Salmon farming expansion threatens fishermen livelihoods 17/10/12
Fishermen on Harris fear their livelihoods will be badly hit by losing access to vital shellfish grounds due to the expansion of salmon farming.
Three new fish farms are planned at important inshore fishing areas on the rugged coast of east Harris.
The sites in Kyles Scalpay, Loch Grosebay and East Loch Tarbert are near existing farms and are also part of five salmon farming developments proposed in the Western Isles
Creelmen are aghast of the “takeover” of their traditional grounds by the Scottish Salmon Company.
They warn that the proliferation of “cramming fish” into cages threatens the environment.
Fears are heightened because of the rapid spread of a serious disease outbreak killing potentially millions of farmed fish.
All sea farms around Harris are affected by a deadly parasite which causes Amoebic
Gill Disease (AGD) said to be due to saltier-
It has also struck at a new controversial fish farm Plockropool, in the Bays of Harris, which was only stocked recently after bitter opposition from villagers.
Locals are not convinced that disposing vast quantities of hydrogen peroxide, a fish treatment chemical often used as bleach, into sea lochs is harmless.
Creel fisherman Roddy Campbell warned the fish farm expansion threatened both commercial and leisure fishing as well as tourism.
Mr Campbell who also operates a backpackers hostel at Drinnshader in East Harris highlighted: “This year, for the first time ever, we had angling guests coming in with wild fish full of feed pellets.
“This is a direct result of the new farm at Plocropool which is very close to the only sheltered angling grounds we have at the approaches to East Loch Tarbert.”
Mr Campbell urges planning authority Western Isles Council to require a study into !fish and human health risks due to wild fish gorging on feed pellets.”
He says it is vital the council gets salmon firms to provide evidence the new farms will not harm the environment.
A spokesperson for The Scottish Salmon Company said AGD, which does not affect the
surrounding eco-
A spokesman for the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO) said the increased production meant major capital investment and new opportunities in the Scottish economy.
He said: “The direct employment provided by members of SSPO has risen from 163 in 2008 to 264 at the end of last year.
“38 new jobs were created in the last year -
“Over the last five years salmon farming companies in the Western Isles have made almost £31 million capital investments; £22.2 million was invested in the Western Isles in the last two years” with wages spent locally.