SILENT SCREAMS: Investigation reveals suffering is ‘endemic’ at Scottish salmon farms
Salmon are silently suffering, out of sight, in cruel underwater factory farms across Scotland. They are sentient beings, they should not be subjected to such awful misery. This must change.
ROB EDWARDS: Salmon suffering at Scottish fish farms is “endemic” and in breach of animal cruelty law, according to an undercover investigation by animal welfare campaigners. Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) has released videos and photos claiming to show that the £2 billion salmon farming industry is causing “silent suffering” in “cruel underwater factory farms” across Scotland…
Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) investigated 22 salmon farms run by five big multinational companies in what it called the “biggest ever exposé” of the Scottish industry. The investigations were carried out between September and November 2020 using drones and – at six farms – underwater divers. CIWF said it found “severe sea lice infestations and high levels of mortalities” at “several” of the farms, though it hasn’t named any of them. Investigators allegedly found “fish crammed in barren underwater cages” with salmon having “nothing to do but swim aimlessly in cramped conditions for up to two years.”
At one site run by Scottish Sea Farms CIWF investigators reported finding “a considerable proportion” of the fish in an “extremely poor state”. There were “signifiant welfare problems” seen throughout one cage. According to CIWF, these included “lice damage, seaweed growing in open wounds, gill damage, fin damage, white heads, abrasions and lesions and damage to mouths”. Some fish were “missing eyes and had large chunks of flesh missing”, it said. CIWF has reported these findings to the UK Government’s Animal and Plant Health Agency, alleging there had been violations of the 2006 Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act…
At other farms runs by different companies, CIWF claimed there were “lethargic salmon working hard to breath in dirty water”, “salmon with deformity of the spin” and “dead salmon floating”. CIWF also said it found “substantially damaged fish”, “overcrowding” and “dumpsters filled with dead fish exposed to wildlife, possibly posing a biosecurity risk”… “Salmon are silently suffering, out of sight, in cruel underwater factory farms across Scotland. Even the experienced investigators were shocked at what they found,” said Sophie Peutrill, Compassion in World Farming’s global campaign manager for fish welfare.
“The footage reveals salmon with deformities and disease, missing eyes and large chunks of flesh and skin being eaten away by sea lice. This is completely unacceptable.” Peutrill added: “Salmon are sentient beings – they should not be subjected to such awful misery. There is an industry-wide failure to protect these animals, and this must change. We need an immediate halt on the continued expansion of Scottish salmon farming.” Millions of dead salmon dumped, burnt or destroyed.
The Scottish animal campaign group, OneKind, agreed that millions of salmon were suffering “out of sight” on Scotland’s fish farms. It has produced a report with CIWF entitled “Underwater Cages, Parasites and Dead Fish”… The Ferret has been reporting on the industry for more than five years, and has previously published video footage showing lice-ridden and damaged fish. Between 14-21 March 2021 we ran a series of stories on public funding, pollution and dead fish disposal. SOURCE…