Policing Scottish Salmon - Police Scotland Acting as Private Security for Scottish Sea Farms?

Scottish Sea Farms "sent a barge around seemingly to ram us" @Ecohustler "Then they called the police" @policescotland "tormenting sentient animals is okay but snorkeling over to witness the carnage is not" @scotseafarms https://t.co/8enYytYDRV @LeroySeafood @H_S_E @MCA_media pic.twitter.com/BBV8Hnij7i

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) July 28, 2020

Police Scotland Acting as Private Security for Scottish Sea Farms (yet again)? @policescotland @scotseafarms https://t.co/gVec2N47IW Scottish Salmon Watch today filed a formal complaint against Police Scotland for harassment and against Scottish Sea Farms for reckless behaviour pic.twitter.com/QMenSoJ2GS

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) July 29, 2020

Ecohustler posted on Intragram (22 July 2020):

Here's video footage of events in Loch Creran on 16 July 2020 captured by Scottish Salmon Watch (who today filed a formal complaint against Police Scotland for harassment and against Scottish Sea Farms for reckless behaviour and breach of safety):

Download Scottish Salmon Watch's complaint to Police Scotland in full online here

Marine Concern (Mark Carter) Tweeted:

As a former cop, I would like to know what Act is 'criminal'? Watching the videos I see NO H&S issues, except the fish farm boat approaching the swimmer. What is this 'exclusion-zone' referred to? New one on me! Police failure to address two complaints or give advice interesting. https://t.co/Lxd8kLL3wo

— Marine Concern (@ConcernMarine) July 29, 2020

Scottish Salmon Watch Tweeted:

Scottish Sea Farms clearly endangered safety by motoring directly towards a diver operating safely & legally in public waters – what horrors are you hiding your cages which you don't want @marksandspencer @rspcaassured seeing? https://t.co/zLwRrU1i6s pic.twitter.com/psiXmkG7xX

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) July 29, 2020

Howard Wood Tweeted:

I had thought @policescotland job was to uphold the law? Not make new laws on the hoof. The Chief Constable of @policescotland needs to investigate, why it appears to be acting as private security, when the sea is a public common. https://t.co/kQtFW3p1iF

— Howard Wood (@howardlwood) July 29, 2020

Save Our Lochs Tweeted:

Disgusting behavour from our police, they are perfectly happy to allow fish farm vehicles to drive around with toxic chemicals, diseased rotten fish and overloaded trailers and dump shit everywhere but threaten to prosecute for swimming !! https://t.co/eB2kAvbfyQ

— Stop! (@SaveOurLochs) July 29, 2020

Ewan Kennedy Tweeted:

A lot of nasty and toxic things are concealed under fish farms, not least that this industry is trying to steal our land. The seabed is held in trust for all and the public have the constitutional right to be on it for purposes including navigation and recreation./1 https://t.co/lm9p6V5Fqa

— Ewan Kennedy (@ewangkennedy) July 29, 2020

Ian Dobb Tweeted:

Driving (not diving) without due care and attention by @scotseafarms? Reckless IMHO, someone is going to get hurt. @policescotland acting as though the diver and support crew had committed the crime! Who is pulling @policescotland's strings? We should be told..@NicolaSturgeon https://t.co/te4gL5GAYQ

— Ian Dobb (@IanDobb) July 29, 2020

Here's video footage of the waste pollution and untreated sewage effluent Scottish Sea Farms (owned by the Norwegian companies Leroy and SalMar and via the company Norskott Havbruk AS) are trying to hide.

Here's an interview with Matt Mellen after he dived under the Scottish Sea Farms salmon farms in Loch Creran:

Scottish salmon is "unfit for human consumption" says Matt Mellen after diving under a fish farm in Loch Creran @Ecohustler Please take the pledge not to eat farmed salmon! https://t.co/nmeyeFPbw5 @scotseafarms @LeroySeafood @SSPOsays @rspcaassured @SSPCA_Mike @marksandspencer

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) July 29, 2020

If Police Scotland is seriously interested in upholding the law then why are police officers not investigating the theft of a public beach and plastic pollution at Teithil Beach – just yards from where Scottish Salmon Watch was harassed?

If Police Scotland is seriously interested in protecting safety then why is it not investigating discharges of toxic wastes and infectious diseases into Loch Creran 'Special Area of Conservation' by virus-laden Scottish Sea Farms?

If Police Scotland is seriously concerned about security then why is it not investigating the spread of infectious diseases, pathogens and viruses via waste effluent dumped into Loch Creran by RSPCA Assured Solway Transport (video footage filmed earlier on 16 July 2020 is available online here).

If Police Scotland is seriously concerned about salmon farming then why is it not investigating welfare abuse via the Thermolicer which was filmed earlier this month torturing fish in Loch Creran 'Special Area of Conservation'?

Last year, Police Scotland were caught on camera acting as private security for Scottish Sea Farms when Scottish Salmon Watch filmed at a nearby salmon farm off Shuna.

The Ferret reported in August 2019:

Read article in full online here

Read a follow up letter to Police Scotland dated 6 August 2019 - online here

Scottish Sea Farms claimed in a letter dated 22 August 2019 that "a water-based protest poses a serious risk to our salmon stocks, potentially breaching biosecurity protocol and causing stress to the fish, both of which can have devastating consequences on animal welfare". Scottish Sea Farms invited Scottish Salmon Watch to "find less dangerous means of expressing your opinion" and referred to "several instances of people getting into unexpected difficulty, sometimes with fatal results".

