Salmon farms have long been known to be a fatal attraction to marine mammals with seals and sea lions feeling the lethal force of the salmon farmer's guns and nets (for more background read "Salmon Farming Harms Other Marine Life" and "The Killing Farms").
Now it seems whales are becoming entangled, strangled and killed in salmon farm nets. Last week (4 July) it was revealed that "Scottish Rural College vets believe that a young humpback whale found drowned off the coast of Mull died after swimming into a fish farm".
"The observed pathology and stranding history would be consistent with the whale becoming trapped beneath a salmon pen and subsequently drowning," reported the Press & Journal (5 July). "The report also notes that young humpback whales are very inquisitive creatures which could explain why the animal was attracted to the salmon farm located at Fishnish on Mull".
The company responsible for the whale death is Scottish Sea Farms (owned by the Norwegian companies Leroy and SalMar) who are so coy concerning their involvement in the fatal incident that they do not report it on their news page on their web-site. GAAIA has now asked for photos and video footage of the incident (taken by Scottish Sea Farms staff):
The North Star reported (4 July):
BBC News reported (4 July):
The Herald reported (4 July):
The post mortem was carried out on 26 June – here's a photo courtesy of the Hebridean Whale & Dolphin Trust:
This Scottish incident is eerily familiar to another lethal incident involving a humpback whale and a salmon farm reported last year in British Columbia, Canada. Watch CBC News (30 March 2013) reporting on the incident in the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve – online here
CBC News also played footage of a dead seal caught in a salmon farm in British Columbia:
Global News & The Canadian Press reported (28 March 2013):
The Globe & Mail reported (28 March 2013):
Video footage of another humpback whale caught in a salmon farm in British Columbia was also shot in 2010 – watch online here
The Norwegian-owned salmon farming company involved in both BC incidents posted another video showing a humpback whale visiting a salmon farm – watch online here
