Data for sea lice counts on wild fish: EIR release

Information requested

• Clarification on whether location(s) referred to as "Camas Na Gaul" and "Camas nagual" in the dataset "Sea lice counts on wild sea trout" should be regarded as the same location
• Missing data for Camas Na Gaul and "any other site for which data is omitted" from "Sea lice counts on wild sea trout";
• All relevant sea lice count data collected on wild fish by west coast fishery trusts on behalf of Marine Scotland Science from 2020 and 2021.

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. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.

This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

Response

In response to your specific query on whether the sites referred to in the dataset “Sea lice counts on wild sea trout” as “Camas Na Gaul” and “Camas nagual” are the same location, Marine Scotland Science has confirmed that these are the same location. Marine Scotland Science notes the differential use of “Camas Na Gaul” and “Camas nagual” and will discuss what site name to standardise.

In response to your specific query on making all missing data for Camas Na Gaul and "any other site for which data is omitted" from "Sea lice counts on wild sea trout” available, while our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. Therefore we are refusing your request under the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs. The reasons why that exception applies are explained in the Annex to this letter.

In response to your specific query on making all relevant sea lice count data collected on wild fish by west coast fishery trusts on behalf of Marine Scotland Science from 2020 and 2021 available, I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested – specifically the data for 2021. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested. Therefore we are refusing to fulfil your full request under the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs. The reasons why that exception applies are explained in the Annex to this letter.

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.

TO ATTACH - 211215 - Aqua - All Data 2021

File type

Excel document

File size

172.6 kB

TO ATTACH - Annex PDF

File type

1 page PDF

File size

105.7 kB