Investigations into the shot seal incident, reported by a family of four holidaying on the west coast and covered by ForArgyll, has revealed some interesting facts. One of which is that every tax payer in Argyll, indeed Scotland, is actually helping to boost fish farm profits – that’s fish farms owned predominantly by Norwegian Companies.

Mr Mawdsley and his two young girls who found the shot seal in Loch Craignish by Ardfern had reported the find to Strathclyde Police where a spokesperson stated that, ‘We can’t do anything about this due to the body being disposed of, we can look into it and it lets people know that someone is dealing with it and it should be dealt with appropriately the next time’.

ForArgyll’s Environmental Editor is in receipt of a letter from the Chief Constable’s Office stating that Strathclyde Police takes their wildlife crime very seriously. It is reassuring to know that future seal killings and harassment to seals will be investigated, alongside other wildlife crime.

Dr Dodd, Scottish Natural Heritage’s (SNH) Marine Project Officer for Argyll and Stirling, said, ‘I’m not aware of a seal being shot in Loch Craignish’, and went on to say ‘Seals can be shot. Where is it? I’ll arrange for its removal’.

If this is the official response being given to members of the public regarding shot seals it is very worrying.

Firstly there was no identification of the seal at that time. We are currently in the ‘close’ season for Grey Seals – whereby any killing is prohibited under the Conservation of Seals Act 1970. In addition to this, the Act states very clearly the type of weapon, and muzzle energy of the projectile to be used. Furthermore, the firearm’s licence must stipulate a variation to shoot seals. A breach in any of these conditions constitutes an offence, one which the police take very seriously.

In answer to questions about the Lismore Special Area of Conservation, which is designated for Common Seals, Dr Dodd seemed unaware that Scottish Sea Farms had anchored a diesel generator and fuel dump floating structure approximately 20m from a known seal haul-out within the Lismore SAC.

The photograph below shows the situation. The seal haul-out can be clearly seen just behind the barge. This generator was accompanied by a feed barge and six floating cage structures throughout the length of the protected seals’ haul-out.

Dr Dodd said that in the past, SNH stated to Scottish Sea Farms that they were concerned about the seal numbers on Dugh Sgier (the protected haul-out). Nevertheless, nothing has been done since the Hebridean Partnership reported the abuse to the European Commissioner for the Environment in 2004.

Both Scottish Sea Farms and Marine Harvest are known to have shot seals in the past. Neither is known for collecting the dead seals after shooting them. The result is that the dead seal (if it is lucky enough to have been killed outright) gets washed up on local beaches, such as the one found by Mr Mawdsley and his family.

Neither Scottish Sea Farms nor Marine Harvest were available for comment at the time of this article going online.

Argyll and Bute Council were designated to remove the seal from the beach at Ardfern. Sometimes this can be a very difficult task. Common Seals can weigh up to 250kgs and Grey Seals can weigh upwards of 400kgs. Most locations are not easy to access. John Downey of the Council’s Waste Services says: ‘Removing seal carcasses can be very unpleasant’. This is due in part to the stench coming from decomposing flesh and the body becomes very ‘slimy’, making it difficult to handle.

The Council’s normal practice is to dispatch a lorry with two men to do the job. Sometimes it takes three. The costing for two or three men, plus a lorry travelling across Argyll soon adds up with the lowest estimated cost to tax payers being around £75 plus the cost of disposal, per seal. This cost can escalate if the access is difficult, location remote and as another Council operative says: ‘Some seals will need a digger’, at huge expense. Rest assured the cost is borne by the Council if a member of the public reports a shot seal.

There is no requirement to keep a record of seals being shot in the UK, despite the dramatic decline in Common Seals. Scott Landsburgh of the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation recently stated on BBC’s the Shooting Seals programme that their members reported shooting nearly 500 in one year.

Members of the Seals Protection Groups have said that this figure is ‘rubbish’ and have worked out an estimate by using “best available” information, across all industries that are known to shoot seals. This amounts to around three and a half thousand seals a year – and many of these will wash up on a beach somewhere in Scotland.

Cost the impact on the public purse of the clean up of that. Then remember that the unaffordable cost is its reduction of Common Seal numbers to the point of threatening its survival as a species.

All of this effort and public expense – which is how Scotland pays in to the Norwegian fish farm companies’ profits – is needed because the fish farms that engage in shooting seals do not clean up their mess after them.

In the majority of incidences, fin fish farms do not need to shoot seals. Non-lethal anti-predation methods exist: shooting however is cheaper.

Marine Harvest’s website claims it made 988.6 million Norwegian krone in 2008, which is £105.56 million. Scottish Sea Farms motto appears to be ‘Scottish Sea Farms make it happen’ and they appear to be celebrating after winning their 8^th industry award for excellence. This was in recognition of its of Lochmuir™ salmon, which is specially farmed for Marks & Spencer. So it could be said that these shot seals are not just any shot seals: They’re M&S shot seals.

Mark Carter, Environmental Editor

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