Mowi Scotland backs study to assess impact of Storm Amy escape
An estimated 75,000 farmed salmon escaped from one pen at Mowi Scotland’s Gorsten site in October. Now, the company is working with a local fishery conservation body to see what impact the escape might be having on the wild salmon population.
The incident took place during Storm Amy, one of the most severe storms to hit Scotland’s west coast this year. It has been attributed to damage caused to the net by a mooring fixture than came loose in the heavy weather.
The River Lochy Association and Mowi Scotland have now agreed a long term and wide-ranging scientific study to examine the potential impacts of the escape.
The fish involved had an average weight of 860g and were sexually immature. They came from the company’s RAS (recirculating aquaculture system) facilities and Mowi said they are expected to have a very low level of survival in the wild.
The study, funded by Mowi, which will also utilise the genetic expertise of the Institute for Biodiversity and Freshwater Conservation at UHI Inverness, will allow Mowi Scotland and the River Lochy Association to monitor and mitigate any adverse impacts on the salmonid biology within the catchment area.
Immediately following the escape, Mowi says, in consultation and coordination with the River Lochy Association, the company took the following steps:
- Immediate recapture of fish that entered local and more distant rivers. Mowi says: “Due to the timing of the escape so close to the salmon and trout spawning season, and the height of the rivers at the time, it was decided not to use nets but to rod catch as many fish as possible”.
- More than 100 anglers were deployed throughout the region and beyond. All captures were reported on the Fisheries Management Scotland escapes reporting app. As of now, 440 captures (all immature and weighing 0.5 to 2.5kg) have been reported, with the vast majority in the lower reaches of the Rivers Lochy and Leven.
Mowi and the River Lochy Association have now set out the scope of the long-term study, including:
- Scale samples will be taken from the majority of rod-caught adult returning salmon in both the Lochy and Leven rivers in 2026 and 2027. These samples will be genetically screened against the farm stock to ascertain the level (if any) of farmed fish from this escape in the returning adult fish from the ocean.
- In 2026 local teams of fisheries biologists will undertake timed electro-fishing surveys on all major salmon catchments in the Upper Linnhe region and take samples of fry for genetic screening. This will form the baseline “pre-incident” survey. 58 known fry sampling sites will be used with a wide geographic spread of sites in each catchment. A minimum of 20 and a maximum of 30 fry will be sampled at each site using non-lethal caudal fin clips taken from anaesthetised fish.
- In 2027 and 2028 the above fry sampling will be repeated, and these years will be used to detect the genetic impact (if any) in the wild population from this escape event.
Commenting on the plan, Jon Gibb, Manager of the River Lochy Association and Director of the Lochaber District Salmon Fishery Board, said: “Obviously an escape of farmed salmon into the wild is something that nobody wants to see. But I am confident that between Mowi and the River Lochy Association, the local wild fishery management body, that we have designed a comprehensive three-year genetic monitoring plan that will definitively identify whether there will be any impact whatsoever from this unfortunate incident on the local wild salmon population.”
Stephen MacIntyre, Head of Environment at Mowi Scotland, added: “While we are disappointed this incident occurred, we acknowledge our responsibility to monitor and assess the potential for any adverse impacts on local wild salmon populations. Using this scientific approach, the monitoring study will determine whether there is evidence of any changes in the genetic composition of wild salmon arising from the escape incident.
“We look forward to supporting the delivery of the study with the River Lochy Association over the next three years.”
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