Marine Scotland correspondence with Aquaculture industry: EIR release
Information request and response under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004
Information requested
1. I note that you state - “Marine Scotland recently wrote to the aquaculture industry reminding them of their obligations under the Habitats Regulations and EPS licensing. The letter also advised that as a responsible regulator, Marine Scotland has a duty to ensure that the Habitats Regulations are being complied with and that there will be an assurance process to verify that fish farms are complying with the requirements.
Are you able to let me have a copy of the letter to the fish farmers, as referred to above?
2. Please could you let me know more as to the assurance process will entail and, importantly, by when you expect that process to have assured that no ADDs are being used by fish farmers in breach of the Habs Regs?
Response
As the information you have requested is ‘environmental information’ for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations.
1. See attached Annex.
2. These queries are not valid requests under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004. Nevertheless, we are responding to your queries within this letter in order to provide you with a complete response in one document.
Marine Scotland Compliance (MSC) is currently developing a Compliance Plan regarding the use of ADD’s and other predator control methods within the finfish industry. The plan will combine data gathering and intelligence analysis to formulate a risk based inspection regime. A survey of all Scottish finfish sites is anticipated by the end of June 2021. The results will influence our risk based approach and will include random assurance visits. In the meantime MSC will analyse any intelligence received and react where it is deemed necessary, as long as we have the powers to do so. The MSC website has more details on how to submit intelligence, including an on line form. The form can be accessed by using the following web link: Forms (scotland.gov.uk)
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Contact
Please quote the FOI reference
Central Enquiry Unit
Email: ceu@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000
The Scottish Government
St Andrews House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG
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