Scottish Salmon & The 'C' Word (that's Chlamydia not the Clap or some other rude word)!

Scottish Salmon & The 'C' Word (that's Chlamydia not the Clap)! https://t.co/lYtFBlZaoL
What hidden extras are lurking in your Scottish salmon? @scotseafarms @salmon_scottish @rspcaassured @ASC_aqua @GriegShetland @ScotlandMowi @LochDuartSalmon @tavishscott @SSPOsays @coopuk pic.twitter.com/dWkE7fjM9i

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) April 7, 2021

Mention the 'C' word (Chlamydia) and the Norwegian-owned 'Scottish' salmon farming lobby start frothing at the mouth. On last night's 'The Nine' on BBC Scotland (6 April 2021), the chief executive of the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (Tavish Scott) denied that millions of farmed salmon were dying each year from lice infestation and infectious diseases such as Chlamydia, heart disease and anaemia hightlighted in Netflix's 'Seaspiracy'.

Netflix documentary #Seaspiracy makes allegations of animal welfare abuse against the Scottish salmon farming industry – including claims salmon is dyed more pink.@tavishscott and @TheGAAIA debate the issue on #TheNine. 2/4 pic.twitter.com/WFRh3b5TdS

— The Nine (@BBCScotNine) April 6, 2021

Yes – Piscichlamydia has hit salmon farming for a few decades. Just one of the many STDs (Salmon Transmissible Diseases) spread by the rampant expansion of salmon farming https://t.co/oWSKfRZmTX

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) April 6, 2021

The SSPO even issued a recent media statement on Chlamydia in Scottish salmon.

Despite Scottish Salmon's claim of 'misinformation' it's a fact the Chlamydia has affected salmon farming globally for decades. The scientific papers are published for the whole world to read.

Scientists reported in 2019 that 'Complex Gill Disease' in farmed salmon includes Chlamydia as well as other nasties.

Another scientific paper published in 2020 reported that "The terms CGD and multifactorial gill disease are often used interchangeably and are overlapping".

"Complex gill disease encompasses syndromes referred to as ‘proliferative gill inflammation’ (PGI) and ‘proliferative gill disease’," continued the scientific paper supported by the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre and authored by the Scotland’s Rural College in Inverness.

"It remains to be conclusively shown whether there is an association between gill disease in the marine environment and prior experiences encountered by salmon during the freshwater phase of production. Examples of putative pathogens that are encountered in both environments are Candidatus Clavochlamydia salmonicola (Mitchell et al.2010), described in the bacterial gill disease section and salmon gill pox virus (Gjessing et al.2017), described in the viral gill disease section."

The scientific paper published last year continued:

The scientific paper concluded:

Two Chlamydiales have previously been found to infect Atlantic salmon, Candidatus Piscichlamydia salmonis and Candidatus Clavichlamydia salmonicola. Both develop intracellularly in cyst-like inclusions in gill cells, generally referred to as epitheliocysts https://t.co/dvjfuA7JWL

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) April 6, 2021

So when salmon farmers talk about 'Complex Gill Disease' or Epitheliocystis, the nasty-sounding Chlamydia could be lurking in the background even if Tavish Scott refuses to get Scottish salmon publicly tested for it and other Salmon Tranmissible Diseases (STDs).

The Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture (GAAIA) reported back in 2012 on gill disease problems at US-owned Loch Duart (a member of the SSPO):

A warning letter from the Association for the Preservation of the Eastern Shore in Nova Scotia will be delivered later today (19 November) to Loch Duart’s office in Lochmaddy. GAAIA has also written to Her Majesty the Queen (who served Loch Duart farmed salmon at her Diamond Jubilee in June) asking her to screen her farmed salmon for Chlamydia and other infectious diseases which were reported this year in Loch Duart's "sustainable" farmed salmon.

Disease data obtained from Marine Scotland via Freedom of Information in August 2012 reveals that Loch Duart’s operations in Lochmaddy were riddled with infectious diseases including Epitheliocystis (Chlamydia), Salmonid Alphavirus (Salmon Pancreas Disease Virus) and Vibrio species (Winter Ulcer) during the period April to July 2012.

“Loch Duart markets itself around the world as ‘The Sustainable Salmon Company’ but if truth be told it should re-name itself ‘The Chlamydia Company’.”

“Loch Duart is a mange-ridden wolf in salmon’s clothing who has duped Her Majesty the Queen, Prince William, the Marine Conservation Society and some of the world’s top chefs including Rick Stein,” continued Staniford.

GAAIA's report "Gill Diseases – Scottish Salmon's Dirty Big Secret" lifted the lid on gill diseases on salmon farms across Scotland a decade ago in 2011.

The 2011 report included:

Tavish Scott has obviously not digested all the 'Case Information' detailing infectious diseases, pathogens, viruses and bacteria in Scottish salmon – including Complex Gill Disease – and mortality data published monthly by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate.

The mortality data posted in March 2021 (information up to the end of January 2021) includes millions of farmed salmon reported as dying due to diseases including Complex Gill Disease, Complex Gill Pathology, Gill Pox Virus, Amoebic Gill Disease, Proliferative Gill Disease, gill bleeding and other gill issues:

Delve even deeper into the disease-ridden Scottish salmon farming sector via reading 'Case Information' which lists the results of post-mortems and testing by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate.

Here's a case involving Mowi's disease-ridden RSPCA Assured salmon farm in Loch Torridon – as reported by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate in November 2020:

Here's video footage of Mowi's disease ridden salmon from Loch Torridon captured by Scottish Salmon Watch in September 2020 (soon after Mowi threatened legal action):

If, like Tavish Scott, you struggle reading detailed documents then here's some pictures of disease-ridden Scottish salmon which lawyers for Scottish Sea Farms and The Scottish Salmon Company attempted (unsuccessfully as it turned out) to block from publication by the Scottish Government.

Edie Bowles @Animallawyersuk said the dossier, compiled by Don Staniford, a critic of salmon farming, indicated “systemic and obvious” pain & suffering that could justify legal action against @scotgov @MairiGougeon @SSPOsays https://t.co/ZuzAis8gEr @SundayTimesScot @ciwf @scotgp pic.twitter.com/RPVIAL3KlS

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) February 2, 2020

Here's the skinny on disease-ridden Scottish salmon – maybe Tavish should actually read the Fish Health Inspectorate's data? @marinescotland @SSPOsays https://t.co/wxw7mmiMo9 pic.twitter.com/2ZOn10kLmk

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) April 6, 2021

The Scottish Sun warned its readers (30 March 2021):

After lobbying by the SSPO, the headline in the Scottish Sun now reads 'Chlamydia':

Watch Netflix's 'Seaspiracy' in full online here

And here's a video clip of the disease-ridden Scottish salmon featured in 'Seaspiracy' – sourced from Mowi's RSPCA Assured and ASC-certified salmon farm at Gorsten near Fort William in Loch Linnhe:

Whether Scottish salmon is infested with lice or infected with infectious diseases such as 'Complex Gill Disease' (be that Chlamydia or a host of other conditions) the take-home message to your family and friends is a simple one: boycott farmed salmon! Please take the Salmon Pledge today.

Friends don't let friends eat farmed salmon – please make a video pledge today! https://t.co/4aHyVQVGGA #SalmonPledge #Boycott #Farmed #Salmon pic.twitter.com/cuPmMCXLlW

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) April 5, 2021