In the Marine Directorate’s briefing notes for the Cabinet Secretary, ahead of her session with the RAIC in 6 November 2024 , Mairi Gougeon was advised to tell the Committee only “if pressed”, that APHA has never issued “a formal warning letter, Care Notice or reported a case to the COPFS for consideration in relation to farmed fish”. APHA routinely fails to even visit farms where up to a million fish have died (e.g. at Mowi’s Seaforth/Noster 7 farm in the Western Isles). 5 https://www.undercurrentnews.com/2024/03/20/dnb-salmon-farming-at-biological-ceiling-risks-losing-social-license/ 6 Page 53: “If pressed: APHA has not yet issued a formal warning letter, Care Notice or reported a case to the COPFS for consideration in relation to farmed fish.” https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/foi- eir-release/2025/01-a/foi-202400440742/documents/eir-202400440742---information-released---item-1/eir- 202400440742---information-released---item-1/govscot%3Adocument/EIR%2B2024004407 7 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/22/more-than-1m-farmed-salmon-die-at-supplier-to-leading- uk-retailers 2 C ontrary to APHA’s, FHI’s and the Cabinet Secretary’s assertions to the RAIC, fish farm mortality, fish welfare and the system for regulating them are out of control.