Reports of the recent escape of some 33,000+ trout from the Dawnfresh-owned fish farm at Loch Etive, which has been covered extensively in the local and national media over the past week, has again highlighted a greater need for transparency in the fish farming industry and in particular, Dawnfresh Farming Ltd.
As widely reported, the Loch Etive escape was discovered on 14 June and AFFtheClyde was made aware of it on 24 June via a press release from the Friends of Loch Etive group which estimated the number of escaped fish as possibly 2,500. Dawnfresh finally confirmed on 26 June that there had indeed been an escape of “a little over 33,000 trout”.
Theresa Nelson of Bute’s Buteiful Coast, a group opposing the proposed Dawnfresh fish farm at Hawk’s Neb, Bute said “On the 14 June I received an email to say that the River Awe was heaving with trout, indicating that there may have been an escape from a Dawnfresh farm site. On 20 June myself, my son, Liz Wren from Kilchattan Bay and Ronnie Falconer from Bute Community Council visited the Dawnfresh site (Loch) Etive 6. I did not mention the possible escape but waited to see if they (Dawnfresh) would be transparent and forthcoming and tell us about it. They did not. By the time Dawnfresh visited Bute on 25 June (for the public drop-in event), Friends of Loch Etive had put out a press release with the number of escapes at possibly 2500″.
Theresa continued that having checked photographs taken of the display at the Rothesay event, there did not appear to be any information related to the current Loch Etive escape or any previous escapes (2015 – 2,000 trout and 2018 – 5,400 trout).
“At the open session, my son asked Alison Hutchins (Dawnfresh Farming Director) about the escape and she refrained from discussing the topic, and again later when I brought the subject up. At no point in dealing with us at their (Loch) Etive 6 site visit or during their open day in Rothesay did Dawnfresh offer any information about the escape, or escapes in general, and when asked directly about the current escape, declined any discussion on the matter. The following day I read the article in the Oban Times stating that Alison Hutchins had confirmed that 33,000 trout had escaped”.
Both Buteiful Coast and AFFtheClyde consider that this particular set of circumstances highlights the problem of a largely self-reporting industry. What will be the outcome of this massive escape where more than 33,000 farmed trout are now free in Loch Etive? The non-native trout will compete for food with native salmon and trout and will prey on juvenile wild salmon.
As sea lice has been a major problem for all fish farms, were any of the escapees infected? Dawnfresh are also proposing two more farms off the Cumbraes, what would be the environmental effect if a similar escape were to occur at the proposed farms in the Firth of Clyde or Ardentinny, Loch Long? Will there be any repercussions for Dawnfresh and/or any sanctions?
This situation confirms the Scottish Government’s Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee findings in its report into the environmental impacts of salmon farming (March 2018) which included in paragraph 355 – The current consenting and regulatory framework, including the approach to sanctions and enforcement, is inadequate to address the environmental issues. The Committee is not convinced the sector is being regulated sufficiently,or regulated sufficiently effectively. This needs to be addressed urgently because further expansion must be on an environmentally sustainable basis.