Loch Long Salmon (LLS) boss Stewart Hawthorn has hit back at claims that his company’s proposed “transformative” fish farm at the south end of Loch Linnhe is an “act of unimaginable vandalism”.
LLS has lodged a Proposal of Application Notice to Argyll and Bute Council for eight semi-closed salmon pens, 50m in diameter, half a kilometre west of Lurignish Farm, between Shuna Island and Eilean Balnagowan.
However, a community living by loch are fighting to stop what would be Scotland’s largest fish farm.
Long Live Loch Linnhe, a collective of concerned local residents, is in the process of launching a petition with the Scottish Parliament in a bid to stop the proposals.
The group say the pens have never been tested in the UK and have a chequered track record internationally.
In a recent press release the group claim that the “huge experiment” would see “salmon equivalent to 11,000 cows in Loch Linnhe” and that the amount of raw sewage going into the loch from the farm will be equivalent to solid waste from “almost six times the entire human population of Oban”.
Jane Hartnell-Beavis, a volunteer with the group, said: “We are so worried by what we feel would be an irreversible act of vandalism, that our group of brilliant volunteers has compiled extensive evidence that refutes the claims being made by Loch Long Salmon.
“We are speaking to everyone who is concerned about the proposals and the future of the loch and surrounding area.”
The proposed farm’s semi-closed pens differ from traditional open net farms in that a giant bag separates the salmon from the sea.
Water is pumped from below and the developers claim that they will be able to gather 85 per cent of the solid waste and pipe it ashore.
Jane added: “Any failures could have catastrophic impacts on the fragile wild salmon population, on the marine and coastal environment, and on the local communities and businesses.
“This is an unacceptable experiment with our loch and livelihoods. We will not be their guinea pigs.”
Speaking to the Lochaber Times last week Stewart Hawthorn, LLS managing director, called the release “very misleading, inaccurate and inflammatory”.
“I don’t think it is right that people should be putting inaccurate information into the public domain in the way that they have,” he told us.
“The project is not experimental, it has been proven to work overseas and has shown to be effective over many years of research.
“It completely prevents the need for any sea lice treatments as it stops sea lice developing breeding populations.
“There has never been any fish that have escaped from these systems.
“The bag that surrounds the farm protects the external environment of the loch and acts as a settlement chamber so almost all the poo sinks to the bottom and is collected so that we can bring it ashore and turn it into green energy.”
“All in all we are ensuring fish health and welfare on the farms will be improved and there will be much reduced environmental impacts.”
Over the past month or so LLS has held public consultation events in Duror and Appin and is in the process of arranging one in the Ardgour area.
“There are lots of ways that members of the public can engage with the formal process and I would strongly encourage that to make sure any inaccurate information is addressed,” concluded Mr Hawthorn.