Smoking Scottish Salmon - Fire at Bakkafrost Feed Barge in Loch Carron Fuels Local Opposition!

Locals around Loch Carron, still fuming from the dumping of a 'toxic' feed barge in Loch Reraig (on the edge of the Marine Protected Area) before Xmas, were left choking on their smoked salmon New Year's Day lunch when a fire broke out at Bakkafrost's Strome salmon farm @KyleRNLI pic.twitter.com/tzBpMxDW4S

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) January 2, 2023

Locals around Loch Carron, still fuming from the dumping of a 'toxic' feed barge in Loch Reraig (on the edge of Loch Carron Marine Protected Area) before Xmas, were left choking on their smoked salmon New Year's Day lunch when a fire broke out at Bakkafrost's Strome salmon farm yesterday (1 January 2023).

Here's video footage shot yesterday (1 January 2023):

Video footage of the New Year's Day fire at Bakkafrost's Strome salmon farm in Loch Carron (just outside the Marine Protected Area) – please boycott smoked Scottish salmon! https://t.co/R93iIYoXV3 @ScotlandSalmon @nature_scot @ScottishEPA @MCA_media @scotgov @GaelForceGroup https://t.co/cb9CNGBQs2 pic.twitter.com/OmFfv9DZ7L

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) January 2, 2023

Kyle RLNI posted on Facebook (1 January 2023):

Here's more photos taken of the fire yesterday (1 January 2023) at Bakkafrost's Strome salmon farm in Loch Carron:

The fire is believed to be just outside the Loch Carron Marine Protected Area:

Bakkafrost's Strome salmon farm featured on French TV in November 2021 (re-broadcast in December 2022):

Video of French TV's 'The Truth About Salmon' featuring Mowi & The Scottish Salmon Company https://t.co/PIwqhztqhu @France5tv @hugoclement @MowiScotlandLtd @salmon_scottish @ScotlandSalmon @Folketrygdfond @Try_Lochlander @waitrose @sainsburys @Tesco @LidlGB @AldiUK @SaumonLabel pic.twitter.com/u16uaGZ97K

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 21, 2021

Here's high resolution images of welfare abuse at The Scottish Salmon Company's West Strome salmon farm in Loch Carron (6 September 2021):

Download online here

Watch video footage shot by Scottish Salmon Watch inside The Scottish Salmon Company's West Strome salmon farm in Loch Carron on 6 September 2021 online here

The Go Pro camera never lies – unlike salmon farmers! https://t.co/noxn89oEZO @salmon_scottish pic.twitter.com/QdpCNIADym

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) September 12, 2021

Locals are still seething at the dumping of a 'toxic' feed barge in Loch Reraig – on the edge of the Loch Carron MPA – just before Xmas. The Daily Record reported on Boxing Day (26 December 2022):

'Toxic salmon farm barge dumped at scenic Scots bay could be spewing chemicals @Daily_Record https://t.co/lB5NkjJORT @Folketrygdfond @ScotlandSalmon @HighlandCouncil @MCA_media @scotgov @marinescotland @GaelForceGroup @rendabelle

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 26, 2022

The Scotsman reported (23 December 2022):

Local people are calling for answers after a damaged barge containing toxic & potentially explosive gases was beached in a scenic protected bay in the north-west Highlands @TheScotsman https://t.co/caYfb5qW5V @BonnMees @ScotlandSalmon @GaelForceGroup @MCA_media @scotgov @scotgp

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 22, 2022

The fire at Bakkafrost's Strome salmon farm is not the first time that Scottish salmon has gone up in smoke. Shetland News reported in November 2020:

Mass mortality at Scottish Sea Farms in Shetland: "A fire in wellboat engine room caused a total power failure resulting in no oxygen supply to fish held in the well. All fish held on the vessel died" @scotseafarms @marinescotland https://t.co/jI6ajOUOS9 @Shetnews @bbcshetland pic.twitter.com/2a3BHSnMDQ

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) October 29, 2020

We Love Stornoway reported in May 2021:

It is not clear yet if the fire at Bakkafrost's Strome salmon farm has caused any contamination of the water or salmon swimming in the cages near the feed barge. BBC News reported in 2008:

9 months ago, a Cermaq Canada fish farm spilled 1500 litres of diesel into a salmon feedlot. Right now, those same fish are now being harvested to be sold to the public.

