KILLER parasites in Scottish salmon farms are at their lowest level in six years, industry leaders say.
Naturally occurring sea lice have become a major problem for the country's 200-plus salmon farms. Infestations of the tiny creatures contribute to mortalities in the facilities, eating through skin and causing bloody lesions.
While some fish survive them, others do not and the issue has been the focus of much of the criticism of the billion-pound sector, which uses a variety of measures to tackle the lice, including the introduction of cleaner fish to eat them and the deployment of shock treatment and chemical medicines.
That measure has also raised concerns about pollution to natural waters.
READ MORE: Watchdog warms Scottish salmon farms are polluting seas
Now the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO) says the sector has taken a "major step forward" after slashing lice levels and medicine spending.
Speaking at the Fish Veterinary Society Conference in Uphall, West Lothian, SSPO chief executive Julie Hesketh-Laird told delegates the sector’s spend on medicinal treatments has fallen by almost 50% to £9.7 million in the last three years as producers shift to cleaner fish and fresh water treatments.
These changes are also said to have contributed to falling sea lice averages, which were last year at their lowest level since 2013.
Spending on alternatives like the hydrolicer and thermolicer, which use water and temperature to remove the parasites, has risen to around £53.5m over the period.
However, these have been linked to mass mortalities at facilities around the country, with thousands of fish killed accidentally over the past few years, according to figures released by the Scottish Government.
Norwegian multinational Marine Harvest, one of the biggest players in Scottish farmed salmon, lost more than 175,000 fish this way, according to Scottish Government memos released in 2016.
However, the latest farm-by-farm figures show the average monthly salmon survival rate last year was 99%.
Commenting on the newly published results, Hesketh-Laird said: “Fish health and welfare is at the very heart of successful salmon farming.
"In spite of changing and challenging marine conditions, salmon farmers are working successfully to innovate, collaborate, take action and manage fish health and welfare.
“Scotland is leading the world in the reporting of salmon survival data and in the sustained management of sea lice. This demonstrates our willingness to be open about our operations and standards of fish health and welfare.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here