Mowi claim that "current monthly survival rates across all its farms exceed 99%". Yet even 1-2% mortality per month at an @rspcaassured salmon farm can add up to well over 30%! @ScotlandMowi @scotseafarms @SSPOsays @salmon_scottish @GriegShetland @ASC_aqua https://t.co/q3jC9vPnbo pic.twitter.com/HAtKsTsYa1
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) April 1, 2021
Scottish Salmon Watch is investigating how the salmon farming industry in Scotland report mortalities (mortality rates were first reported by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation in 2018 but numbers of mortalities stopped being reported in 2013 following lobbying by the SSPO who argued that publication of figures would be "commercially damaging"). The Times reported yesterday (31 March 2021):
Corin Smith has calculated that caged salmon deaths rose from 4,421 tonnes in 2002 to 25,772 tonnes in 2019. “The volume of salmon dying prematurely on salmon farms in Scotland is now biblical in scale” @thetimes https://t.co/gf8GFOyBZz @SSPOsays @ScotlandMowi @salmon_scottish
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) April 1, 2021
The Global Aquaculture Advocate reported last week (26 March 2021):
"MOWI posts mortality from every site on its website each week and current monthly survival rates across all its farms exceed 99 percent"
If you look at Mowi's web-site (which now has data for the whole of February 2021 whereas the Scottish Environment Protection Agency/Marine Scotland has still not published mortality data for October 2020!) the mortality rates do appear low but the weekly percentages hide shocking cumulative mortality rates over the life-cycle of the farmed salmon. Scottish Salmon Watch estimates total mortality – from hatch as eggs to 'catch' on the sea farm – as ca. 50% with over 40 million farmed salmon dying.
Here's video footage of mass mortalities at Mowi's RSPCA Assured and ASC-certified Gorsten salmon farm in Loch Linnhe (as broadcast via Netflix's 'Seaspiracy'):
However, if you look at the mortality reporting published by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (data is available up to January 2021) the scale of mass mortalities starts to become much clearer (remember that we have no published data on mort numbers following lobbying by the SSPO in 2013 – although the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate publishes mortality data which includes some numbers on 'Mortality Events' which exceed 1% mortality rate).
In your average mortality % do you include fallow salmon farms to boost your survival figure? Looking at the SSPO data you report 36.6% mortality at Lismore, 27.2% at Mangaster, 16% at Slocka,14.8% at Fiunary, 9.9% at Scallastle & 9% at Fishnish https://t.co/q3jC9vPnbo pic.twitter.com/vmgD1mdxCY
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) April 21, 2021
Here's video footage from Grieg Seafood and Mowi on the Isle of Skye:
In January 2021, Scottish Sea Farms claimed that they had a 92% survival rate during 2020 with a 91% survival rate for the last five-year period.
Damning video footage published last month (23 March 2021) by Compassion in World Farming and OneKind blows out of the water the salmon farming industry's claims.
Scottish Salmon Watch reported last month (15 March 2021):
Data Update: 1,886 'Mortality Event Reports' filed in Scotland since 2017 detailing over 21 million dead farmed salmon @marinescotland @SSPOsays @ScotlandMowi @salmon_scottish @scotseafarms @rspcaassured @GriegShetland @CookeScotland @LochDuartSalmonhttps://t.co/tfxR0VWuMN pic.twitter.com/3812SPYKKS
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 15, 2021
Revealed: Scottish Sea Farms fail to report mortality numbers in 61% of 'Mortality Event Reports' @marinescotland – that's 167 missing cases which could be over 2 million @rspcaassured farmed salmon! @scotseafarms @marksandspencer @LeroySeafood @SSPOsays https://t.co/pvZAMsdhqC pic.twitter.com/vWsKR4apLC
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 9, 2021
"Scottish Sea Farms is bringing the whole sordid salmon farming industry further into disrepute" said Scottish Salmon Watch "The lack of transparency over mortality reporting of Scottish salmon is a scandal" https://t.co/pvZAMsdhqC@scotseafarms @rspcaassured @Folketrygdfond pic.twitter.com/sdWnSWlbxP
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 9, 2021
Censored: Salmon farmers in Scotland refuse to publish numbers of deaths as disclosure is "commercially damaging" https://t.co/FiaGuR3KoG
Yet Norway published 2020 data detailing 52 million deaths – why the double standard when Norway owns 80% of 'Scottish' salmon? @ScottishEPA pic.twitter.com/S6d45qnsTx— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 11, 2021
Scottish Salmon Watch reported in December 2020:
Here's mortality data published by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation – with cumulative mortality over the full production cycle (in the sea-phase) for all salmon farms harvested out in the last year (November 2019 to October 2020):
New Data Online Now: Nearly half a million dead salmon reported in October 2020 via 75 'Mortality Events' headed by @salmon_scottish @MowiScotlandLtd @GriegShetland
But 16 reports (all @scotseafarms) do not provide numbers @marinescotland Why the secrecy? @FergusEwingMSP pic.twitter.com/vUSxF7ID9b— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 14, 2020
Shocking Scottish Salmon: 78.3% mortality rate reported at Grieg Seafood's Leinish salmon farm on the Isle of Skye – four out of five @rspcaassured fish died a horrible death! @GriegShetland @SSPOsays @onekindtweet https://t.co/a3w08wp8bt@KateForbesMSP @Ianblackford_MP @WHFP1 pic.twitter.com/wzA2j4E6CD
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 6, 2020
Read more:
Revealed: Burned, Buried & Ensiled Scottish Salmon
Update: 25 Million Mass Mortalities on Scottish Salmon Farms
52 million deaths in Norway – how many millions died on Scottish salmon farms in 2020?
The Case Against Scottish Salmon – An Update on Diseases & Mass Mortalities!
2.2 Million Missing Mortalities at Scottish Sea Farms?
Mass Mortalities Continue to Plague Scottish Salmon
Over One Million Morts for Scottish Salmon in September 2020!
Survival of the Unhealthiest Scottish Salmon – New data reveals shocking mortality rates!
Dead in the Water – New Data Reveals Mass Mortalities & Disease on Scottish Salmon Farms
The Ferret: "Farmed salmon deaths from disease reach record high"
The Killing Farms – Scottish Salmon's Horror Story Continues!
Solving Scottish Salmon's Multi-Million Mortality Problem
Alexa, how many salmon die each year on Scottish salmon farms? 42 million* https://t.co/jRQzhheju6
Sadly we don't know for sure as the answer is deemed "commercially damaging" by @sspo!
Will @ScottishEPA & @marinescotland force disclosure? @salmon_scottish @rspcaassured pic.twitter.com/fua9nkM6g3— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 11, 2020
If you're looking for data on numbers of @rspcaassured dead farmed salmon in Scotland they don't exist – in 2013 @SSPOsays lobbied @ScottishEPA not to disclose mortalities as it was deemed commercially damaging! https://t.co/cDEyvS04dO @strathearnrose @salmon_scottish @scotgp pic.twitter.com/FICRbrpGXJ
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) September 2, 2020