Marine Scotland Science Role in
Aquaculture Planning
Matt Gubbins
Aquaculture Environment Interactions Group Leader
Aquaculture & Fish Health Programme
Contents
• Marine Scotland – structure
• Marine Scotland Science – role in aquaculture
regulation
• Statutory Consultee for Planning
– Environmental issues
– Wild fisheries issues
– Fish health & containment issues
• Working arrangements
Marine Scotland
Performance / Aquaculture
•Aquaculture Planning
•Aquaculture & Fish Health
Science
•Fish Health Inspectorate
•Aquaculture Environment Interactions
•Freshwater Laboratory
Planning and Policy
•Licensing Operations Team
•Marine Planning & Licensing
Compliance
Fisheries Division
Marine Scotland Science
Science Director
Marine Assessments Programme
Aquaculture & Fish Health Programme
Freshwater Programme
Marine Ecosystems Programme
Marine Analytical Unit
Aquaculture and Fish Health Programme
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Fish Health Inspectorate
Aquaculture Environment Interactions
Pathology and Bacteriology
Virology
Molecular Genetics
Epidemiology
Infection & Immunity
Aquarium Services
– Research Station - Aultbea
MSS Freshwater Laboratory,
Faskally, Pitlochry
• FL is responsible for monitoring the status of migratory and
freshwater fish populations in Scotland.
• Conduct research in support of scientific advice provided to the
Scottish Government in order to help protect fish and promote the
development of sustainable fisheries
• Contribute to the salmon management activities of the International
Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and to the North
Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO).
• Focus on salmonids – Atlantic salmon and sea trout
• Base for Scottish Fisheries Coordination Centre. Collaborate with
DSFBs, Fishery Research Trusts and Foundations, angling bodies,
TWG
MSS Role in Aquaculture Regulation
Fish Health Inspectorate
1.
Health of farmed fish under
The Aquatic Animal Health
(Scotland) Regulations 2009
2.
Containment and parasite
(sea lice) control under
The Aquaculture and Fisheries
(Scotland) Act 2007
A surveillance program of inspections is conducted under this legislation.
3. Authorisation of all Aquaculture Production Businesses (APB's) under
The Aquatic Animal Health (Scotland) Regulations 2009.
Applications for authorisation should be made to the FHI and authorisations will be
issued subject to businesses meeting certain conditions.
All new fish and shellfish farms are required to apply for authorisation before any
development takes place.
Licensing Operations Team
• Food Environment Protection Act, 1985 (II
Deposits in the sea) (FEPA)
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Wellboat discharges of sea lice bath treatments
5 vessels licensed
47 licenses, multiple cage sites
BPEO assessment
Consultation SNH, SEPA
• Coast Protection Act (1949)
– Section 34 consent
– Navigation issues
– Issued by Ports and Harbours Branch
• Marine Licence
– Marine (Scotland) Act 2010
– Spring 2011
Consultee / Advisory role
• Controlled Activities Regulations, 2005 (SEPA)
• Advice to Scottish Ministers on appeals / call-ins
• Statutory Consultee TCPA / EIA Regulations
– Pre-application consultation
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Locational Guidelines viewpoint
Scenario modelling
Environmental data for EIA
Management Area issues
– EIA Screening and Scoping (finfish only)
– EIA / Planning applications
MSS Statutory Consultee –
Working Arrangements
Single Point of Contact – Paul Stainer,
Licensing Operations Team (LOT)
Planning Coordinator – Anna Turnbull,
Aquaculture Environment Interactions
Internal Consultation
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‘Environmental’ and shellfish issues
Aquaculture Environment Interactions
Group
2)
Fish health and welfare issues
Fish Health Inspectorate
3)
Wild fisheries issues
Freshwater Programme, Freshwater
Laboratory, Pitlochry
Environmental issues
(EIA)
• Aquaculture Environment Interactions Group
• Nutrient enrichment
– Estimated enhancement (modelling)
– Sea loch / open coastal
– Cumulative effects
• Locational Guidelines
– Capacity estimates
– Category 1 ‘limit’
Locational Guidelines
• Lochs, voes, bays etc.
