More than 135,000 fish have died at a salmon farm in the northwest Highlands run by a Norwegian company in the last two years, The Ferret can reveal.
A total of 135,016 lumpfish and wrasse – aka ‘cleaner’ fish which are used to remove sea-lice from salmon – have died at Mowi Scotland’s site at Torridon since September 2023.
Fish deaths were due to environmental issues, natural causes, disease and treatments to remove lice from salmon.
The mortality rate was described as a “catastrophe” by an animal welfare charity, while a law firm dedicated to animal protection complained to the Crown Office, alleging that some fish “were subjected to inappropriate, unnecessary, and often fatal treatments” at the farm.
In response, Mowi said it has a “very strict health and welfare policy” and meets all the standards set out to ensure the welfare of cleaner fish. The firm added it was not aware of any complaint.
A spokesperson for the Crown Office said investigations of allegations are for the police, and decisions on prosecutions are the remit of the procurator fiscal.
Wrasse and lumpfish are small and eat lice that can infest and damage farmed salmon. Freshwater treatments are also used to remove lice from salmon. This involves salmon being temporarily transferred to wellboats filled with freshwater where the lice are removed by various methods, some of which can kill cleanerfish.
But wrasse and lumpfish can be removed prior to freshwater treatments conducted on wellboats.
The mass death of tens of thousands of these animals is yet another grim reminder of how the industry disregards aquatic life.
Abigail Penny, Animal Equality UK
An official report by the Fish Health Inspectorate – following an inspection at the Torridon site last October – said freshwater treatments had been carried out in March, July and September last year, but that some “happened on a boat that can’t grade out (remove them) lumpfish.”
In September 2023, the first batch of 63,089 lumpfish arrived on site and not long after lumpfish mortality started to rise, the report said. It added: “After testing by the company it was found that furunculosis (a painful skin infection resulting in boils) was the cause (lumpfish were vaccinated but further testing revealed it was a different strain).” Mowi believed the cause of the outbreak was wrasse on site.
Environmental issues were also noted as causes of the fish deaths. Warming seas mean jellyfish and algae are making their way to more northerly climes which present challenges for farmed salmon. Jellyfish sting salmons’ eyes, skin and gills, resulting in health problems and death, while harmful algal blooms can be fatal to fish.
A complaint to the Crown Office by a law firm called Advocates for Animals, claimed Mowi’s decision to stop removing lumpfish on the Torridon site prior to treatments, was “unnecessary, being a departure from previous practices” and “caused death to lumpfish”. Edie Bowles, solicitor at Advocates for Animals, told The Ferret: “Like other animals under human control, fish must have their welfare needs met and not be subject to unnecessary suffering.”
Abigail Penny, executive director of the charity, Animal Equality UK, said: “The mass death of tens of thousands of these animals is yet another grim reminder of how the industry disregards aquatic life, treating them as mere commodities rather than sentient creatures capable of suffering.”
A spokesperson for Mowi said it takes all fish welfare “very seriously”and that it works closely with the Fish Health Inspectorate and the Animal and Plant Health Agency on any welfare concerns reported.
“We have invested hugely in the latest generation of well boats which we use as a freshwater treatment for gill infections such as amoebic gill disease (AGD) and also for the removal of sea lice,” the Mowi spokesperson continued. “A feature of these well boats is a grading function which sorts cleaner fish and separates them from the salmon so that only the salmon receive the freshwater treatment.
“Our policy for AGD control follows all standards from third party welfare schemes and certifications including the RSPCA which this year introduced new standards for the welfare of cleaner fish, which we welcome.”
A spokesperson for the Crown Office said: “Where Police Scotland or other reporting agencies considers there to be a sufficiency of evidence, they may submit a report to the procurator fiscal.”
Neither Advocates for Animals or Animal Equality UK have specialist reporting agency powers.
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Main image: Halfdan Hallseth/iStock
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