Scottish shellfish farm production survey 2016

Appendix 1: Covering Letter and Guidance Notes

19 ^th December 2016

Annual Returns Of Shellfish Farm Production - 2016

Dear Sir/Madam

As part of the annual survey of Scottish shellfish farms we seek production data from your business and site(s) for the year 2016.

I enclose forms requesting information on your shellfish farming enterprise and a self‑addressed pre-paid envelope for their return. Alternatively these forms can be issued electronically upon request by contacting MS.Productionsurvey@gov.scot or by telephoning me on 01224 425535.

The data you supply to Marine Scotland Science is of great assistance to your industry and the Scottish Government. It is our intention to continue to publish these data annually and in a summarised form. The Scottish Shellfish Farm Production Survey 2016 report will be available in May 2017.

Although MSS would be obliged to consider any request it receives in relation to this under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 ( FOISA) and the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 ( EISRs) a recent decision by the information commissioner determined that the survey returns are protected.

Form (a) requests data on production by business.

Form (b) requests data on production, facility size and number of shellfish movements by site(s) and by species. Guidance notes are enclosed.

Please note production recorded by business must equal total production recorded by site(s). If the business has a nil return please place an X against the species registered as cultured, in Form (a).

Please note that it is your duty to notify a competent authority or a veterinarian if you know or suspect that increasing mortality has occurred or is occurring in aquaculture animals in accordance with the Aquatic Animal Health (Scotland) Regulations 2009. See guidance notes for reporting of mortality events where appropriate and registration changes.

Thank you for your co-operation. If you have any queries regarding the survey, please do not hesitate to contact me at the address given below, or telephone 01224 425535 or e-mail MS.Productionsurvey@gov.scot

Please send returns to me by post, or electronically, before 31 ^st January 2017.

I would also like to remind you that the Scottish Shellfish Farm Production Survey 2015 is available on the Marine Scotland website, http://www.gov.scot/topics/marine/fish-shellfish/fhi/surveys

Yours faithfully,

Lorna Munro
Marine Scotland Science

Scottish Shellfish Farm Production Survey 2016

Form (a) - Business Production

Please use BLOCK LETTERS and write in INK unless completing electronically:

Please indicate production of shellfish for business in 2016 and an estimate of production in 2017 for:

A) the table (which should include any shellfish sent for depuration or cleansing, or temporarily held in other waters or tanks etc, prior to consumption or processing), and

B) depositing in other waters (ie for restocking or growing-on, including in tanks etc).

Species	Production of Shellfish for 2016				Production of Shellfish for 2017 (Estimate)
	A) for the table		B) for depositing in other waters		A) for the table		B) for depositing in other waters
	No.	Weight*	No.	Weight*	No.	Weight*	No.	Weight*
Mussels M. edulis
Pacific oysters C. gigas
Native Oysters O. edulis
Scallops P. maximus
Queens C. opercularis
Lobsters
Other (Specify)

*Please state unit of measurement, eg tonnes, kilogrammes.

Please state the number of persons employed by your business in 2016

Full time male / Full time female

Part time male / Part time female

Casual male / Casual female

Please detail any accreditation schemes you are a member of: None

Was any of your production certified as organic (circle appropriate option)? Yes / No

Signature:

Date:

Thank you for your cooperation. Please return the completed form in the envelope provided, or electronically, by 31st January 2017 .

Scottish Shellfish Farm Production Survey 2016

Form (b) - Site Production, Size and Movements

Site name / Site No:

Species	Production of Shellfish for 2016 (excludes hatcheries and nurseries)				Highest Mortality
	A) for the table		B) for depositing in other waters
	No.	Weight*	No.	Weight*	% of facilities type / period	Reason
Mussel M. edulis
Pacific oyster C. gigas
Native oyster O. edulis
Scallop P. maximus
Queen C. opercularis
Lobster
Other (specify)

*Please state the unit of measurement, e.g. tonnes, kilogrammes.

Species	Size of Production Facilities in 2016
	Molluscs
	On bottom (lease area in hectares or m²)	Off bottom		Other methods (specify no, type and size)
		Total rope length (m) (No. of droppers x dropper length)	Leasing area containing trestles (lease area in hectares or m²)
Mussel
Pacific oyster
Native oyster
Scallop
Queen
Other (specify)

Species	Input to Capture Based Aquaculture		Shellfish Production for 2016 (hatcheries and nurseries)
			Transferred to a controlled environment for on growing		Released to the wild
	No.	Weight*	No. Eggs	No. Juveniles	No. Eggs	No. Juveniles
Mussel
Pacific oyster
Native oyster
Scallop
Queen
Lobster
Other (specify)

*Please state the unit of measurement, e.g. tonnes, kilogrammes.

Species	Size of Production Facilities in 2016
	Crustaceans
	Ponds (hectares or m²)	Enclosures and pens (hectares or m²)	Tanks and raceways (m³)	Other methods (specify no, type and size)
Lobster
Others (specify)

Shellfish Movements by Site and Species

(Record live shellfish movements on or off-site where they are for ongrowing, not for the table).

