Predator net investment pays off

SCOTTISH Sea Farms has reported a significant reduction in ‘last resort’ seal shootings as its investment in rigid new pen netting systems exceeds £5.7 million.

In the first six months of the current reporting period (February 2019 to January 2020), the salmon grower saw two seal deaths across its 43-strong estate of marine farms - a reduction of five compared with the same period last year, six compared with 2017 and seven compared with 2016.

Scottish Sea Farms’ managing director Jim Gallagher said:‘We won’t be happy until we achieve zero seal deaths. However, our multi-million pound investment to roll out protective Seal Pro netting across as many of our farms as possible, as quickly as possible, is another example of our commitment to farm as responsibly and as sustainably as we can.

‘Not only do the tougher, more rigid nets help to deter seals, but by protecting our salmon from the stress of predation and the subsequent health challenges that can cause, they also contribute to fish welfare.’

Scottish Sea Farms has now equipped more than half of its marine farms with Seal Pro nets at a cost of £4.2 million, with a further £1.5 million worth of nets set to be deployed between August and October 2019, bringing the total investment to date to £5.7 million – with more to follow.

Included in the latest roll-out will be next generation Seal Pro Excel netting which has been engineered to be the strongest, most unyielding version yet offering even greater protection.

Scottish Sea Farms’ head of fish health, Dr Ralph Bickerdike, said: ‘In the hunt for food, seals are occasionally relocating from farms that have Seal Pro nets to nearby farms that have previously had no significant seal challenge, hence our drive to protect all farms.’

The company is also trialling the ‘electric fish’ deterrent pioneered by Dundee based Ace Aquatec.