Strategic Framework for Farmed Fish Health

Overview

The group was established in December 2017 to deliver a farmed fish health framework for Scotland, a Programme for Government commitment for 2017-2018. Scotland’s 10 Year Farmed Fish Health Framework was published on 23 May 2018.

The Farmed Fish Health Framework Working Group is co-chaired by Ben Hadfield, MD of Marine Harvest Scotland Ltd, and Professor Colin Moffat, Chief Scientific Advisor Marine, Marine Scotland.

The Scottish Government committed within the 2017/18 Programme for Government to develop a strategic framework for farmed fish health in Scotland.

Scotland’s 10 Year Farmed Fish Health Framework, developed by the Farmed Fish Health Framework Working Group (FFHFWG), was published in May 2018.

The framework identifies 7 cross cutting workstreams, namely:

• Information Flow and Transparency
• Gill Health
• Sea Lice
• Cleanerfish
• Production Cycle and on-Farm Management
• Licencing Regime and Medicine Use
• Climate Change and Ocean Acidification

Four subgroups have been established to deliver the framework workstream activities:

Information, Gill Health, Sea Lice and Cleanerfish

The Information, Gill Health, Sea Lice and Cleanerfish subgroup is responsible for overseeing delivery of the first 4 workstreams of the framework; Information flow and transparency, Gill Health, Sea Lice and Cleanerfish. All of the subgroups regard transparency is a shared objective.

Production Cycle and on-Farm Management

The Production Cycle and on-Farm Management subgroup is responsible for overseeing delivery of the Production Cycle and on-Farm Management workstream. 

Licencing Regime and Medicine Use 

The Licencing Regime and Medicine Use subgroup is responsible for overseeing delivery of the Production Cycle and on-Farm Management workstream.

Climate Change and Ocean Acidification

The Climate Change and Ocean Acidification subgroup is responsible for overseeing delivery of the Production Cycle and on-Farm Management workstream.

Ongoing Projects and Updates

• Marine Scotland and the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre: Developing DNA-based methodologies for seabed monitoring
• COMPASS (Collaborative Oceanography and Monitoring for Protected Areas and Species)
• Scottish Ocean Climate Status Report (SOCSR)  

Documents

• Strategic Framework for Farmed Fish Health: formal output from the group