‘ Lice- iest’ fish farms revealed

For those of your who can barely remember what a River Doon salmon looks like – never mind tastes like! – there is a glimmer of good news.

Salmon and Trout Conservation Scotland , with many active Ayrshire members, has finally won its battle to “name and shame” the ‘ lice- iest’ fish farms. And it makes horrific reading.

Fish farms, yes, the ones who supply your supermarket, are growing fish with lice counts that at double, triple - and sometimes off the scale – of the highest permitted level.

These are the lice that escape to contaminate the wild river salmon – they virtually eat the young fish alive – and have depleted current river stocks to the lowest levels on record.

It’s been going on for years, but such is the power of the fish farm lobby that the very mention of “lost jobs” or “lost exports” sends government officialdom into hiding.

These scathing new figures will give the farm owners no hiding place. I note that an e- mail exposing the scores of fish farms ignoring lice limits has been copied in to MSP, John Scott. If John is not already a member of the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee – I invite him to grab a seat as soon as possible. Their first site visit will be an eye opener.