Seals have been held responsible for the death of over 500,000 salmon in Scotland in the 12 months from May 2019, either directly from a physical attack or from stress relating to an attack. The seals favour the livers of the fish. © SSPO
The organisation has reiterated the threat posed by seals following a recent incident at a farm on Skye, managed by The Scottish Salmon Company, which was subjected to a major seal attack on 31 December, resulting in the loss of more than 52,000 juvenile fish. The farm was due to have new ‘seal proof’ netting technology installed by the end of January.
A spokesperson for The Scottish Salmon Company said: “Our Portree site has recently been subject to persistent attacks from a large group of seals which, despite our best efforts, caused significant damage to one of our nets. Our staff moved quickly to repair this damage but unfortunately a number of fish escaped.
“The health and welfare of our stock is very important and no farmers want to lose their stock. All the members of our team at Portree are extremely disappointed, particularly given they have worked so diligently to maintain an excellent containment record at the site. The incident was reported immediately to Marine Scotland and other stakeholders and we are now working closely with the local fisheries trust to record any sightings and recapture stock wherever possible.
“We take these matters extremely seriously and have invested substantially in measures to ensure containment and deal with predators like seals.”
The final month of lethal control
Recent government actions have reduced the methods available to fish farmers to manage predation, including ending of the use of lethal controls by farmers, a change which will come into effect in full at the end of January 2021.
The SSPO continues to call for Scotland’s salmon farmers to have full access to all available effective non-lethal measures if they are to fulfil their statutory duty to protect their fish.
Tavish Scott, chief executive of the SSPO, said: “Salmon farms and seals can co-exist quite happily in the marine environment. Seals can however inflict vicious and widespread damage on salmon farms, killing significant numbers of fish in each attack. That is what has happened to The Scottish Salmon Company farm in Skye. The seals ripped open the nets, killed many fish with others escaping.
“This distressing incident shows that our farmers need access to a range of effective tools and measures to deter seal attacks and protect their livestock. Our sector is continuing to make substantial investments in new technologies and management methods which follow Government regulations. Our approach is consistent with the clear commitments our member companies have made.”
