Anglers condemn debris left behind by fish farms giant Marine Harvest

sea trout group urges company to clean up its act at abandoned site in special conservation area

By eilidh davies

Published:

ABANDONED: Mooring blocks, chains and other debris left behind at Laudale Farm on the shores of Loch Sunart in Argyll

A bundle of rope and a pile of plastic pipes await removal

An angling group is calling on the world’s biggest fish farming company to clean up its act and remove the debris that it left behind at a former fish farm in a Special Area of Conservation in Ardnamurchan.

But yesterdayMarine Harvest said after closing the farm several years ago it had stored equipment on the shore base and that it was still gradually removing equipment off the site at Laudale Farm at Loch Sunart, near Strontian.

The Sea Trout Group (STG) said it believed the “careless behaviour” by Marine Harvest does not bode well for good stewardship of the coast and seas.

It made the comment as the Scottish Government continues a consultation on the country’s first Marine Bill.

STG member Ronnie Picken, who is also president of the Scottish Anglers’ National Association, said: “We feel that the fact Marine Harvest has left this mess, despite complaints from local people over the years, is a sad reflection of the complacent attitude salmon farmers have to the environment.

“Companies which are using our waters to grow their fish for the profit of their shareholders have a duty to look after the environment, not a right to use and misuse it. We call on local planning authorities and Scottish ministers to ensure that Marine Harvest and the other salmon farming companies operating here sharpen up their act and clean up their mess.”

A spokesman for Marine Harvest confirmed that Laudale Farm was no longer an active salmon farm, but had been turned over to farming mussels instead.

He added: “Where possible, this is part of our relocation strategy to move farms away from river mouths. We are very pleased to say that we are seeing very low recorded levels of lice in the loch as a result of this strategy.”

The spokesman added: “When we closed the farm, we stored farming equipment such as mooring blocks and pens on our shore base. This equipment is gradually being moved off the site. The black plastic feed system pipes that we have stored are waiting to be cut up and sent off for recycling.

“In this process a large quantity has been collected together to benefit haulage costs and we apologise for the temporary appearance of the shore base.”

STG is a group of angling enthusiasts supported by the Salmon and Trout Association and Scottish Anglers National Association.

The group is campaigning for the protection and restoration of stocks of sea trout and salmon in Scotland, particularly in regard to minimising damage caused by marine aquaculture.