t.co/czDvJTnrqf
Do you really want Cooke's cruelty to spread Down Under? @TassalSalmon @TasmanianGreens @BobBrownFndn @TAMP_TasMarine @NOFF_Tasmania @envirotas pic.twitter.com/p1BOc1RjBr— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) August 25, 2022
Read more via:
Cooke's Organic Scamon Exposed by Gruesome Photos from Orkney!
Shetland salmon packing factory leaks 'blood water' into sea
BBC Radio Shetland on Cooke's "untreated blood water" in Scotland
BBC News: "Shetland salmon packing factory leaks 'blood water' into sea"
More troubles for Cooke, with Scottish “blood water” claims
The truth – “Organic” Scottish Farmed Salmon!
Why are Cooke Aquaculture Scot. surprised we don’t want a 7th site on the shores of Papa Westray?
Potentially increasing the cumulative fish faeces and effluent in the local marine environment, equivalent to 116,952 people every day! https://t.co/plP6McXIxG— Kate Chatto (@KateChatto1) August 24, 2022