Salmongate: Corin Smith's 'Subject Access Requests' to the Salmafia Reveal Spying by Scottish Salmon!

Corin Smith of Inside Scottish Salmon Feedlots – who was spied upon by a private investigator hired by The Scottish Salmon Company's former chief executive Craig Anderson – has published details of 2,000 pages of emails, data and photos obtained from salmon farming companies via 'Subject Access Requests':

The documents were published in full via Google Drive:

Here's some snippets from The Scottish Salmon Company:

"The time has come for @ScotlandSalmon to instigate a Damage Limitation Strategy," says [redacted]. "I think that the industry has never been in such a weak position. Should Fergus be moved or leave, any replacement is unlikely to be such a strong supporter?" @salmon_scottish pic.twitter.com/0GoHAf9fYn

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 3, 2021

Can I please have a copy of the "Activists Toolbox Talk"? @HamishMacdonell
Does the Bakkafrost CEO Regin Jacobsen condone spying by @salmon_scottish on environmental activists? @Folketrygdfond #Bakkafrost
Does @ScotlandSalmon endorse industrial espionage? @tavishscott pic.twitter.com/DFVGDOtz0r

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 3, 2021

"Our 1st Activist (at least that we know about) was at MealI Mhor last night" said @salmon_scottish @ScotlandSalmon "It was Corin Smith, he swam out to the cages with a long pole with a Go Pro attached. Police attended but nothing they can do as usual" @PoliceScotland #Bakkafrost pic.twitter.com/gzKJV2JKdM

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 3, 2021

Watch the video footage shot by Corin Smith at The Scottish Salmon Company's Meall Mhor salmon farm in April 2021 along with other salmon farms online here

"Both he [Don Staniford] & Corin Smith deserve to be prosecuted for trespass" said email @salmon_scottish "I don't really have any legal knowledge but I would have thought an injunction to stop future incursions into vicinity of farms might be worth considering" @ScotlandSalmon pic.twitter.com/omrIoYBGL4

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 3, 2021

Here's the video which prompted the email above:

Scottish Salmon Goes Rogue: "Thanks for your offer but @salmon_scottish are taking independent legal advice & have a credible PR agency working on the issue" (Scottish Salmon Company rebuts offer of help from @ScotlandSalmon after Corin Smith filmed lice-infestation in Loch Roag) pic.twitter.com/9rB2PsdCy2

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 4, 2021

Watch the BBC One Show's expose on Scottish salmon online here

Watch BBC Scotland's Landward online here

Watch BBC's Panorama online here

Watch the video footage shot by Corin Smith published by The Ferret online here

"It my view that as myself, and many others, increasingly shine a light on the devastating impacts of open-cage salmon farms in #Scotland public opinion will continue to shift against your industry" (Corin Smith refusing a site vist to @MowiScotlandLtd) @ScotlandSalmon pic.twitter.com/3kZXohtIZP

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 4, 2021

"Is there anything legally we can use?" asked @salmon_scottish in their 'Arran Social Media Monitoring Report' detailing a visit by Corin Smith to screen the film 'Artifishal' @patagonia @ArranCoast pic.twitter.com/rr0YR9gWqI

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 5, 2021

"Can you go to the local police station with the photos you have of the other day & explain what happened?" @salmon_scottish following filming in Arran salmon farm. @PoliceScotland "said the usual stuff, no laws been broken, no trespass laws etc so nothing they can really do" pic.twitter.com/z5nVLrAV3a

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 5, 2021

"We suggest that you do not make claims against Corin or your intention to take legal action" (unnamed media advisor to @salmon_scottish) "Blanket denials or claims of falsehood are tricky…say we think the claims are libellous (don't say this threateningly)" @FerretScot pic.twitter.com/kqTqEm5mkE

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 6, 2021

Carspotting – a game played by Scottish Salmon @salmon_scottish @ScotlandSalmon
Unconfirmed rumours suggest that Ewan McGregor will star as Corin Smith (driving a Volvo) in a spy film directed by Danny Boyle #Salmafia pic.twitter.com/Zv5St9kRs5

