Update: 25 Million Mass Mortalities on Scottish Salmon Farms

 

 

Data published earlier this month by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate details 'Mortality Event Reports' reported by salmon farming companies since January 2017 (data now online up to the end of January 2021):

 

March 2021 blog #1 March 2021 blog #2

 

 

 

A staggering 1,886 'Mortality Event Reports' have been filed by salmon farmers in Scotland since January 2017 (data up to the end of January 2021) totalling 21.1 million deaths (although 311 reports – 16.5% – did not provide numbers of dead farmed salmon meaning there could have been another 3-4 million deaths).

 

Whistleblower Carradale #2 video with faces blackened out

 

 

Marine Harvest (re-named Mowi in 2019 due to "negative consumer perception" in the name Marine Harvest) leads the way in terms of numbers of mortalities reported to the Fish Health Inspectorate with 6.9 million morts closely followed by The Scottish Salmon Company with 6.1 million morts and then Cooke Aquaculture with 3.2 million morts.  The Scottish Salmon Company heads the number of 'Mortality Event Reports' with 670 followed by Mowi/Marine Harvest with 392, Scottish Sea Farms with 276, Cooke Aquaculture with 225, Grieg Seafood with 164 and Loch Duart with 116.  The highest mortality rate reported was 57.3% by Scottish Sea Farms.  

 

 

March 2021 blog #3 Table

 

 

Here's video footage of mass mortalities at Mowi's RSPCA Assured salmon farm in Loch Torridon shot in September 2020:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last week (9 March 2021), Scottish Salmon Watch revealed that Norwegian-owned Scottish Sea Farms failed to report mortality numbers in 61% of 'Mortality Event Reports' since January 2017.

 

 

 

 

According to the data published by the Fish Health Inspectorate on 4 March 2021 (up to the end of January 2021), Scottish Sea Farms are responsible for over half (54%) of the missing reports with The Scottish Salmon Company also failing to provide mortality numbers in over 100 cases.     

 

Mort blog March 2021 #11 Table of %s

 

 

 

 

 

Some salmon farming companies struggle to report mortalities even during inspections by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate.

 

 

 

 

STV News reported on mass mortalities at The Scottish Salmon Company's Aird salmon farm in June 2019:

 

STV News 19 June 2019 TV version #2

STV News 19 June 2019 TV version #3

 

 

 

 

In November 2020, Scottish Salmon Watch estimated that 42 million farmed salmon died in 2019 on salmon farms in Scotland.

 

 

 

 

 

Last week the Norwegian Fisheries Minister said the deaths of 52 million farmed salmon in Norway in 2020 was "too high".

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile in secret Scotland there is no published data on numbers of mortalities on salmon farms after the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation successfully lobbied against disclosure in 2013 arguing that publication would be "commercially damaging".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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