Controversial fish feed barge spends a night off Lismore
A fish farm feed barge that sank in a storm off Skye in 2021 and caused controversy when its rotting cargo released hydrogen sulphide gas has spent the night near Lismore.
This week the barge’s owner, Bakkafrost Scotland, was having the 400-tonne concrete vessel towed by a tug boat to Ardyne on Loch Striven.
Sightings of the barge as it made its way down the Sound of Mull on Monday from Loch Reraig stirred speculation and concerned claims by some eco-watchers that the barge could still be “toxic” and be “flytipping” its cargo “at speed” with a possible plan of sinking it south of Lismore Lighthouse.
An alert was put out on Lismore’s Facebook page tipping off islanders that the barge was heading their way.
For a year, the barge sat where it sank in Portree Bay until it was raised last November. For the last two months, it was beached in Loch Reraig to wait the final stages of its recovery.
The Oban Times contacted Bakkafrost to ask if the barge was still carrying some of its rotting cargo and what plans the company had at Lismore. We also asked where the barge was heading next.
A Bakkafrost Scotland spokesperson responded, saying: “Following the removal from Loch Reraig, and a full inspection by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the barge is currently being transported to a Bakkafrost Scotland facility.
“The company has been liaising with each of the relevant authorities throughout the process of removing the barge from its original location in Portree and Bakkafrost Scotland remains fully committed to ensuring public safety in relation to all of its operations, vessels and equipment.”
In January, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, SEPA, told us its regulatory role was ensuring waste feed within the barge was recovered or disposed of in accordance with waste management legislation. And it also told us the waste feed removed from the barge at that stage had been taken by vessel to the mainland, then to an appropriately licensed facility onshore for processing.
NatureScot, the agency protecting Scotland’s natural heritage, also said in January there has been no reported or identified impacts to the protected areas.
The barge hit headlines last summer when hydrogen sulphide – the foul odour of rotten eggs – produced by the decomposing fish feed bubbled up to the surface, triggering a multi-agency response and a 500m exclusion zone for the gas to be safely vented.
Highland Council said there was not considered to be any risk to the public as a result of the low levels of hydrogen sulphide detected.