• Predicted current impacts
from fish farms
• Modelled nutrient
enhancement
• Modelled benthic impact
• Combined index
• Ranking of water bodies
• Precautionary
• Directs new developments
• Categories 1, 2, 3
• Updated quarterly
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/Directorates/Wealthier-and-Fairer/marine-scotland
Category 1 areas
West coast / Western Isles (5 areas)
Shetland (12 areas)
Environmental issues
(EIA)
– Chemical/medicine usage
• Sufficient licensed chemotherapeutants without breaching
EQS?
• Treatable biomass (in-feed), time to treat site (bath
treatments)
• Modelling done for CAR
– Benthic impacts (monitoring/modelling)
• Levels of impact acceptable?
– Historical benthic surveys
– AutoDEPOMOD modelling (CAR)
• Cumulative / remote impacts?
Environmental issues – Working Arrangements
Local Authority
MSS Central Contact
MSS Central Contact
AEI
SNH
SEPA
• Avoids conflicting responses (concensus)
• Avoids superfluous requests for environmental data
• Requires long consultation periods
Fish Health, Containment and Sea Lice
(Planning)
Katy Urquhart
Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI) comment on:
• disease risk implications,
• fish health and welfare,
• sea lice control
• containment
Considerations:
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Location and proximity to other aquaculture sites
– Comment on any sites within 1000m
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MSS disease Management Areas
• Surveillance and control of notifiable diseases
– Check existing MA’s won’t conjoin
– State which MA site will be in and advise to operate
within agreement with all operators in this area
(synchronous fallowing and treatments, single year
class)
Fish Health, Containment and Sea Lice considerations contd.
(Planning)
Stocking and husbandry techniques
• Species to be stocked – generally against multiple fish species,
Stocking density – below 22 kg/m3 used as a guide
• Mortality removal procedures and frequency of these procedures.
Also method of disposal of mortalities.
Sea lice
• Treatments consented for use and method of administration
• Other non treatment based strategies in place for controlling sea lice
– operating as part of AMA
– synchronous fallowing
– single year class
– biological control
Fish Health, Containment and Sea Lice considerations contd.
(Planning)
Containment
• Equipment in use to minimise predator interactions
• Contingency plan detailing actions to be taken in event of an
escape
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Physical actions to prevent further escape
Paperwork e.g. notifications
Suitability of equipment (cages, moorings and nets) in use at site
in question
– Attestation from suppliers or suitably qualified individual
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– Equipment specifications detailing the environmental conditions the cages and
moorings can withstand in combination with details of the environmental
conditions experienced at the site location.
Wild fisheries issues
(EIA)
Alisdair MacDonald / Mike Miles
MSS Freshwater Laboratory considers:
• Potential impacts of disease and parasites on wild fish
resulting from the presence of fish farms
• Impacts of escaped farmed fish through inter-breeding and
competition with wild fish
• Introduction of non-native farmed species
Wild fisheries issues contd.
(EIA)
Alisdair MacDonald / Mike Miles
The factors taken into account are:
• Site location in relation to migratory salmonid rivers.
• Proposed / existing levels of sea lice control.
• Membership of a Farm Management Agreement and AMA.
• Evidence of the adherence to the industry Code of Good
Practice.
• Presence of a robust containment and escapes contingency
plan.
Wild fisheries issues – Working Arrangements
Local Authority
MSS Central Contact
MSS Central Contact
FL
SNH
DSFB
• Targeted cases
• Share data / opinions
Shellfish Issues
(Planning)
• Environment
– Biological capacity estimates
– Risk assessments based on tidal flushing vs
filtration
– Seabed impacts
• Disease / containment
– Co-culture with finfish
– Crassostrea gigas containment
• Shellfish hygiene
– Algal toxins
– Bacterial contamination (classification)
– Depuration facilities
Supporting staff
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Anna Turnbull (Aquaculture Planning Coordinator)
Paul Stainer (Planning administrator)
Matt Gubbins (Aquaculture Environment Interactions)
Charles Allan (Fish Health Inspectorate)
Katy A Urquhart (Fish Health Inspectorate)
Jacqueline Parker (Fish Health Inspectorate)
Alisdair MacDonald (Freshwater Laboratory)
Mike Miles (Freshwater Laboratory)
John Armstrong (Freshwater Laboratory)
Shona Kinnear (Shellfish Hygiene)
John Turriff (Shellfish Hygiene)