Mmmm Blind Scottish Salmon with Boils, Anyone?

It's no surprise to read that The Scottish Salmon Company – registered in Jersey, floated on the Norwegian stock exchange and whose largest shareholder is listed as an anonymous account on the Swiss stock exchange believed to be controlled by Ukrainian businessman Yuriy Lopatinskyy who literally has a residence in Edinburgh next to the First Minister of Scotland – is "considering sale offers".

Buyers beware, however. Before you buy 'Scottish' salmon please take a hard look at the disease-ridden horror story.

Do you really want to buy a company farming blind salmon plagued by boils (not to mention infested with lice and riddled with infectious diseases, pathogens and viruses)?

Investors and consumers alike are encouraged to read the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate recently published report on The Scottish Salmon Company's salmon farm at Aird in Loch Shieldaig. The damning report – along with video footage shot by Scottish Salmon Watch in June and previous FHI reports – is enough to put you off Scottish salmon for life.

Start at page 94 in the Fish Health Inspectorate report published on 8 August 2019 online here

The damning report refers to "blind, rubbed and moribund" farmed salmon infested with lice:

Marine Scotland's letter to The Scottish Salmon Company dated 17 July 2019 included reference to "a number of blind fish with damaged eyes and flank abrasions".

"All five fish sampled were moribund,lethargic and blind," reported Marine Scotland's Fish Health Inspector. "Externally four had haemorrhaged eyes and three had flank lesions including a 'boil' like lesion on fish three. Internally fish three and four had enlarged livers and fish four had an enlarged gall bladder":

And:

Given the horrific nature of their salmon farming business, it is little wonder that lawyers acting for The Scottish Salmon Company threatened legal action in 2018 to prevent the disclosure of damning photos of disease-ridden Scottish salmon.

Here's some of the photos – obtained by Scottish Salmon Watch via Freedom of Information – The Scottish Salmon Company did not want the public the see (published in June 2018 by The Ferret).

And more photos (sourced from Scottish Government Fish Health Inspections in 2017 and 2018) published by Scottish Salmon Watch in June 2018 and in August 2018)

And here's more stomach-churning photos of diseased salmon at The Scottish Salmon Company in 2016 (published by Scottish Salmon Watch in August 2018 – and sourced from the Scottish Government Fish Health Inspectorate surveillance):

The Ferret also reported in September 2018 on shocking images published by photographer Corin Smith from The Scottish Salmon Company's lice-infested salmon farm at Vacasay in Loch Roag on the Isle of Lewis:

Here's more shocking images of The Scottish Salmon Company's Vacasay salmon farm from photographer Corin Smith:

The Daily Mail reported in September 2018:

Gruesome footage of lice-ridden salmon captured by photographer Corin Smith at The Scottish Salmon Company was featured on the BBC's 'One Show' in September 2018 and also used in a recent video message by Sir David Attenborough.

If The Scottish Salmon Company was being honest with their customers, investors and the public, the marketing for their 'Lochlander' salmon would look more like this.

Than this marketing image.

Are there any takers for The Scottish Salmon Company? I would avoid disease-ridden Scottish salmon like the proverbial plague of boils.

"Consumers and investors alike are advised to avoid disease-ridden Scottish salmon like the proverbial plague of boils," said Don Staniford, Director of Scottish Salmon Watch. "Scottish salmon farms are a welfare nightmare which must be closed down immediately. Instead of blindly doubling or even trebling production by 2030 the Scottish Government should revoke salmon farm licences for the worst operators and conduct immediate unannounced site inspections. Disease-ridden Scottish salmon is dead in the water with the situation predicted to get much worse as higher water temperatures exacerbate parasite and pathogen problems."