Dumped into the dunes... thousands of rotten, disease ridden salmon
ISLANDERS are being plagued by the stench of dead salmon dumped beneath sand dunes.
Campaigners are concerned about the large number of unprocessed fish being buried on a beach in North Uist by Whiteshore Cockles.
The firm was given permission to dispose of dead fish in the dunes near Kyles Paible in 2016 until a planned processing plant was completed.
Normally salmon farms must dispose of dead fish via incineration, composting or by turning them into biogas.
But five years on, the company’s planned processing plant, which will produce fish oil and fishmeal, has not been completed.
Don Staniford, director of campaign group Scottish Salmon Watch, released a video of the site earlier this month. He said: ‘This is the sordid side of Scotkept
‘A risk of smells dispersing widely’
tish salmon, the disease-ridden nature of salmon farming that the industry doesn’t want you to see.
‘Shoppers and tourists alike will be shocked to see mass graves of diseaseridden Scottish salmon lying near EU- protected sites.’
Environmentalist Ewan Kennedy said: ‘It’s extremely concerning to learn that massive quantities of diseased fish, many dead from viruses, are still being dumped in open landfill.’
The EU had previously flagged concerns of unprocessed fish going to landfill sites and urged the UK to follow environmental legislation.
Whiteshore Cockles has admitted that the process is causing problems for local residents.
In correspondence with Western Isles Council, the company said: ‘The current system of burying the fish waste has one major drawback. The fish are all
outside while the burial area is being prepared, and if there is a south-west wind then odours can be prevalent within the local community.
‘The pits are covered with several layers of seaweed to allow for the natural regeneration of the ground.’
The company added: ‘But again, till the waste has settled, there is always the risk of smells dispersing widely.’
The firm’s owner, Angus MacDonald, said he had purchased an industrial drying system to resolve the problem.
He told the BBC, ‘I’m not going to continue burial for much longer because I have a new state-of-the-art unit coming in.’
The firm previously said it had spent years ‘designing and constructing a unique drying system plant’ and that engineers would ‘connect the final pipework to make it operational’ when Covid restrictions are eased. Whiteshore Cockles also said it was researching ways to turn excess fishmeal into products for the local crofting and fishing community.
A spokesman for Western Isles Council said: ‘We are aware of the concerns around the facility.’
A spokesman for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency confirmed that Whiteshore would require a pollution prevention permit to operate the new facility, saying: ‘We are currently awaiting an application.’