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 8, 2021

"We had an unwanted visitor on Saturday evening (Corin Smith" reported @salmon_scottish in April 2021. "He swam out to one of the Loch Fyne farms and took footage". "Unbelievable" replied [Redacted]. "What a guy….I can alert my staff. Definately for those on alarm duty" pic.twitter.com/xeIZjTr7hl

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 8, 2021

"Anti-fish farm activists are starting to become quite invasive" reported @salmon_scottish in 2019. "When you are out on site please make sure you are squeaky clean…the last thing we want is a screenshot of someone doing something silly & it bites us on the ass" @ScotlandSalmon pic.twitter.com/2iyLsDhvbr

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 8, 2021

Congratulations to the Board of @ScotlandSalmon for "squashing" 'biased' and 'misleading' stories about all the £££££s paid to @rspcaassured by salmon farmers; sea lice figures & the dangers to pregnant women from eating pharmed salmon! @SalmonTroutCons pic.twitter.com/6owsqF0CG4

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 8, 2021

Lobbyist @ScotlandSalmon met with the producers of @BBCTheOneShow to object to "excessive" & "negative" reporting of Scottish salmon. They "suggested a number of positive angles & potential good news stories which they could look at instead".
Oh, how helpful! @HamishMacdonell pic.twitter.com/dLM6p8SOua

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 8, 2021

"Scottish Salmon Co. are currently investigating how a diver entered the pen, thus breaching strict bio-security procedures" reported @salmon_scottish to BBC Scotland. "These breaches are not acceptable"
Speaking of breaches why doesn't Scottish Salmon follow welfare laws? pic.twitter.com/pZeVjMP5CN

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 8, 2021

The 'Scottish' Salmon Company monitor "PR Activity" including Facebook & Twitter with specific tracking of Corin Smith. "Liaised with Scottish Courts and monitored for local media coverage of Corin Smith's appearances" @salmon_scottish #Stalker #Farmer #Salmon #Spy pic.twitter.com/P7JrxoifQe

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 8, 2021

"A film-maker making a documentary for Netflix will be in Scotland & is planning to film a segment on salmon farming" reported [Redacted] in an email disclosed by @salmon_scottish @ScotlandSalmon
You can watch @seaspiracy by @iamalitabrizi on @netflix via https://t.co/hxPbbKvFeq pic.twitter.com/yL7xBAcDtC

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 15, 2021

Watch Netflix's 'Seaspiracy' featuring The Scottish Salmon Company and Mowi online here

Salmon farming "is the real monster of the lochs of Scotland" @seaspiracy @netflix https://t.co/2zalUmhl1x pic.twitter.com/ZnqlIWvTSx

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 24, 2021

"Still trying to undermine Corin Smith's evidence" reported the anonymous spy hired by The Scottish Salmon Company in 2018 @salmon_scottish
Three years later @ScotlandSalmon is still trying to undermine Corin Smith's evidence to no avail – the truth always wins out in the end! pic.twitter.com/Ppef7B7uz4

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 15, 2021

"Another spoilt Sunday" reports an anonymous salmon spy @salmon_scottish "The industry needs some form of immediate crisis management. I would also like to share the Corin Life document"
Is the 'Corin Life' document published via @ScotlandSalmon or @MowiScotlandLtd? pic.twitter.com/MSkrPxw2rk

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 15, 2021

Great to see @salmon_scottish tracking Twitter!
"Please see today's social platform review" reports a spy. "Only one Tweet from [redacted] on a [redacted] farm in Ireland. Still no updates from Corin Smith on Artifishal" @patagonia
Watch Artifishal via https://t.co/QvtRMP9UCl pic.twitter.com/e4UN7VFbpI

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 15, 2021

The inside story how @salmon_scottish had an inside line on a @BBCCountryfile show on the impact of Acoustic Deterrent Devices used on salmon farms @MowiScotlandLtd "Once filming has taken place @ScotlandSalmon will send out a further briefing note" https://t.co/TnAXIzn3dM #BBC pic.twitter.com/Qd5CVDESaN

