Scottish Animal Welfare Commission - proximity of seals to farmed fish: response to Marine Scotland

Statement of the major question to be addressed and SAWC project relevance

In 2021, Marine Scotland asked SAWC for guidance on the animal welfare implications of the use, or non-use of ADDs to deter seals from salmon farms, and their effects on cetaceans. Given the desire of the salmon farming industry to use ADDs to deter seals and the potential adverse effects of ADDs on European Protected species, the issue is: what is the evidence that even in the absence of direct losses of fish due to seal predation, seals persistently attempting to attack farmed salmon in sea pens or swimming in close proximity to the pens are likely to cause stress to the fish which could result in serious economic or financial loss due to reduced feed intake, increased susceptibility to disease, or other harmful effects of stress? As stress is an animal welfare issue, SAWC is qualified to offer an opinion on the animal welfare aspects of this issue.

Evidence pertaining to the issue has been gathered by SAWC. In June 2021, the Aquaculture sub-group of SAWC began a project to investigate the effect of the use of ADDs on animal welfare. There are two aspects to consider: what effect does the use of ADDs have on seals and on cetaceans (as European Protected Species), and what effect might the inability to use ADDs have on the welfare of farmed salmon. Thus, the information gathered as part of this project may contribute evidence that is relevant to the issue of whether seals are likely to cause damage to serious economic losses to fish farms through impacts on the welfare of captive salmon.