Chamber and committees

That probably demonstrates the fact that it is unclear who should be doing what.

Recommendation 53 in the REC Committee’s report says that poorly sited fish farms should be re-sited and that

“this should be led by Marine Scotland”.

I think that one farm was re-sited from the mouth of the River Ewe not long after the committee made that recommendation. Are you aware of any other farms being re-sited? Have you recommended any such moves—having worked out on the map that has not yet been produced where are good areas, where are bad areas and which farms should be re-sited? When will that happen?

Thank you very much, Lin.

Yes. Thank you, convener.

I remind committee members that, if they look at my entry in the register of members’ interests, they will see that I have an interest in a wild salmon fishery on the River Spey on the east coast of Scotland, which relies on wild fish and employs three people. As far as aquaculture is concerned, there are no fish farms near the River Spey.

In 2018, when I was on the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee, we thought that aquaculture had a role in Scotland and could be expanded. Recommendation 51 of our “Salmon farming in Scotland” report asked for priority to be given to creating “a spatial planning exercise” to see where salmon farms could and could not go. We envisaged a map. Does such a map exist? Have you done the spatial planning that was asked for five years ago?

So, you have no role in worrying about mortality and the effect that that will have on the environment?

Do you support the precautionary principle?

I absolutely understand that, but you also went on to say that there is a lack of knowledge of fish farming. You mentioned lice treatments. The effects of emamectin benzoate and hydrogen peroxide, which are two of the main treatments, are not known. There is no evidence of whether the lice are building up resistance, whether the treatments are working or what the effects on other crustaceans are. Do you agree with that as a summary?

The treatments will affect other crustaceans, such as crabs, lobsters, shrimps and prawns.

Do you have a map of the waters around Scotland showing where it is suitable to have aquaculture and where it is not? That is what the recommendation called for.

And that is five years later.

Recommendation 10 of the REC Committee’s report is that

“there should be a process in place which allows robust intervention by regulators when serious fish mortality events occur.”

Last year, mortality at Kishorn farms A, B and C over three months varied from roughly 37 to 43 to 48 per cent. That is nearly 50 per cent of the fish in one of those farms dying in a three-month period. Did you inspect them? What was the outcome of that inspection?