Anti-fish-farm campaigner in Lamlash
Don Staniford, who ruffled the status quo in Canada by claiming that farmed fish should carry a health warning similar to those on cigarette packets, made a flying visit to Arran early this month. Accompanied by Elena Edwards, who, with Howard Wood of COAST, recorded video interviews with local people, he approached the Lamlash St Molios fish farm as closely as possible via the beach, as its access road is now gated against public access. There, he talked to Ian Cook of Whiting Bay about the increasing quantities of chemical additive needed to keep caged salmon from being eaten alive by sea lice, and by the diseases that have twice wiped out the entire stock at the Lamlash farm.
Don is not against eating fish, but he contends that marine animals should live healthy lives, with the freedom to move about. The argument is very similar to the protest about battery hens, which the cage-owners claimed to be essential for the provision of cheap eggs. When the public realised just how disgusting the process was, it collectively opted for free range eggs, and the battery industry lost its grip on the market. Free-range salmon is the aim of Don Staniford and his many supporters. It is of course tied up with the broader need to restore the health of the oceans and all its living creatures – but meanwhile, those of us who know something about what goes on in the fish cages would not dream of eating farmed salmon.
Don’s blog gives a lively account of his Arran visit, with lots of pictures.
See this link for the video shot by Elena and by Howard Wood of COAST.
The Herald on November 30th 2012 carried a damning admission from the Scottish Salmon Company (SSC) that disease among its caged fish had decimated profits. The company admitted that it could lose 1000 tons of fish, and reported a fall in net earnings in the quarter from £690,000 to £130,000, and said: “The incidence of Amoebic Gill Disease and other biological challenges … has led to increased mortalities, lower growth and increased production costs.”
