by Anne MacLennan
In November, the ReRoot film club watched Until the end of the World, a disturbing look at fish farming and its impacts in Europe, Africa and Antarctica. The film maker visited farms, feed-processing facilities and local communities. He discovered some major societal and environmental costs of the industry. Rapid expansion across the world increases the demands for feed. Vast amounts of Antarctic krill are currently being caught and transported across the globe for processing and then to the captive fish. Too bad that it’s the main source of food for whales, seals and penguins.
The discussion session started with a sense of gloom. The global picture was not good, but there are also very real implications for the Scottish aquaculture industry, which is set to grow significantly. We were fortunate to have people in the audience knowledgeable about the situation in Skye and across Scotland. During a lively discussion, the mood suddenly lifted as the possibility of doing something about it became apparent. People shared their own responses, but there was keen interest in supporting and reinvigorating the existing Scottish Salmon Think Tank. To this end, an online meeting was subsequently arranged for the end of November to discuss the next steps. There will be initial feedback from the meeting at the film evening on 5th December, and commentary in the next SCA newsletter.
The timing of this renewed interest may be particularly appropriate. On 13th November, 50 businesses, community and other groups sent an open letter to the Scottish Government requesting a re-evaluation of policy on open net salmon farming. They wrote that ‘economic benefits of the industry have not been adequately weighed against its detrimental impacts’. Read the full letter here.
Other useful sites for Scottish information include mortality data, the Salmon Aquaculture Reform Network Scotland and the Coastal Communities Network.