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Marine Fish Farms (Legislative and Regulatory Control) (PE1598)
Item 2 is consideration of petition PE1598, on protecting wild salmonids from sea lice from Scottish salmon farms. Previous consideration of the petition is detailed in paper 3. I note that in April the committee received a letter from the petitioner. I also point out that members of the committee visited a salmon farm barely two weeks ago to look at how it operated. Would any members like to comment on the petition before I move on to make a suggestion about further action on it?
For completeness, I put it on the record that I have also visited a salmon farm recently and have met representatives of the petitioner, so views were expressed to me personally that I will not directly share. It is clear that the salmon fishing industry and the wild salmon industry are both significant and important industries for Scotland. Whatever we choose to do with the petition, it is a perfectly proper petition. We should certainly treat the matter seriously and make sure that at the end of the day we come to a balanced view and help to inform public policy.
I did not participate in the recent visit that the convener and others went on but I, likewise, have visited a farm on the back of a request to do so. I am also keen that we are seen to be addressing the understandable and growing public concern about the issue. I understand that the convener will make a suggestion and we will maybe take the matter forward from there.
I also visited a fish farm when I was previously a member of the Parliament, although I have not done so recently. The issue has been on-going for years, is really important and we should address it. I look forward to the convener’s suggestion.
I need to chastise myself for being remiss and not declaring an interest at the outset of the discussion, as I have a wild fishery interest in my entry in the register of interests, which members can look at.
I take the points that have been raised. I suggest that the committee might like to consider allowing the petition to continue and, to address the points that John Finnie and other committee members have raised, to look to carry out an inquiry into aquaculture, probably early in 2018. It would be extremely helpful to try to find common ground between the interests, which Stewart Stevenson has said are very important to Scotland as a whole. I seek the committee’s approval to carry that out. Are we agreed on that?
Members indicated agreement.
There is one other matter to bring to the committee’s attention. An opportunity has arisen to have some research carried out by the Scottish Parliament information centre: a review of the literature on the environmental impacts of farmed salmon in Scotland. I propose to ask SPICe to carry out that work in advance of our inquiry. I make it clear that I have been in conversation with the convener of the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee to discuss how we can consider the issue together, to ensure that we have the best possible impact.
I make a request that the research look at the situation in other countries, such as Norway and Ireland, where there has been an issue for years. Specific research has been done on those countries that could be useful to the committee.
Absolutely. The research will take the form of a literature review, which will be as broad and far reaching as possible, to allow us to make proper and informed decisions.