Harris salmon farm

Fury over large scale salmon farm 25/7/11

Specialist solicitors from the Glasgow-based Environmental Law Chambers have been consulted to fight a controversial proposed large salmon farm on the east coast of Harris which threatens the local small creel fishing fleet as it blocks safe access to vital fishing grounds.

The published environmental statement, to be considered by Western Isles Council in the coming weeks gives a wrong position for the 20 large cages and automated feed barge. The site is amongst a cluster of small islands in the stunning scenic location of Procrapool rather than the indicated more southerly headland.

A luminous glow from a mass of underwater lights operated 24-hours a day between January and summer to encourage young smolts to grow faster will impact on the scenic view and have an “not well understood“ effect on the local sealife ecology, says a later amendment..

The new Harris Sustainable Business Group (HSBG) campaign group condemn the plans by Angus Macmillan of West Minch Salmon as “environmental suicide” which will also harm the growing tourism industry.

Mr Macmillan, who is also the chairman of the landlord South Uist body Storas Uibhist, never used planning permission granted in 2008. As part of a sellout deal, he now wants to expand a number of legacy fish farm sites which would be eventually operated by The Scottish Salmon Company.

Outraged inshore fishermen - who depend on lobster and crab creeling along the East Harris coast for their livelihood - say it risks putting them out of business.

Visiting yachts may shun the area as night-time anchorage would be more dangerous in the proximity of unseen fish farm moorings say campaigners.

Campaigner Willie Fulton of HSBG said: “We have had views from professionals and analysts in the aquaculture field saying this type of industrial fish farming cannot be sustained.

He added: “The group is very much pro-fish farming in the case where good fish husbandry is practised and recognises the core nature of employment here.”

He deplored the absence of “consultation with people or existing businesses which will be affected.”

Mr Fulton added: “Not only is the scale obscene for such a small bay and all the environmental problems it will bring [but] the visual impact, not always a planning concern, will be absolutely dreadful.

“This harks back to the ‘dark ages’ of fish farming. Technology has moved on and a much deeper site is required, for this scale of operation.”

He said visitors to his five star arts gallery opposite the site reacted with “horror and disbelief” over the potential effect.

Mr Fulton maintained: “Automated volume fish farms will lead to job losses in the long term and the group are very concerned with the side affects relating to the use of chemicals. Quality will suffer and give out the wrong message of a product from pure Hebridean waters.”

“We invite all businesses to share our concerns on any issue, which could impact on how our island is perceived and is entirely out of place in a small rural community famed for its beauty.”

Angus Campbell of St Kilda Cruises said he was taking legal advice as the large scale development threatened his £10,000 plus investment to create two jobs to licence a local fishing boat to take groups of tourists out to lift creels by Procrapool.

He said: “We will have to be scrap this idea if planning is approved for this industrial fish farm. We had planned to fish in the area where the farm is to be placed.

““I am now looking to see if we can legally challenge this application.”

“This area sustains most of the Scalpay under-eight metre fleet employing around 18 fishermen and they will have no other place to fish other than out in the open water of the Minch which will become very dangerous for them especially in the winter.”