Salmon farmer facing prosecution after pesticide kills thousands of fish

Sunday Herald
September 26, 2010
Sunday Herlad (Scotland)

One of Scotland’s leading fish farm companies may face prosecution after thousands of salmon were accidentally killed by an overdose of an unauthorised and highly toxic pesticide.

The Sunday Herald has learned that investigators found significant quantities of pesticides banned for use on fish farms, during raids on boats used by Hoganess Salmon, run by the Lakeland Group at Burrastow near Walls on the west coast of Shetland.

Excessive amounts of the pesticides, meant to kill the lice that eat away at salmon are thought to have been used to douse the fish, causing mass deaths and destroying other marine wildlife.

It was initially reported that 6000 fish died in the incident, which took place on August 15, but investigators have told the Sunday Herald that the total could be up to 20,000.

Read the full story in Sunday Herald (Scotland)