2.2 Million Missing Mortalities at Scottish Sea Farms?

 

Mort blog March 2021 Blanked out

 

Whilst Cooke Aquaculture and Grieg Seafood provide specific mortality numbers in over 98% of 'Mortality Event Reports' to the Scottish Government, other companies are less transparent.  Marine Harvest (re-named Mowi in 2019) and Loch Duart report less but still provide specific data in 93%+ of cases. 

 

Muck whistleblower photo #1

 

 

Two companies – The Scottish Salmon Company and Scottish Sea Farms – are bringing down the entire industry average (16.5%) by failing to disclose numbers of mortalities to the Fish Health Inspectorate.   In the case of Norwegian-owned Scottish Sea Farms they have failed to disclose the numbers of mortalities in a staggering 167 out of 276 'Mortality Event Reports' since 2017 – that's 61% of cases where mortality numbers are not provided which could equate with 2.2 million morts (including at their RSPCA Assured salmon farm in Loch Creran 'Special Area of Conservation'). 

 

 

 

Mort blog March 2021 #16 Creran

 

 

Mortality rates at some of the salmon farms failing to disclose numbers of mortalities are as high as 24.5% so the losses must be significant:

 

Mort blog March 2021 #12

Mort blog March 2021 #13

 

 

According to the data published by the Fish Health Inspectorate on 4 March 2021 (up to the end of January 2021), Scottish Sea Farms are responsible for over half (54%) of the missing reports with The Scottish Salmon Company also failing to provide mortality numbers in over 100 cases.     

 

Mort blog March 2021 #11 Table of %s

 

 

Yet Scottish Sea Farms claimed last week that "all our reporting is up to date".   Scottish Sea Farms Tweeted (6 March 2021):

 

Mort blog March 2021 #1 Tweet

 

 

If you look at the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate data on 'Mortality Event Reports' you will see rafts of missing numbers for Scottish Sea Farms:

 

Mort blog March 2021 #2

 

 

In fact, out of 276 'Mortality Event Reports' reported by Scottish Sea Farms since 2017 only 109 (that's 39%) contained specific information on mortalities with 167 'Mortality Event Reports' failing to disclose numbers of mortalities.  In other words, six out of ten 'Mortality Event Reports' reported by Scottish Sea Farms did not provide information on the extent of mortalities. 

 

Data loss

 

 

If you break the yearly data down, only 6 out of 54 'Mortality Event Reports' reported by Scottish Sea Farms during 2020 and January 2021 contained specific numbers of mortalities (i.e. only 11%).  A meagre 17 out of 128 'Mortality Event Reports' in 2019 (13%) detailed mortality numbers. 

 

 

 

 

But it seems Scottish Sea Farms used to report more fully.  In 2018, Scottish Sea Farms reported specific mortality figures in 42 out of 48 (that's 88%) of cases.  And in 2017, Scottish Sea Farms reported mortality numbers in 74 out of 81 (91%) of 'Mortality Event Reports'.   Why is Scottish Sea Farms increasingly failing to report mortalities?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Number crunch the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate mortality data yourself but here's the highest mortalities by number reported by Scottish Sea Farms since 2017 (remember that Scottish Sea Farms only reported numbers in 109 out of 276 cases i.e. 39% contained mortality numbers):

 

Mort blog March 2021 #3

Mort blog March 2021 #4

Mort blog March 2021 #5

 

 

And here's the latest cases where mortality numbers were either completely blank or "not provided":

 

Mort blog March 2021 #6

Mort blog March 2021 #7

Mort blog March 2021 #8

 

Mort blog March 2021 #9

 

Mort blog March 2021 #10

 

 

So if 109 'Mortality Event Reports' equates with 1.46 million mortalities (as reported by Scottish Sea Farms since 2017) then 167 'Mortality Event Reports' (assuming the average number of mortalities is the same) could be equal to 2.23 million missing morts!

 

Dead-salmon-dump-one-via-Corin-Smith

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mortality numbers are still missing for Loch Spelve which suffered over 177,000 mass mortalities in late 2019:

 

Mort blog March 2021 #14 Spelve

 

Mort blog March 2021 #15

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mortality numbers are also missing from a mass mortality incident at Scottish Farms in Shetland (Lippie Geo) in September 2020.  The 'Mortality Event Report' submitted to the Fish Health Inspectorate by Scottish Sea Farms details a 4.48% mortality rate but does not provide data on numbers of morts:

 

FHI Sept 2020 Lippie Geo morts #1

 

 

Yet the 'Case Information' published by the Fish Health Inspectorate in relation to a site inspection of the Lippie Geo site on 17 September 2020 details 13,699 morts attributed solely to a botched chemical treatment with Azasure (the toxic organophosphate Azamethiphos) in ONE cage:

 

FHI Sept 2020 Lippie Geo morts #2

 

 

 

 

 

Another mass mortality in Shetland in August 2002 was not reported in full by Scottish Sea Farms to the Fish Health Inspectorate.  Numbers of dead farmed salmon following a fire in a well boat at their salmon farm at Holms Geo were "not provided" even though the mortality rate was 15.9%.

 

FHI Sept 2020 Holms fire #2

 

FHI Sept 2020 Holms fire #3

 

 

 

However, recently published 'Case Information' provide specific information on the mass mortality at Scottish Sea Farms in August 2020 and further mass mortalities at Holm Geo salmon farm in 2018:

 

FHI Sept 2020 Holms fire

 

 

 

 

 

Shetland News reported in November 2020:

 

FHI Sept 2020 Holms fire Shetland News #1

 

FHI Sept 2020 Holms fire Shetland News #2

 

FHI Sept 2020 Holms fire Shetland News #3

 

 

In November 2020, the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate reported following an inspection at Kerrera B salmon farm operated by Scottish Sea Farms:

 

FHI Nov 2020 Kerrera B

 

 

 

 

 

In November 2020, Scottish Salmon Watch wrote to the Norwegian Government to divest from 'unethical' salmon farming companies operating in Scotland including Scottish Sea Farms.

