Plans to introduce Scotland’s first semi-closed containment salmon farm to Loch Long have been rejected by the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, with the developers behind the proposed project calling the decision a “missed opportunity.”
Loch Long Salmon confirmed the park's board voted to reject its plans for the Benn Reithe farm. The joint-venture company said that the decision came despite the project being supported by the closest community council, national bodies such as the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and NatureScot, and a cross-party group of councillors, members of the Scottish parliament, and the local member of parliament. Additionally, the technology being proposed had been endorsed by environmental groups such as the Atlantic Salmon Trust, the Scottish Wildlife Trust, and the Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust, it said.
“The National Park board have missed an opportunity to sensitively use the natural resources within the park to support local communities and fulfill their mission to improve the wider environment beyond the borders of the park,” Loch Long Salmon Managing Director Stewart Hawthorn said. “In doing so, they have gone against the wishes of the community, expert advisers, national regulators, and a cross-party group of elected officials.”
Hawthorn there are a range of options available to the company moving forward.
“We will explore those options carefully over the coming days and weeks before deciding on the next steps,” he said.
Ahead of the national park’s board meeting on 31 October, the National Park Authority had recommended the farm’s planning proposal be rejected. It said that while it recognizes and agrees that the proposal is significant for the sector and of national significance in Scotland, the proposal must be considered against the development plan and all other material considerations. It said that the proposal did not fully align with the local development plan and therefore could not be supported.
According to the planning application, the proposed site covered 65 hectare,s which includes a 1.2-hectare area of land on the western shore of Loch Long, where the project's land-based elements would be located. The rest of the farming site, including the marine structures and equipment, would be within Loch Long.
A semi-closed containment site differs from a traditional salmon farm in that underneath the water, the net is surrounded by an impermeable membrane, with water drawn up and circulated. This removes the threat of sea lice and attacks by seals.
Photo courtesy of Loch Long Salmon