Andrew Holder commented on Facebook (26 August 2019):

I guess the truth about Scottish salmon hurts https://t.co/ZgrFAS7W1i If you did have time to show us around on 31 August we'd love to sample your "healthy" farmed salmon – what diseases, pathogens & viruses do you have currently? pic.twitter.com/lfviWoLjFW

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) August 22, 2019

Scottish Sea Farms know all too well the "fatal results" of their salmon farming operations. In 2011, BBC News reported:

In 2012, BBC News reported that the fine for Scottish Sea Farms had been reduced on appeal from £600,000 to £333,335.

If Police Scotland investigated Scottish Sea Farms instead of the public for daring to safely venture close to their salmon farms (which operate in public waters – and in the case of Loch Creran, a Special Area of Conservation supposedly protected by law) then they would uncover a disease-ridden welfare nightmare – as the BBC 'One Show' discovered when they filmed at Scottish Sea Farms in 2017.

Here's shocking photos published by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate of welfare abuse at Scottish Sea Farms:

When Scottish Salmon Watch visited the salmon farm operated by Scottish Sea Farms in Loch Spelve in August 2018 we were shocked at the levels of lice infestation – of both farmed salmon and cleaner fish. Watch video footage online here

Scottish Salmon Watch also filmed dead cleaner fish at the Scottish Sea Farms processing plant in South Shian.

Here's video footage of maggot-infested salmon shot in September 2018 at the Tanera salmon farm operated by Scottish Sea Farms:

Scottish Sea Farms is not the only company blocking access to public waters in order to prevent closer examination of disease-ridden salmon feedlots. In September 2019, Scottish Salmon Watch was obstructed by Mowi boats when filming at salmon farms around Shuna and the Sound of Jura.

In September 2019, Scottish Salmon Watch wrote a letter to the Chief Executive of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (copied to Police Scotland) regarding Mowi's intimidation, harassment and reckless navigation in ignoring the 'rules of the road'.

In November 2019, Mowi once again acted recklessly when Scottish Salmon Watch filmed at Ardintoul salmon farm in Loch Alsh.

Caught on Camera – Mowi's Reckless Breaches of Health & Safety in Loch Alsh! https://t.co/0nvWGe0MkQ Complaint vs @MowiScotlandLtd filed with @H_S_E & @MCA_media Who's policing salmon farms? @policescotland @marinescotland @APHAgovuk @CrownEstateScot @ScottishEPA @HumzaYousaf pic.twitter.com/f4oClqkpiA

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 15, 2019

"Drone footage clearly shows that Mowi endangered the health and safety of the general public during an inspection of a salmon farm in Loch Alsh 'Special Area of Conservation'," wrote Don Staniford, Director of Scottish Salmon Watch. "Mowi staff deliberately rammed a kayak, drove at high speed past a small dingy, unclipped a kayak tied safely to the farm, kicked a paddle into the water and scraped a work boot down my Achilles tendon. Mowi's behaviour on 2 November was both reckless and dangerous. Since Scottish Salmon Watch plans further unannounced site inspections and sampling near salmon farms it is a hoped that a protocol can be put in place urgently to properly police surveillance of this unhealthy and unsafe industry."

Here's photo stills grabbed from drone video footage taken ca. 8am on 2 November 2019 at Mowi's Ardintoul salmon farm in Loch Alsh (drone footage has been shared with the Health & Safety Executive and the Maritime & Coastguard Agency):

Here's the Mowi work boat recklessly speeding past a tiny dinghy safely navigating and filming in public waters:

Here's Mowi deliberately ramming into my safely tied kayak (luckily it was not badly battered and I was able to kayak back to shore):

When the Mowi work boat leaves the cage the engines cause unnecessary stress to the farmed salmon (unlike a kayak which operates quietly and without a motor):

Here's a Mowi worker scraping his work boot down my Achilles heel (not once but twice) as they surround and intimidate me (audio recordings of the interactions will hopefully be made available):

The same Mowi worker (he also called me a "cunt", "beady eyed" and mouthed "fuck you") is seen here untying my kayak which was safely clipped onto the cage and then throwing the safety rope into the water:

The Mowi worker is then filmed kicking my paddle into the water with the unclipped kayak now dangerous drifting away from the farm (at the same time another Mowi worker is ironically asking me to leave the site – even though my paddle and kayak are in danger of floating off into Loch Alsh):

When the Mowi worker fails to kick the paddle into the loch he moves to try for a second attempt (as a Mowi work boat emblazoned with the words "Safety First" docks alongside the cage). He appears to stop and looks up at the drone filming his every move:

The kayak floats along the cage as the Mowi worker seems to be beckoning the work boat to smash it against the farm:

Smile – you're on camera!

In May 2020, Scottish Salmon Watch filed a complaint with the Maritime & Coastguard Agency.

Complaint re. MOWI's reckless behaviour & subsequent fatality in Loch Alsh @MCA_media @transportgovuk @grantshapps https://t.co/dxUXoYiK90 @MowiScotlandLtd @H_S_E @HumzaYousaf @marinescotland @policescotland @maibgovuk @COPFS @ScotGovJustice @GaelForceGroup @SSPOsays pic.twitter.com/org6QksDau

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) May 1, 2020