Raising the standard

Industry hopes new rules will help reduce escapes

The new technical standard for Scottish finfish aquaculture was published by the Scottish government last month. The aim of the standard is to help ensure all finfish farms in Scotland have the appropriate equipment and operational procedures to prevent escapes.

It applies to the farming of all species of finfish in Scotland, with all equipment expected to meet the requirements by 2020.

This technical standard is the result of wide ranging discussions within the industry, which met under the auspices of the Improved Containment Working Group, set up by Marine Scotland in 2009 and chaired by Marine Harvest’s Steve Bracken.

Also involved in the group were representatives from the Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, Marine Conservation Society and the Scottish Association for Marine Science.

The new standard determines technical requirements for fish farm equipment and will be implemented by the Aquaculture and Fisheries (Scotland) Act 2013, which allows Scottish ministers to make regulations requiring Scotland’s fish farming industry to adopt a technical standard and ensure a suitably trained workforce.

The standard should be used alongside operational procedures, codes of practice, operators’ manuals, and the training of staff to ensure equipment is used appropriately and that procedures are followed correctly.

However, there is no mention of specific types of training or qualifications in the legislation.

The Scottish technical standards will be reviewed and updated to reflect innovation and best practice development across the industry.

The standard applies to the farming of all species of finfish in Scotland:

At all sea water pen sites (stocked and unstocked sites);

At all freshwater pen sites (stocked and unstocked sites); When transferring and storing pens and nets; At all land based farms (including tanks, ponds and raceways) regarding screens, flood risk and power failure and,

When using fish transfer pipes and helicopter bins for transferring fish.

The standard applies to a wide range of people involved with the above operations in Scottish finfish farming including (but not limited to):

Equipment suppliers including the provision of pens, nets, mooring systems and components, weighting systems and ancillary equipment;

Service providers including site surveyors, mooring designers, transport companies, boat suppliers (including work boats, well boats and feed boats) and mooring installers; and,

Finfish company owners, directors and managers, purchasing managers, health and safety managers, environmental managers, boat skippers and operatives, maintenance personnel and certain operational staff.

Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Dr Aileen McLeod said: ‘The standard, along with a trained workforce, should reinforce industry’s improved record on containment and help to significantly reduce the risk of escapes in the future.

‘Aquaculture is already worth £1.75 billion to our economy and vital, economically and socially, to many of our most remote rural communities which depend on aquaculture as an economic mainstay.

‘Preventing valuable stock loss brings environmental and economic benefits.’

“The new standard determines technical equipment” requirements for fish farm