Scottish trout farm plans cause concern

A Scottish fish farm has reapplied for planning permission for a new rainbow trout farm, causing concern from an environmental group.

Dawnfresh Farming Limited, application is to build 10 x 80 metre circumference fish cages in Loch Etive, a sea loch north-east of Oban.

This farm would massively increase the tonnage of rainbow trout, adding to the applicant’s five existing farms on Loch Etive.

In response, the Salmon & Trout Association (Scotland) (S&TA(S)) has issued a warning that a proposed rainbow trout farm on Loch Etive will pose an unacceptable additional threat to the integrity of Argyll’s premier wild salmon river. 

While smaller than the original 14 cage application, withdrawn in July 2013 following substantial local protest, the new application retains most of the same features and S&TA(S) believes that it constitutes a significant and unacceptable escalation of fish-farming activity on Loch Etive.

Hughie Campbell Adamson, chairman, S&TA(S), said, “These large and voracious alien trout run up the River Awe where inevitably they eat the juvenile salmon, thus severely depleting the stocks of the native fish. There is a genuine risk that should this predation not just continue but increase we shall see the further demise of one of Scotland’s great salmon rivers”.

Loch Etive looking NE from Sron nam Feannag. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)