What to do in the event of a fish farm escape

Guidance and notification forms.


What to Do in the Event of a Fish Farm Escape

Any suspected escape from a fish farm, or circumstances which give rise to a significant risk of escape, must be reported to the Scottish Government (SG).

Failure to notify Scottish Ministers of any suspected or confirmed escape of farmed fish may be an offence.

All escapes, or suspected escapes, must be reported to the Scottish Ministers in writing immediately using the initial notification form, and authorisation for the emergency use of nets to affect recapture must be applied for.

Completed notification forms should be emailed to the Marine Scotland mailbox: ms.fishhealth@gov.scot

As well as providing the initial notification to the Scottish Government, it is also important to provide early notification to other interested parties such as:

It is recognised that all information related to the incident may not be immediately available. It is therefore necessary for the initial notification to be followed by a second notification which provides final figures and other information regarding the escape. This final notification must be submitted within 28 days of the initial notification.

Notification forms 

By law, Scottish Ministers must be notified in writing immediately when it is suspected that a circumstance caused, or might have caused, an escape of fish from a fish farm. An immediate phone call should also be made to:

The Duty Inspector
Fish Health Inspectorate
Marine Scotland Science
Tel: 0131 244 3498

If an escape occurs outside normal business hours, the call should be made to:

The On Call Inspector
Fish Health Inspectorate
0131 244 1833

Completed Forms

Forms may be sent by email, fax or post to:

Email: ms.fishhealth@gov.scot

Post:
The Duty Inspector
Fish Health Inspectorate
Marine Scotland Science
375 Victoria Road
ABERDEEN
AB11 9DB

What to do in the event of a fish farm escape: guidance
Initial and final notification forms (Word)
Initial and final notification forms (PDF)
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