Site name:			Site name:			Site name:			Site name:
Site number:			Site number:			Site number:			Site number:
No of movements			No of movements			No of movements			No of movements
Species	On- site	Off- site	Species	On- site	Off- site	Species	On- site	Off- site	Species	On- site	Off- site

2016 Spat Settlement

Is this a spat collection site? (Please circle appropriate option)	Yes	No
If yes, was spat settlement sufficient for production purposes? (Please circle appropriate option)	Yes	No

Guidance on Completing the Survey Forms

Form (a) - Business Production

Production of shellfish for 2016: Please provide your total business production for 2016 next to the relevant species (the individual site(s) production total(s) should add up to the business production total). The "for the table" column is for shellfish sold for human consumption (which should include any shellfish sent for depuration or cleansing, or temporarily held in other waters or tanks etc, prior to consumption or processing). The column "for depositing in other waters" should be filled in when shellfish have been partially grown and then sold or tranferred to another business for on-growing. Please state the unit of measurement used in your total business production (e.g. kilograms, tonnes etc.). If your business has not produced any shellfish then please put an X next to the species of shellfish that is authorised to be grown on site.

Production of shellfish for 2017 (estimate): Please provide estimates of production for 2017 "for the table" and "for depositing in other waters". Please state the unit of measurement used in your total business production (e.g. kilograms, tonnes etc.).

Employment: Please state the number of people employed in the business under: full time male; full time female; part-time male; part-time female; casual (occasionally employed) male; or casual female.

Please finish the form by signing and dating.

Form (b) - Site Production, Size and Movements

Each site form can accommodate one site return. You have been issued with forms appropriate to the details which we hold for your site(s).

Production of shellfish for 2016: Please provide your total site production for 2016 "for the table" and "for depositing in other waters" for the respective species cultured. (This excludes hatcheries and nurseries). If you cultured shellfish species in 2016 which are not listed on the form please specify these in the row marked 'Other'.

Highest Mortality: Please indicate the highest mortality as a percentage (%) of the facility type, for each species registered as cultured. Mortality should be recorded over a defined period of time. Please also indicate the reason for this mortality (if known).

Example 1 - A mussel farmer has ten long lines and one line suffers total mortality through predation over one month. The highest % mortality recorded would be 10% / 1 month. Reason was eider duck predation.

Example 2 - An oyster farmer has 100 trestles and all the shellfish from 90 are lost through disease in spring. The highest % mortality recorded would be 90% / 3 months. Reason was suspect notifiable disease eg. Bonamia.

Example 3 - A scallop farmer has 50 long lines and one line is destroyed by storm damage during the year. The highest % mortality recorded would be 2% / 12 months. Reason was storm damage.

• In accordance with the Aquatic Animal Health (Scotland) Regulations 2009, it is your duty to notify the competent authority or a veterinarian if you know or suspect that increasing mortality has occurred or is occurring in aquaculture animals. This should be interpreted as being where mortality affects 15% or greater of stocks in a single facility, over a short period. It is also a requirement to maintain mortality records detailing the number of any aquaculture animals that have died in each epidemiological unit within the area. When significant abnormal mortalities occur the Fish Health Inspectorate must be informed immediately stating suspected cause (if known). The Fish Health Inspectorate can be contacted by telephone on 01224 295535 or by e-mail at MS.fishhealth@gov.scot

Size of production facilities in 2016 (molluscs): Please provide the size of the production facilities for the respective species cultured. If you cultured shellfish species in 2016 which are not listed on the form please specify the size of the facilities in the row marked 'Other'.

• Where molluscs are cultured on the seabed, or where a Several Order is in place, the total extent of the lease area should be recorded in hectares or metres squared (m ²) (please specify) in the column titled 'On bottom'.
• Where molluscs are cultured on long lines / rafts please record the total length of rope used in metres (number of droppers x dropper length) in the column titled 'Off bottom' and subititled 'Total rope length (m)'.
• Where molluscs are cultured in trestles please record the total extent of the lease area in hectares or metres squared (m ²) (please specify) in the column titled 'Leasing area containing trestles'.
• If molluscs are cultured by more than one method on a site an entry should be recorded for both methods.
• If utilising types of culturing methods other than those specified please give details of the type, number and size in the column titled 'Other methods'.

Input to capture based aquaculture: Capture based aquaculture refers to the practice of collecting aquatic animals from the wild for aquaculture purposes prior to placing them on the market. For the purposes of this survey this does not include the natural settlement of mussel, oyster or scallop spat on long lines or the seabed. The active capture of animals from the wild which are then held for a period of time prior to being placed on the market should be recorded only where those animals are being fed. There is no requirement to record those animals which are intended for release back into the wild or are not being fed.

For example:

• Wild caught oysters held temporarily in depuration facilities would not be recorded.
• Wild caught lobsters held temporarily in holding facilities and being fed would be recorded.

Shellfish production for 2016 (hatcheries and nurseries): If applicable, please record the number of eggs and juveniles transferred to controlled environments for on growing or released into the wild.

Size of production facilities in 2016 (crustaceans): Please record the size of the facilities. For ponds, enclosures and pens, the bottom area should be recorded in hectares or m ². For tanks and raceways the volume should be recorded in m³. On sites holding lobsters, either for release to the wild or for placing on the market, data is required only for those facilities where the animals are being fed.

Shellfish movements by site and species: Please only record live shellfish movements on or off-site where they are for ongrowing, not for table production.

2016 spat settlement: Please indicate if this was a spat collection site and if so, was spat settlement sufficient for production purposes.

Conversions

To convert	To	Multiply (X) or divide (/) by
Yards	Metres	X 0.9144
Miles	Kilometres	X 1.609
Acres	Hectares	X 0.4047
Square metres (m²)	Hectares	/ 10000
Cubic feet (ft 3)	Cubic metres (m 3)	X 0.0283