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:

• the relevant District Salmon Fishery Board and Fishery Trust
• the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (freshwater farms only)

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