When Scottish Salmon Watch filmed at a salmon farm operated by Scottish Sea Farms in the Sound of Shuna in Loch Linnhe in July 2019 they were paid a visit by Police Scotland. The sergeant from Appin police station claimed that Scottish Salmon Watch needed permission from the Norwegian-owned salmon farming company to be in the water near a salmon farm.
Police Scotland told Scottish Salmon Watch to leave even though the area they were filming in was public and navigable waters. Scottish Salmon Watch believe that they had every right to navigate and film in a public area – and that Scottish Sea Farms does not have exclusive jurisdiction of the area.
The sergeant, when pressed on what laws or regulations were being broken, claimed that Police Scotland had received a call suggesting a theft was taking place. Yet when Police Scotland first approached Scottish Salmon Watch they did not ask to search the boat or even question whether a theft was taking place. It appeared that Police Scotland's motive was primarily to force Scottish Salmon Watch from the public waterway, intimidate and stipulate that permission was needed from a Norwegian-owned private company to enjoy a public waterway in Scotland.
Scottish Salmon Watch contacted Police Scotland this morning:
Don Staniford Tweeted (15 July):
Howard Wood (Goldman Environmental prize winner in 2015) Tweeted in reply (15 July):
Don Staniford Tweeted (15 July):
Howard Wood posted on Facebook (15 July):
Russ Cheshire Tweeted (15 July):
Ewan Kennedy Tweeted (16 July):
Here's the FOI request to Police Scotland:
Read more on who controls Norwegian-owned Scottish Sea Farms – including "the world's youngest male billionaire" Gustav Magnar Witzøe – via 'Scottish Scamon':
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