Details from Marine Scotland Science of FW0050 project application: FOI release

Information requested

“Please I can I have details from Marine Scotland Science of the FW0050 project application including its purpose, budget and expected outcomes.”

Response

Some of the information you have requested is available from a previous FOI request you have made (case reference number 202300348877) which has been published on the Scottish Government websites here: Project funds C45400 and FW0050 provided to Marine Scotland Science: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Information regarding project FW0050 is also available here: Project overview - The interactions and effects of sea lice on wild salmon - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

In addition to the information provided above regarding the project, at initiation, the purpose and objectives for FW0050 were stated as follows:

Scotland aims to support productive aquaculture and wild fish sectors. Sustainable development of aquaculture requires an assessment of likely impacts on populations of wild salmon and associated fisheries. Lack of knowledge on the impacts of salmon farming on wild salmon is an impediment to further development of the industry. The project will make an important contribution to rectifying this deficiency in knowledge. The proposed project will complement a planned SARF (Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum) project on investigating scale of impact of sea lice on numbers of returning wild salmon, and provide information which can be used to assess risk of interaction, and predicted outcome of interaction, between sea lice and migrating salmon over a range of temporal and spatial scales. The project will also provide information on connectivity and dispersal of sea lice between coastal areas which may help in investigating future options for aquaculture development and improved management of sea lice levels. The proposed work is at the core of priorities of interest to Scottish Government in relation to supporting both sustainable growth in aquaculture and conserving important wild salmon stocks.
Wild Atlantic salmon are naturally infected by sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) in the marine environment. Atlantic salmon farms can cause local elevations in densities of sea lice. There is concern that, as a consequence, wild salmon may experience high levels of lice infestation as they migrate out from Scottish rivers and hence suffer increased mortality. However, there has been no assessment of the likely effects of lice on survival of wild salmon on either west (aquaculture zone) or east coasts of Scotland.

Information obtained through this project will allow government to understand better the:

• risk of interaction and risk of infestation of wild salmon from aquaculture origin sea lice.
• variation in these risks over different temporal and geographical scales on the Scottish coast.
• the impact of different infestation levels on individual salmon.
• the consequences of impact at the individual level for conserving wild salmon stocks.

It will also provide information on connectivity and spread of sea lice between different aquaculture areas across the west coast which could highlight options for targeting management strategies to reduce any impact from sea lice. Taken together this will allow the government to make informed decisions on future developments in the aquaculture industry in relation to sea lice impact on wild salmon populations and look for best options to support both wild and farmed salmon.

The project started in April 2015 and is in its ninth year. At initiation the costs were estimated as follows:

Year	Year starting 1st April	Total Estimated Annual Cost (£)
1	2015	321,432
2	2016	380,982
3	2017	378,371
4	2018	409,814
5	2019	409,242
6	2020	415,155
7	2021	408,311
8	2022	401,829
9	2023	275,130
10	2024	289,333

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.