These fish look exactly the same as those found in Scottish feedlots. Diseased, lice bound, dying. pic.twitter.com/V6kJzkpgx5

— Salmon Scotland (@SalmonScotland) December 20, 2022

$camon Scotland today (2 January 2023) filed a pollution incident report with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency:

From: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Jan 2, 2023 at 10:18 AM
Subject: Fire at Bakkafrost in Loch Carron – pollution from feed barge?
To: <media@sepa.org.uk>

Does SEPA have a statement on the fire at Bakkafrost's Strome salmon farm in Loch Carron yesterday (1 January 2023)?

$camon $cotland was sent photos of the pollution incident which may have spewed toxic wastes including leaking diesel and other contaminants into Loch Carron – see online via:

Smoking Scottish Salmon – Fire at Bakkafrost Feed Barge in Loch Carron Fuels Local Opposition!

You can see video footage of the fire shot yesterday (1 January 2023) via https://vimeo.com/785674072

A pollution event report was just filed with SEPA via https://www2.sepa.org.uk/environmentalevents

Has SEPA investigated the pollution incident? Have samples been taken of any waste contamination?

Locals unfortunate to live close to Bakkafrost in Loch Carron are asking questions too:

https://twitter.com/lovingourlochs/status/1609844300023463936

Thanks,

Don Staniford

Director, $camon $cotland

Is this barge still operational? What happens to the feed? Is it contaminated and therefore unfit for the fish? Is it left to decompose and become an explosion risk like the Portree one? Are the fish okay? Hopefully they will be hand fed like we see on the telly, more local jobs.

— Kathleen (@lovingourlochs) January 2, 2023

$camon $cotland also alerted Food Standards Scotland, Marine Scotland and Nature Scotland (2 January 2023):

From: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Jan 2, 2023 at 10:37 AM
Subject: Fwd: Fire at Bakkafrost in Loch Carron – pollution from feed barge?
To: <incidents@fss.scot>, <enquiries@fss.scot>

Is Food Standards Scotland aware of the fire at Bakkafrost's Strome salmon farm in Loch Carron?

You can view video footage here of the smoke spewing out in the direction of the salmon cages via: https://vimeo.com/785674072

Photos of the smoke pouring out from the burning feed barge at Bakkafrost's Strome salmon farm can be seen via:

Smoking Scottish Salmon – Fire at Bakkafrost Feed Barge in Loch Carron Fuels Local Opposition!

Data published by Salmon Scotland shows that the Strome salmon farm was fallow in November 2022: https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/sites/default/files/2022-12/november_2022_1.pdf

However, Bakkafrost may have inputted tens of thousands of farmed salmon. Do you know if the salmon farm is currently stocked with farmed salmon? If so, are the farmed salmon now contaminated?

In 2008, BBC News reported on diesel contaminated of Scottish farmed salmon leading to a food recall in supermarkets: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7248066.stm

A local living on Loch Carron asked on Twitter this morning (2 January 2023): "What happens to the feed? Is it contaminated and therefore unfit for the fish? Is it left to decompose and become an explosion risk like the Portree one? Are the fish okay?"

Via: https://twitter.com/lovingourlochs/status/1609844300023463936

$camon $cotland has also notified SEPA (see below).

Thanks,

Don Staniford

Director, $camon $cotland

Is @FSScot @nature_scot @marinescotland aware of the fire at Bakkafrost's Strome salmon farm in Loch Carron (close to the Marine Protection Area)? @MairiGougeon @MairiMcAllan @MareeToddMSP @scotgp @ArianeBurgessHI
Photos & video footage is online herehttps://t.co/mx5syBIC5i https://t.co/i2oqg0pKMs pic.twitter.com/VsplT05eND

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) January 2, 2023