Question reference: S5W-36098
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
- Date lodged: 11 March 2021
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Current status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 24 March 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government which fish farms hold EPS licences for the use of acoustic deterrent device(s) (ADDs) or acoustic startle device(s) (ASDs); which fish farms are currently using unlicensed ADDs/ ASDs, broken down by (a) how many devices and (b) which model is being used; whether Marine Scotland will comply with its duty to enforce Habitats Regulation 39(2) under which it is an offence to disturb or injure any dolphin, porpoise or whale if any farm is still using unlicensed ADDs /ASDs, and whether Marine Scotland will delay enforcement of Habitats Regulation 39(2) until the end of that farm’s current production cycle for farms not yet equipped with double-skinned anti-predator nets, Seal Pro nets or equivalent.
Answer
Marine Scotland has not granted any EPS licences for the use of ADDs or ASDs at fish farms. Marine Scotland does not hold information on whether or how many ADDs or ASDs are currently operating at fish farms. Marine Scotland will be undertaking an assurance process to verify that fish farms are complying with the requirements of the Habitats Regulations. This process is not necessarily governed by where farms are in the production cycle or the type of nets used.
The Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation announced on 1 March that the sector is no longer using ADDs that "may be considered to cause disturbance to cetaceans". We welcome the steps taken by the aquaculture industry to remove ADDs and have reminded them of their obligations in relation to European Protected Species.