MSA Respond to SEPA’s Proposals for Managing Interactions Between Sea Lice from Marine Finfish Farm Developments and Wild Atlantic Salmon in Scotland
Credit: Chris Conroy
The Missing Salmon Alliance (MSA) have this week responded to the proposals outlined by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) for a risk-based framework for managing interaction between sea lice from marine finfish farm developments and wild Atlantic salmon in Scotland.
The impacts of salmon lice emanating from salmon farms on wild Atlantic salmon and sea trout can be severe and result in salmon lice induced mortality on salmonid populations.
The MSA recognise that if delivered appropriately, the principles set out by SEPA have the potential to significantly improve the regulation of wild-farmed salmon interactions. However, in order for this to be the case, these principles need to be delivered at pace, cover existing farms as well as new, and provide protection to sea trout.
The information collected through the West Coast Tracking Project, gathered by MSA members Fisheries Management Scotland and the Atlantic Salmon Trust, is essential to understanding the variation in passage times for tracked smolts across Salmon Protection Zones and consequently exposure time to sea lice. The preliminary data gained from the project has been shared in the response to SEPA and further input has been offered as the project continues in 2022.
We do not feel that the consultation was clear on these vital issues, we identify that more information is required, and we expect SEPA to set a clear timeline for implementation of these licence consolidations.
The MSA are calling for the regulatory framework to deliver on our International Commitments and meet the tests set out in the Salmon Interactions Working Group (SIWC) of being robust, transparent, enforceable, and enforced.
Further to this, we are advocating that SEPA’s intent for the framework should be on protecting the environment, through protecting wild salmonid populations from impacts from sea lice, and ensuring that we meet the NASCO International Goal for “100% of farms to have effective sea lice management such that there is no increase in sea lice loads of lice-induced mortality of wild salmonids attributable to the farms”.
As an Alliance of six organisations, we will build on the existing work of our partners and maximise our impact by taking a coordinated approach and vital action in order to halt and reverse the decline of wild Atlantic salmon.
The goal of the Missing Salmon Alliance is to build an evidence-base to influence national and international decision-makers to regulate activities that adversely impact wild Atlantic salmon.
The Missing Salmon Alliance
The MSA is comprised of the following members:
Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, Atlantic Salmon Trust, the Angling Trust with Fish Legal, The Rivers Trust and Fisheries Management Scotland.
https://www.missingsalmonalliance.org