Publication - FOI/EIR release

Scientific testing and impact of Acoustic Deterrent Devices (ADDs): EIR release

Published: 21 September 2021
Directorate: Marine Directorate
Topic: Marine and fisheries, Public sector
FOI reference: FOI/202100226663
Date received: 28 July 2021
Date responded: 26 August 2021

Information request and response under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004

Information requested

Please provide information on scientific testing and the impacts of Acoustic Deterrent Devices (ADDs) since 1 January 2020.

Please include emails, letters, data, reports, scientific studies, assessment and any other information from manufacturers of ADDs (e.g. OTAQ, Ace Aquatec & GenusWave), salmon farming representatives (e.g. SSPO, Mowi, Scottish Sea Farms and the Scottish Salmon Company), government agencies (e.g. JNCC) and scientists (e.g. SAMS).

Please also include information on '2nd Generation' ADDs since 1 January 2020.

Please include any correspondence with NOAA, the EU and other government agencies on ADDs including compliance with the US MMPA since 1 January 2020.

Response

Attached is some of the information requested. Please note that the Scottish Government is required to provide all the information we have in scope that does not have an exception applied, and in this case this includes documents that have since been updated. Where this is the case, I have noted that the information is not up-to-date and provided a link to where the most recent versions can be found online. Due to limits on attachment sizes, I will follow this response up with an additional email with a further document.

Some of the information you have requested is available online, and I have provided URLs within these documents where applicable. Under regulation 6(1)(b) of the EIRs, we do not have to give you information which is already publicly available and easily accessible to you in another form or format.

An exception under regulation 11(2) of the EIRs (personal information) applies to some of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. This exception is not subject to the 'public interest test', so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exception.

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