Salmon farmer chooses tougher nets after escape
The Scottish Salmon Company is to install new rigid netting at its Geasgill site off the Isle of Mull following the escape of nearly 14,000 salmon from a pen during Storm Brendan in January.
SSC lost 13,952 salmon with an average weight of 3kg from the pen on January 14.
A spokesperson for SSC, which is owned by Faroese salmon farmer Bakkafrost, said: “Severe weather conditions during Storm Brendan resulted in damage to one net at our Geasgill site.
Quick repair
“A temporary repair was quickly carried out at the time and a replacement net has since been installed. New Seal Pro rigid nets will also be installed across all pens.”
SSC said the escape was reported to Marine Scotland, and other stakeholders, and investigated in line with standard procedure.
“We practise a zero tolerance policy for fish escapes and have invested substantially in containment measures including early identification of risks through regular inspections and the implementation of a swift response to minimise any impact,” said the spokesperson.
Structural failure
Mowi Scotland also reported a fish escape during Storm Brendan. It lost 73,684 fish with an average weight of 1.74kg when the structural failure of a pen caused a tear in a net at its Colonsay site.
Mowi pointed out at the time that the farm’s net pens exceed both the Scottish and Norwegian technical standards for net pen design, and that the company and equipment supplier were immediately reviewing the net pen manufacturing process.
