Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S4W-10672

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 13 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many salmon have escaped from fish farms and bred with wild salmon since 1999.

Question reference: S4W-10679

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 13 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the returns of sockeye salmon to the Fraser River in Canada have on the Scottish salmon industry.

Question reference: S4W-10689

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 13 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will convene a summit of salmon producers to exchange information on the challenges and opportunities for the industry.

The Scottish Government’s Ministerial Group on Aquaculture (MGA) meets regularly to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the aquaculture industry, and to undertake programmes of work to overcome these challenges and deliver these opportunities. This last met on 31 October at which time a refocused model of delivery of the MGA was discussed. The salmon producers are well represented on the MGA.

Question reference: S4W-10669

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 12 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what independent research it has commissioned since 2004 on the environmental impact of finfish farms.

The Scottish Government have commissioned the following independent research projects since 2004 relating either directly or indirectly to aquaculture.

Project Title	Date Project Start	Date Project End
Development of high level indicators to assess deliverability of a sustainable Scottish aquaculture industry through a desk top study	01-11-2005	10-03-2006
An investigation of the cost structure and international competitiveness of the salmon growing industry in Scotland - Stage one.	01-06-2005	31-08-2005
Detailed investigation of a range of issues to assess the cost structure & competitiveness of salmon growing industry in Scotland - stage 2	18-02-2008	19-05-2008
Impact assessment of the proposed extension of 31 special protection areas into the marine environment in Scottish territorial waters	01-07-2008	31-10-2008
An economic evaluation of the impact of the salmon parasite Gyrodactylus (gs) should it be introduced into Scotland	03-10-2005	30-09-2006
Passive monitoring of sea lice	01-11-2005	30-04-2007
Entanglement of minke whales in Scottish waters: an investigation into occurrance causes and mitigation	31-10-2007	31-07-2009
A study of the prospects and opportunities for shellfish farming in Scotland	12-10-2009	11-02-2010
Impact assessment of the proposed designation of two inshore special areas of conservation (SACS) in the Sound of Barra and East Mingulay	30-04-2010	30-07-2010
Aquaculture - better marketing and improved image consumer, retail and non government officials research/scoping study	18-10-2010	17-01-2011
An assessment of the options available for dealing with didemnum vexillum (carpet sea squirt)	22-08-2011	31-10-2011
A study of the prospects and opportunities for trout farming in Scotland	01-09-2011	30-04-2012
Impacts of open pen freshwater aquaculture production on wild fisheries	01-09-2011	30-04-2012
Computational fluid dynamic modelling of fish (and birds) passing through tidal turbines	09-01-2012	03-03-2012
Hydrodynamic modelling of Scottish Shelf waters	27-08-2012	31-03-2014
Literature and data review: evaluating and assessing the relative effectiveness of acoustic deterrent devices on marine mammals	30-10-2012	28-02-2013

In addition, the Scottish Government sponsor a number of projects progressed through The Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum. Details of these projects can be found on their website at:

http://www.sarf.org.uk/projects/.

Question reference: S4W-10666

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 12 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Environment Protection Agency will act as an arms-length independent regulator of the proposed farm management areas.

Question reference: S4W-10665

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 12 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has received advice that synchronised sea-lice treatments by fish farms might lead to resistance and what scientific investigations it has carried out on the impact of the practice.

Question reference: S4W-10673

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 12 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that there is a link between an increase of sea-lice in wild fish stock and fish farms and the decline of wild salmon and, if so, what evidence it has to support this.

Question reference: S4W-10677

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 12 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is developing protected sites for eel and implementing eel management plans.

Historically, Scotland had limited commercial eel fisheries and some low-level recreational fisheries. As a measure to conserve the species, Scotland’s Eel Management Plan includes the prohibition of eel fishing throughout Scotland except under licence; this was delivered through the Freshwater Fish Conservation (Prohibition on Fishing for Eels)(Scotland) Regulations 2008.

All European eels belong to a single panmictic population, with those living in Scottish freshwaters having arrived here from their oceanic spawning areas by chance. The designation of protected areas is not therefore generally considered an effective conservation measure. However, the Scottish Government does continue to explore site specific conservation measures in inland waters.

Question reference: S4W-10681

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 12 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what body is responsible for granting fish farms that are located at least three nautical miles off-shore the authority to discharge waste and chemicals.

Question reference: S4W-10674

Asked by: Helen Eadie, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 12 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to continue monitoring the use of chemicals in salmon farming and whether it is required by legislation to do so.