Marine Harvest fined for site management failures

Marine Harvest Scotland Ltd was this week fined at Stornoway Sheriff Court for breaches of both water and waste legislation. All offences took place at the Amhuinnsuidhe Hatchery site on the Isle of Harris.

The company pled guilty to breaching their water use licence conditions, an unauthorised discharge of untreated effluent to the Abhainn Mhor River, deposits of sludge from filters onto land and burning of plastic waste feed bags.

The case came to light in September 2006, during a routine sampling by a SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) officer.
SEPA Western Isles Unit Manager, Stuart Baird said: “The offences to which Marine Harvest Scotland Limited pled guilty resulted from the company’s failure to ensure that the hatchery was managed and operated in accordance with both its CAR licence and in compliance with other environmental legislation. He added: “It also demonstrates that there is a continued need for regulatory scrutiny of the fish farming industry.”