Norway Publishes Annual Disease Data - Why Not Scotland?

Norway publishes an annual report of diseases, viruses, pathogens & bacteria on salmon farms – including maps, table & analysis. Why doesn't Scotland? @FergusEwingSNP @strathearnrose @GreenerScotland @marinescotland @Folketrygdfond @NFdep @fiskeridir https://t.co/HedDyKYyjt https://t.co/07CZIPb8N6 pic.twitter.com/3NQj7N085n

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 13, 2021

Earlier this week (10 March 2021), the Norwegian Veterinary Institute published the latest in their annual reports into diseases on salmon farms in Norway – with a press conference launching the 2020 report:

Salmon deaths (52 million) too high says Norway fisheries minister @fiskeridir @NFdep @LeroySeafood https://t.co/THs6N2Sgu3
How many die in Scotland? @FergusEwingSNP @SSPOsays @strathearnrose @ScotlandMowi @scotseafarms @salmon_scottish @GriegShetland @marinescotland

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 11, 2021

Whilst Norway is transparent and public in the data published on infectious diseases, bacteria, viruses, pathogens and mortalities on salmon farms, the Scottish Government buries disease data in 'Case Information' which is hidden away in individual inspection reports with no annual analysis or graphical presentations.

Piscirickettsia reported @ScotlandMowi @rspcaassured salmon farms at Port Na Cro & Bay of the Dead Heads @marinescotland @SSPOsays https://t.co/1ZYSFmwryO
Mowi's bacteria-laden Scottish salmon (treated with Oxytetracycline) is available @sainsburys @LidlGB @AldiUK pic.twitter.com/TSCcuDM98T

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 10, 2021

So here's the Norwegian data published 10 March 2021 (an English version of the report is expected soon – the 2019 report was published in English) which includes annual comparisons of infectious diseases such as PD (Pancreas Disease), CMS (Cardiomyopathy Syndrome), HSMB (Heart & Skeletal Muscle Inflammation) and BKD (Bacterial Kidney Disease) as well as details of toxic chemical uses and maps showing regional hot spots:

The same data and analysis is abjectly lacking for Scotland where some of the same infectious diseases, pathogens, bacteria and viruses are decimating Scottish salmon farming production. Some disease information is hidden away in mortality reports voluntarily provided by salmon farmers and published monthly by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate.

However, if the public wish to track the current prevalence of infectious diseases on Scottish salmon farms and compare with previous years it is impossible. Some historical data on diseases on salmon farms in Scotland was accessed by the Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture a decade ago but that data is not exhaustive.

Download 2012 data disclosed by the Scottish Government in full online here

Download 2011 disease data disclosed by the Scottish Government in full online here

Download 2010 disease data disclosed by the Scottish Government in full online here

Download 2009 disease data disclosed by the Scottish Government in full online here

Download 2008 disease data disclosed by the Scottish Government in full online here

The Scottish Government did provide an Excel spreadsheet detailing disease incidence on salmon farms between 1980 and 1998 in response to a FOI request by the Pure Salmon Campaign:

Download Excel spreadsheet online here

Further disease data (2000 to 2006) was disclosed by the Scottish Government to the Pure Salmon Campaign via FOI in 2007:

The same data disclosure by the Scottish Government in 2007 detailed a regional breakdown of diseases on salmon farms in Scotland from 1998 to 2006:

Download Excel spreadsheet in full (details other regions) online here

Here's a summary published by the Pure Salmon Campaign in 2007:

If the public are looking to investigate diseases on salmon farms in Scotland for 2020 the information is buried deeper than the shit under salmon farms in 'Case Information' published monthly by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate:

If you download data for 2020 you will find some disease information presented in individual case inspections of salmon farms but no collation of the information as in Norway. For example, Mowi's salmon farm at Torridon in Loch Torridon was inspected by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate in November 2020 – reporting gill anaemia, salmon gill poxvirus, sea lice infestion and "elevated mortalities due to gill issues":

The Scottish Salmon Company's salmon farm at Plocropol on the Isle of Harris was inspected by the Scottish Government in November 2020 – reporting Heart & Skeletal Muscle Inflammation, Cardiomyopathy Syndrome and Pancreas Disease with "numerous moribunds" which were "displaying lesions, physical damage and were hanging around at the surface".

Fresh from Scottish Salmon's Plocropol salmon farm on the Isle of Harris – their "eyes had burst" reported @marinescotland with lesions, physical damage, Piscine Reovirus, lice infestation, torn fins & 80,000+ mortalitieshttps://t.co/1ZYSFmwryO @salmon_scottish @Try_Lochlander pic.twitter.com/VtLxqYulXW

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 10, 2021

In comparison, the various disease and welfare data is published annually on the Norwegian salmon farming industry. Here's data analysis presented in the 2019 'Fish Health Report' published in 2020 by the Norwegian Veterinary Institute (in English):

The report even provides information on diseases in cleaner fish:

Scottish Salmon Watch today (13 March 2021) wrote to the Scottish Government and salmon farmers asking why disease data analysis was published annually in Norway but not in the same publicly accessible way in Scotland.

Farmed salmon deaths are too high says Norway fisheries minister. The same is true in Scotland but can you imagine Fergus Ewing saying so? 26% of smolts put to sea in Scotland in 2017 died before being slaughtered for sale. https://t.co/YN7ms1NBS0

— John Aitchison (@JohnAitchison1) March 11, 2021

From: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Mar 13, 2021 at 9:29 AM
Subject: Question on publication of disease data
To: <scottish.ministers@gov.scot>
Cc: Fergus Ewing <Fergus.Ewing.msp@scottish.parliament.uk>, MSP <Roseanna.Cunningham.msp@parliament.scot>

Do you know why data on diseases on salmon farms (complete with maps, tables and analysis) is published annually in Norway but not published in such a transparent and publicly accessible way in Scotland?

The discrepancy between the transparency of Norway and the secrecy of Scotland is outlined via:

Norway Publishes Annual Disease Data – Why Not Scotland?

Tweet via: https://twitter.com/TheGAAIA/status/1370665852597587970

Thanks,

Don Staniford

Scottish Salmon Watch

The discrepancy in Norway's transparency on disease data compared to Scotland's secrecy is all the more alarming when you factor in the fact that ca. 80% of 'Scottish' salmon farming is controlled/owned by Norwegian money.

Did you know that the Norwegian Government's Pension Fund (derived from Norway's oil revenues) is the largest or 2nd largest shareholder in companies which account for 80% of 'Scottish' salmon farming? @Folketrygdfond @MowiScotlandLtd @salmon_scottish https://t.co/4P1m3g2CvT pic.twitter.com/Sl6bFlcwaK

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 30, 2020

Intrafish reported (12 November 2020):

"Norwegian experts fear a 'new' farmed salmon disease is on the rise" https://t.co/6JJ77WRZ2w In Scotland, Pasteurellosis "has caused great losses to the industry". "Scotland has battled the disease for some time" @IntraFishNorge @marinescotland @MowiScotlandLtd @FergusEwingMSP pic.twitter.com/juNdsVi7Kp

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 12, 2020