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 15, 2021

Bias at the Beeb – who inside @BBCNews tipped off Scottish salmon in advance of filming @SealifeA at @MowiScotlandLtd by @BBCCountryfile? A month later @AthollDuncan – former head of news and current affairs @BBCScotland – joined @ScotlandSalmon as the new chair. Just saying #BBC pic.twitter.com/gg8rp96lRO

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 15, 2021

"We keep a table showing negative & positive stories" report [Redacted] "There were so many negative stories last year that it would have been impossible for the critics to keep up the pace. You might not want to engage with [Redacted] & Corin but you cannot ignore their output" pic.twitter.com/ahkXn30oGa

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 15, 2021

Here's some snippets from Scottish Sea Farms:

Salmongate: "[Name redacted] would investigate leading environmental activists such as Corin Smith" details @scotseafarms @LeroySeafood via a 'Subject Access Request' "That is Corin Smith's vehicle" https://t.co/JypGeKDtys @ScotlandSalmon @Folketrygdfond @tavishscott pic.twitter.com/Ry28rvEGQ8

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 3, 2021

"This Corin is a pain in the butt" states an email disclosed by @scotseafarms who tracked campaigner Corin Smith. "Whilst both he & Corin Smith deserve to be prosecuted for trespass, the negative publicity generated would be welcome" @LeroySeafood @ScotlandSalmon @Folketrygdfond pic.twitter.com/qXrUgB9rOF

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 3, 2021

Here's snippets of documents supplied by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (renamed Salmon Scotland on 1 November 2021):

Shock Horror: Scottish Salmon's tracking project finds that Corin Smith – who was spied upon @salmon_scottish – "comes across as reasonable, well-informed & credible" @ScotlandSalmon "Corin Smith was, unfortunately, calm, credible & personable" [unlike @tavishscott] pic.twitter.com/2WEOxx1tWh

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 3, 2021

Here's snippets from documents disclosed by Mowi:

Salmongate: "We're clearly being targeted" says @MowiScotlandLtd as documentary filmmaker @iamalitabrizi was "prowling sites" in Leven & Gorsten. Watch @seaspiracy on @netflix for gruesome video footage of diseased @rspcaassured @ASC_aqua Scottish salmon @sainsburys @Tesco pic.twitter.com/lJ6RAjqrxk

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 15, 2022

The documents available via Google Drive include photos of a tracking device found under Corin Smith's car:

The Ferret reported (27 November 2021):

"This Big Brother level of corporate snooping is frankly disturbing" @williemackenzie @GreenpeaceUK "Not being able to win the argument by fair means, a part of the fish farming industry seems to be resorting to these shady tactics" https://t.co/Ei3CjzPPHQ @FerretScot

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 27, 2021

"Smith has shown The Ferret photographs of a GPS tracker allegedly found on the underside of his car in June 2021. Police Scotland confirmed it had received a report from Smith about the tracking device and the TSSC ‘intelligence report’ and that “enquiries remain ongoing” pic.twitter.com/B6N6QSzam8

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 27, 2021

Inside Scottish Salmon Feedlots posted on Facebook (30 November 2021):

Ian Roberts, Director of Communications at @MowiScotlandLtd, hired Finsbury PR @fgh_global to attack reputation of critics after a @BBCPanorama investigation into salmon farming https://t.co/Ys0hEKYeSR @SalmonScotland @ScotlandSalmon @tavishscott @HamishMacdonell @MairiGougeon pic.twitter.com/iS9J4Ferbt

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 30, 2021

It must be flattering and a bit creepy that The Scottish Salmon Company tracks @ArranCoast via an 'Arran Social Media Monitoring Report'! Be careful that @salmon_scottish hasn't put a GPS tracking device under your cars! @howardlwood @RussCheshire @chandlerfish @arranbanner pic.twitter.com/HYIp3FJf4y

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 1, 2021

Seaspiracy Tweeted (2 December 2021):

A leading Scottish salmon producer hired a private investigator to snoop on Corin Smith, who featured in our Seaspiracy documentary, who is a key critic of the fish farming industry.@FerretScot pic.twitter.com/8MU63ofuiY

— seaspiracy (@seaspiracy) December 2, 2021