Four more semi-closed fish farms ‘could be built on the west coast’

Another four fish farms using semi-closed systems could be built on Scotland’s west coast if a plan for Arrochar is successful.

The plan by Loch Long Salmon has seen over 250 comments from the public and has split MSPs from the SNP and Conservatives, who support it, from Green party MSPs, who have objected.

The company says that as well as the Beinn Reithe development it also has plans for a further four sites on the west coast, each creating at least 12 full-time equivalent jobs and contributing £100,000 to local community causes.

The Arrochar plan would be the first in the UK to use a semi-closed containment system – it has already been granted a licence by SEPA, but planning permission is needed from Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority – a site visit and special meeting of the full board are now scheduled for October 31.

This week Loch Long Salmon said it had released a list of endorsements for the new system from marine environmental groups – details of these are later in the story.

And SNP MSP Jenny Minto, who represents the neighbouring Argyll and Bute constituency, submitted a comment to the national park supporting the scheme, saying: “This project offers the park the opportunity to play a significant role by allowing a project that can demonstrate technology that could help transform the environmental performance of the wider aquaculture sector in rural Scotland.

“Proven technologies such as semi-closed containment offer an opportunity to vastly improve the sustainability and production output of aquaculture in Scotland.”

Her fellow SNP MSPs Angus Robertson has also written a letter of support, along with Conservatives Pam Gosal and Donald Cameron.

But Greens Ross Greer and Ariane Burgess have called for the plan to be rejected, saying: “We recognise that the semi-enclosed design of this fish farm claims to address concerns attributed to conventional farms, however the fact that this new fish farm is in the national park is understandably concerning.

“Nitrogen enrichment is a major concern; as facilities such as this one get more complex this increases the potential of technology failure or being unable to purify the scale of flows from the farm.

“This has the risk of creating harmful algal blooms in the surrounding warmer water.

“There is an increased chance of this happening due to the low flushing rate of Loch Long.

“Algal blooms are damaging to people and wildlife, and have a disruptive effect on tourism in this beautiful, nature-rich environment on the shores of one of Scotland’s designated national parks.”

The plan includes:

• Shorebase building and storage areas; oxygen storage vessels; feed silos; water treatment plant; mortality handling station/ensilage; a slipway; a pontoon; grid connection and generators; and a car park and HGV turning area.
• Four circular marine enclosures and one square harvesting facility and pipes bundled together providing power and oxygen and removing waste and transferring data. Each marine enclosure would have a float collar which would house control cabinets, pipes, splashboard, access platforms and would include a walkway with handrail. Bird nets supported by poles would extend above the float collar.
• Road upgrades including widening and the installation of additional passing places. A new section of access track is proposed.

Stewart Hawthorn, managing director of Loch Long Salmon, said: “Semi-closed containment technology has been shown to be safe and reliable through over 20 years deployment in marine environments in Norway, Canada and the Faroe Islands.”

“We are pleased to be bringing this technology to Scotland, that has been endorsed by many environmental- and conservation-focused groups as potentially transformational for the salmon farming sector here in Scotland.

“By setting up this first site in Scotland we can demonstrate what is possible and we expect to see wider adoption in other salmon farming areas.

“Our approach is different with no sea lice, capture of fish waste and no requirement for acoustic seal scaring devices.”

He said the technology has been endorsed has been endorsed by groups such as the Atlantic Salmon Trust, the Scottish Wildlife Trust Finfish Policy, and the Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust.

CEO of the Atlantic Salmon Trust, Mark Bilsby, said in an email to the company: “It is beyond doubt that wild Atlantic salmon and sea trout can suffer from the presence of open pen salmon aquaculture, due primarily to a combination of harm from sea lice infestations and interbreeding with fish farm escapees.

“These problems have severely impacted individual populations of wild salmon and sea trout. It is for this reason that the Atlantic Salmon Trust remains opposed to unsustainable open aquaculture.

“Whilst we cannot comment on the specific location and planning detail, as we do not have the detailed local management knowledge, the trust is supportive of the technology and approach that you are taking.

“Our logic behind this is that you are separating the sea lice and other pathogens from transferring between wild and farmed fish, and vice versa.

“As such, from our conservation point of view, the wild salmon and sea trout should not experience an increase in lice loading, if the technology performs as described. We cannot make a comment on the ability to prevent escapes from the facility, as the moorings and structural detail are beyond our technical expertise.”

Charles Millar, executive director of the Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust, said: “SIFT has long called for the adoption of closed containment of salmon farms in Scotland’s inshore waters, so the proposal by Loch Long Salmon appears to be a material move in that direction. To that extent, SIFT is supportive of Loch Long Salmon’s proposals.

“However it must be recognised with any development there are always concerns especially in a national park.

“We would trust that Loch Long Salmon does all it can to minimise visual intrusion given that Loch Long is one for the few Scottish sea lochs to yet have a salmon farm and that they take into account the fact that their development is within a national park where we understand that development can be supported if it is sustainable.”

In its aquaculture strategy the Scottish Wildlife Trust states: “To ensure finfish aquaculture develops sustainably, the Scottish Government should introduce an incentives scheme that provides economic and/or logistical support to the finfish aquaculture industry for the development and trialling of new technology, such as closed and semi-closed systems, aimed at reducing their impact on the environment.”

The plans are available on the national park website – the reference number is 2021/0357/DET .

A separate planning application has also been made to Argyll and Bute Council – the reference number for that is 21/02455/MFF and details are available on the council’s website.