10,000 escapees off Unst
Up to 10,000 salmon escaped in January from a site in Shetland run by Balta Island Seafare.
The incident occurred at the Swarta Skerry site, near the mouth of Batlasound, off the east coast of the island of Unst and was caused by a chafe/snag in the net. The escaped fish averaged 900 grams.
It is the second escape of the year reported by the company, which is run by Chris Rich, and is the last independent producer left in Shetland. The other incident, which was also caused by chafing during the rough weather around New Year, occurred at the nearby Balta Island site, although the extent of this escape is still unknown.