 

 

 

 

 

Today (9 March 2021), Scottish Salmon Watch wrote to the Scottish Government and the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation asking why the non-disclosure of mortality numbers by Scottish Sea Farms was being tolerated.   "Scottish Sea Farms is bringing the whole sordid salmon farming industry further into disrepute," said Don Staniford, Director of Scottish Salmon Watch.  "The lack of transparency over mortality reporting of Scottish salmon is a scandal."

 

 

 

 

 

Here's Scottish Salmon Watch's email to the Scottish Government (9 March 2021):

 

From: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Mar 9, 2021 at 10:17 AM
Subject: Missing Mortality Data for Scottish Sea Farms
To: <directormarinescotland@gov.scot>, <scottish.ministers@gov.scot>
Cc: Beamish C (Claudia), MSP <Claudia.Beamish.msp@parliament.scot>, Ruskell M (Mark), MSP <Mark.Ruskell.msp@parliament.scot>, MSP <Roseanna.Cunningham.msp@parliament.scot>, Fergus Ewing <Fergus.Ewing.msp@scottish.parliament.uk>, Lesley Rice <lesley.rice@scottishseafarms.com>, Hamish Macdonell <hmacdonell@scottishsalmon.co.uk>, <enquiries@scottishsalmon.co.uk>, Enquiries <enquiries@cookeaqua.com>, <enquiries.scotland@mowi.com>, <info@scottishsalmon.com>, <admin@lochduart.com>
 
Why is data published by the Scottish Government on mortality numbers missing from Scottish Sea Farms in particular?
 
Scottish Salmon Watch has analysed the data published by the Fish Health Inspectorate on 4 March 2021: https://www.gov.scot/publications/fish-health-inspectorate-mortality-information/
 
Here's what we found in terms of the major salmon farming companies:
 
Mort blog March 2021 #11 Table of %s.jpg
 
Scottish Sea Farms are responsible for over half (54%) of the missing reports with The Scottish Salmon Company also failing to provide mortality numbers in over 100 cases.  
 
Out of 276 'Mortality Event Reports' reported by Scottish Sea Farms since 2017 only 109 (that's 39%) contained specific information on mortalities with 167 'Mortality Event Reports' failing to disclose numbers of mortalities.  In other words, six out of ten 'Mortality Event Reports' reported by Scottish Sea Farms did not provide specific information on the extent of mortalities. 
 
The lack of data provided by Scottish Sea Farms contrasts with other companies: Cooke Aquaculture and Grieg Seafood provide specific mortality numbers in over 98% of 'Mortality Event Reports' whilst Marine Harvest/Mowi and Loch Duart report less but still provide specific data in 93%+ of cases.  Even The Scottish Salmon Company reports mortality numbers in 84% of cases. 
 
If you break the yearly data down, only 6 out of 54 'Mortality Event Reports' reported by Scottish Sea Farms during 2020 and January 2021 contained specific numbers of mortalities (i.e. only 11%).  A meagre 17 out of 128 'Mortality Event Reports' in 2019 (13%) detailed mortality numbers. 
 
But it seems Scottish Sea Farms used to report more fully.  In 2018, Scottish Sea Farms reported specific mortality figures in 42 out of 48 (that's 88%) of cases.  And in 2017, Scottish Sea Farms reported mortality numbers in 74 out of 81 (91%) of 'Mortality Event Reports'.  
 
This data analysis is presented via: 2.2 Million Missing Mortalities at Scottish Sea Farms?
 
The FHI data begs a number of questions:
 
Why is Scottish Sea Farms increasingly failing to report on numbers of mortalities?
 
Surely the Scottish Government can ask Norwegian-owned Scottish Sea Farms to routinely disclose numbers of morts rather than turning a blind eye to them leaving their data returns blank?
 
Back home in Norway, Leroy and SalMar (who co-own Scottish Sea Farms/Norskott Havbruk) routinely report mortality numbers.  Why is Scottish Sea Farms permitted to avoid public scrutiny in Scotland?
 
It seems clear from the data – or the lack of it – that Scottish Sea Farms (and to a lesser extent The Scottish Salmon Company) is bringing down the industry average in terms of mortality reporting. 
 
At a time when the public scrutiny of salmon farming is increasing, Scottish Salmon Watch wonders why Scottish Sea Farms is being allowed by the Scottish Government to get away with decreasing transparency?
 
 
 
In the spirit of transparency I have copied in Scottish Sea Farms, the SSPO and other companies.
 
Clarification on this ongoing issue would be much appreciated. 
 
Thanks,
 
Don Staniford
 
Director, Scottish Salmon Watch

 

 

And it was forwarded to the co-owners of Scottish Sea Farms (Leroy and SalMar):

 

From: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Mar 9, 2021 at 10:29 AM
Subject: Fwd: Missing Mortality Data for Scottish Sea Farms
To: <post@leroyseafood.com>, <salmar@salmar.no>
 
As co-owners in Scottish Sea Farms (Norskott Havbruk) do you know why the company has only reported mortality numbers in 39% of cases since 2017 and only 11% of cases since January 2020?
 
Surely such a lack of transparency would not be tolerated in Norway.
 
Please see email below to the Scottish Government.
 
Takk,
 
Don Staniford
 
Director, Scottish Salmon Watch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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