Campbeltown Courier

Hundreds oppose first fish farm off Jura’s west coast

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Islanders on Jura are hitting back at plans for the first fish farm on its remote west coast. Kilmelford-based Kames Fish Farming Ltd, in a pre-planning applicatio­n to Argyll and Bute Council, is ‘scoping opinion’ for a 14-pen fin fish farm near Corpach Bay. An online petition to stop the fish farm, started by residents Louise Muir and deer stalker Craig Rozga, had collected 400 signatures in the first 24 hours, and more than 700 by Tuesday.

Precious

Mrs Muir, who has a background in environmen­tal conservati­on, said: ‘There are important principles at stake. It is a place precious to many who come to seek solitude and appreciate the remote and beautiful landscape. It is impossible to mitigate the visual impact; its presence alone would remove the wilderness and scenic qualities valued by many.’ The area is designated ‘wild land’ and an ‘area of panoramic quality’, and lies within the Inner Hebrides and The Minches Special Area of Conservati­on (SAC), she said, and is ‘rich in rare wildlife’, such as harbour porpoises, dolphins, and minke, killer and sei whales. ‘The plan shows acoustic deterrent devices (ADDs) would be used to deter seals. Cetaceans can be displaced by ADDs at ranges of 7km. The cumulative impact will be devastatin­g to these species. ‘The proposal is flawed: there has been no considerat­ion to the exposed nature of the site and the high potential for escaped stock and mooring instabilit­y of the cages. ‘There has been no hydrodynam­ic modelling, no benthic (seabed) biology survey submitted, maximum stocking biomass has been increased to levels for which further investigat­ions are needed and fallow periods are unsustaina­bly short. Impacts to other wildlife have not been considered.’ Stuart Cannon, managing director of Kames Fish Farming Limited, said it is ‘an environmen­tally responsibl­e company which has produced high quality, sustainabl­e fish for more than 45 years’. ‘We are very much aware there is a balance to be struck, and would not want to place a site where there would be risk to the amazing biodiversi­ty we have on the west coast. ‘We have withdrawn applicatio­ns in the past where the scientific assessment of the site has suggested the site is not suitable. We require new sites to meet the growing demand for our product and want to place these sites in areas deemed suitable by the applicatio­n process.’

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