Seals Blamed as Scapegoats by Bloodthirsty Scottish Salmon!

Scapegoat #6

 

 

 

The Scottish Salmon Company – one of Scotland's largest salmon farming companies and a member of the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation – has officially reported to the Scottish Government that seals are "spooking" thousands of farmed salmon "causing them to injure themselves".  

 

 

 

 

The unbelievable ghost story spun by The Scottish Salmon Company – owned by Faroese/Norwegian investors – comes in the wake of claims by Tavish Scott (Chief Executive of the 99% foreign owned/controlled 'Scottish' salmon farming industry) that seals are becoming "increasingly aggressive" and represent an "injury threat" to workers. 

 

 

 

 

 

The extraordinary claims are contained in 'Mortality Event Reports' published by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate.

 

FHI data spooking SSC #1

 

FHI data spooking SSC #2

 

 

 

In March 2021, Scottish Salmon Watch published photos of seals killed by salmon farms obtained via Freedom of Information – including seals killed at The Scottish Salmon Company's Vuia Mor salmon farm in Loch Roag.

 

Photo #4 Dead seals in body bags Scottish Salmon Company Miavaig Vuia Mor January 2020

 

 

 

 

Here's photos of farmed salmon at The Scottish Salmon Company's Kyles of Vuia salmon farm taken by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate in February 2020 (not published online until 12 October 2020).

 

 

 

 

Kyles Vuia Feb 2020 #1

Kyles Vuia Feb 2020 #2

 

Kyles Vuia Feb 2020 Photo #6 close up

 

 

 

The Stornoway Gazette reported in November 2020.

 

 

 

 

 

Seals are well used to being smeared as scapegoats. 

 

 

Scapegoat #12

 

Scapegoat #10

 

 

 

If seals could actually talk then maybe the public would hear them complaining in person or filing lawsuits for defamation via their lawyers.

 

Scapegoat #11

 

 

Salmon farmers in Scotland have taken the blame game to a new level, however, with the chief lobbyist for the 'Scottish' salmon farming lobby calling them "increasingly aggressive" in a letter to the Scottish Government in October 2020 and ruthlessly demanding that they needed to be killed as they represented a "clear injury threat to our staff".

 

 

 

 

The Sunday Mail reported (4 July 2021):

 

 

 

 

 

When Tavish Scott was appointed Chief Executive of the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation in September 2020 it seems that one of his first tasks was to spin the seal into a convenient scapegoat for the salmon farming industry's mortality problems.  

 

Scapegoat #9

 

 

 

Data published by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate details tens of thousands of farmed salmon "spooked" to death by seals during 2021 (according to 'Mortality Event Reports' filed by The Scottish Salmon Company).

 

 

 

 

Here's 'Mortality Event Reports' filed by salmon farming companies – and reported online by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate – where seals and predators are cited as reasons for mortalities. 

 

FHI data spooking blog July 2021 #1

FHI data spooking blog July 2021 #2

FHI data spooking blog July 2021 #3

FHI data spooking blog July 2021 #4

FHI data spooking blog July 2021 #5

FHI data spooking blog July 2021 #6

FHI data spooking blog July 2021 #7

FHI data spooking blog July 2021 #8

FHI data spooking blog July 2021 #9

 

 

 

There's nothing like a good scapegoat to divert attention away from a company's own failures.

 

Scapegoat #4

 

 

 

Scottish Salmon Watch revealed in November 2020 that The 'Scottish' Salmon Company had officially reported over 5 million dead salmon since 2017.

 

 

 

 

The reporting of "seals spooking fish" appears to have crept in over the last year as the salmon farming sector mounts a PR campaign against 'aggressive' seals. 

 

 

 

 

It seems that some companies are more prone to blaming seals – or perhaps they are operating in a manner which leaves them more open to seal attacks?  Rather like lazy school children who blame their dog for failing to hand in their homework. 

 

Seal ate my homework

 

 

 

 

 

Whilst Mowi (Marine Harvest) have not cited 'seals' or 'predation' in over 400 'Mortality Event Reports', The Scottish Salmon Company routinely blames seals for mortalities and even escapes of farmed salmon.   

 

 

 

 

In January 2021, The Scottish Salmon Company claimed that "seal gangs" had caused an escape of 52,000 farmed salmon off Portree.   Intrafish reported (14 January 2021):

 

Intrafish 14 Jan 2021

 

 

BBC News reported (14 January 2021):

 

BBC 14 Jan 2021

BBC 14 Jan 2021 #2 BBC 14 Jan 2021 #3

 

 

 

In February 2021, greedy salmon farmers demanded compensation for seal attacks.

 

Sspo compo

 

 

 

Instead of blaming seals for mass mortalities, the salmon farming sector should look more closely at who is really to blame.   The fact is that salmon farms across Scotland have patently failed to invest in anti-predator nets to keep seals out – rather like a farmer blaming a fox for killing his chickens when he fails to put up a fence.  

 

 

 

 

The Sunday Times reported back in November 2015:

 

Sunday Times 22 Nov 2015 #1

 

Sunday Times 22 Nov 2015 #2

 

Sunday Times 22 Nov 2015 #3

 

 

The Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture reported in November 2015:

 

Sunday Times 22 Nov 2015 #4

 

Read more via "Scottish Salmon Blinded by Seal Killing"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Scotsman reported in October 2017:

 

Bullets cheaper

 

 

 

 

 

Data published by Scottish Salmon Watch in February 2021 – sourced from licensing returns submitted by salmon farming companies to the Scottish Government – reveal that whilst Grieg Seafood stopped killing seals in 2017 other companies continued on their killing spree. 

 

 

 

Data Analysis of 1000 Seals Killed by Salmon Farms (2011 to 2020) #1

 

 

 

BBC News reported in February 2019:

 

BBC SSF #1

BBC SSF #2 BBC SSF #3

 

 

Following a FOI disclosure in March 2021, Scottish Salmon Watch published photos of seals killed by salmon farmers in Scotland.

 

 

 

Photo #1 Taranaish seal in bin January 2020

Photo #2 Cooke bloody seal eyes popping out Unst December 2018

Photo #3 Dead seal Scottish Salmon Company Miavaig Vuia Mor January 2020

 

 

In April 2021, Scottish Salmon Watch and Animal Concern pledged a £10,000 reward for information leading to a successful prosecution of a salmon farmer for seal killing.

 

PR £10 000 Reward Illegal Killing of Seals by Scottish Salmon 26 April 2021 #1

PR £10 000 Reward Illegal Killing of Seals by Scottish Salmon 26 April 2021 #2

 

The Sunday Times reported in March 2021:

 

Sunday Times 7 March 2021 #1

 

 

 

 

The Ferret reported in February 2021: 

 

 

 

 

Scottish Salmon Watch reported (25 February 2021):

 

PR Illegal Killing of Seals by Scottish Salmon Farms 25 Feb 2021 #1

PR Illegal Killing of Seals by Scottish Salmon Farms 25 Feb 2021 #2

 

 

The Ferret reported in June 2021: 

 

 

 

 

 

The Sunday National and The Ferret reported (27 June 2021):

 

 

 

 

 
 
Inside Scottish Salmon Feedlots published a table detailing salmon farms still using ADDs (all operated by the Norwegian/Faroese-owned 'Scottish' Salmon Company):
 
 
 
ISSF ADDs June 2021 #7
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

So instead of smearing seals as scapegoats maybe the salmon farming industry should actually address the underlying causes of their mortality, disease and welfare nightmare?

 

Scapegoat #7

 

 

 

 

Scapegoat #8

 

 

 

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