No Jobs Here: Why Industrial Fish Farming's

Promise to Boost Local Economies Falls Flat

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-L^LY-HYT>VYRLYZ
1o male jSco|||sh |sh |atms compe||||vej cos|s mus| come
dovn, bu| ||s no| abou| teduc|ng |he amoun| o| emp|oy
ees. l be||eve ||s poss|b|e |o ctea|e |at mote jobs |n Sco|
|and |han ve have |oday. Che Lxecutve, Ate Lde,
lun lsh (nov Murne Hurvest
l
), 2006
2

1he medu und government oten represent the sumon
urmng ndustry us u potentu boster to economc pros-
perty und ocu ob creuton. ln November 2006, Mr. Lde
vus promotng grovth n the Scottsh sh urmng sector,
stutng thut the Scottsh government hus not uoved the
ndustry to keep up vth those n Che und Norvuy. He ut-
tested thut cost coud be brought dovn. Accordng to hm,
producton hud decreused becuuse o u tough reguutory
rumevork, und empoyment cuts voud not be necessury
to cut costs.
3

Scollsh Aquacullurc: 7hc asl 2S ycars
A ook ut the pust 25 yeurs o sumon uquucuture n
Scotund reveus muny ups und dovns both or ruru
1
he open vuter uquucuture und sumon ndustres tout sh urms us un opportunty
to creute obs. Cven current economc strugges vordvde, uny potentu or u nev
ndustry to ncreuse ob opportuntes s hurd to dsmss. Vube, gunu empoyment s
budy needed. So ve decded to nvestgute these cums. Lnortunutey, ve ound thut
the obs creuted by sh urms ure unstube, n some cuses undesrube, und ure very ev
n number reuted to the number o sh produced. ln uct, the trend n the ndustry hus
been to cut obs to ncreuse ecency (meunng prot), und to ubundon communtes
better stes urse esevhere. Moreover, due to pouton, escupes o urmed sh, und
other probems thut negutvey mpuct vde or uesthetc vuues o the ureu, open
vuter sh urms cun threuten prevousy exstng obs n toursm, recreutonu shng
und commercu shng. Cpen vuter nsh urmng (ncudng sumon urmng) s u
ued promse thut oers nothng more thun some short-term udvuntuges to the ocu
economy ut the cost o ong-term envronmentu, socu und economc dumuge.
Backgrounder + June 2010
FISH
Traditional salmon hshermen on the River Tweed in Scotland.
Photo by Les Hull.
economes und the envronment. ln 2000, the sumon
uquucuture ndustry ht ts peuk o empoyment n drect
sumon producton, vth l,397 u und purt-tme stu.
4
1he
ndustry vus uso creutng obs through support ndustres.
ln 200l/02 t vus estmuted thut there vere uround l0,000
obs n uquucuture rom the producton und processng
sectors combned.
5
You coud suy thut the ndustry vus
ut ts best n 2000, n terms o ts contrbuton to ocu
economes but none o ths cume vthout u prce to the
envronment, or questons ubout stubty und ongevty.
1he ndustry hud ureudy been threutened by outbreuks o
lnectous Sumon Anuemu n l998,
6
und n 2000 t vus
determned thut the sh n Scotund's open vuter cuges
produced nutrent pouton vth un ecoogcu resut
greuter thun the sevuge produced by the country's entre
humun popuuton o 5.l mon.
7

Forcgn Comancs, Induslry Consoldalon and
Closurcs
Ltmutey, t vus not the pouton nor the dseuse thut rst
burst the bubbe or ruru ob creuton through sh urmng,
but the domnunce o the ndustry by huge, mut-nutonu
compunes. y 2004, t vus estmuted thut l,500 obs hud
been ost n the sumon processng und producton sectors.
etveen 2004 und 2006, sh processng punts n the Cut-
er Hebrdes shut ther doors, us dd vurous sh urms und
smot-reurng operutons n \estern Ross, lnverness-shre,
Shetund und the Cuter Hebrdes.
8
Durng the sume perod,
sumon producton obs dropped o by 25 percent,
9
und
there vus u l5 percent oss n obs ut the smot producton
eve.
l0
Accordng to ruce Sundson o the Sumon lurm
lrotest Croup o Scotund, Durng thut tme, the ndus-
try hus receved mons o tux-puyer unds, the resut o
vhch hus been to destubze ruru communtes und nct
pun und hurdshp on those vho huve ost ther obs.
ll
ln 2006 (vhen no numbers snce 2004 vere uvuube), the
Sumon lurm lrotest Croup stuted thut ut eust 500 ud-
dtonu obs hud been ost due to cosures, und thut 500
more obs voud be ost us the uquucuture compuny lun
lsh ucqured Murne Hurvest und Stot, vhch resuted n
the ormuton o the urgest sumon uquucuture compuny
n the vord (nov usng the nume Murne Hurvest ASA).
l2

1he consoduton n ths ndustry hus been stuggerng. e-
tveen l998 und 2008, the number o sumon uquucuture
compunes n operuton hus dropped by 67%: rom l06 to
to 35.
l3
Durng ths sume perod, us communtes mourned the
hundreds o obs ost durng the pror ve yeurs, Nutreco
ormer ovner o Murne Hurvest unnounced prots
o 297 mon pounds or the rst hu o 2006 much o
thut rom seng Murne Hurvest.
l4

Produclon, "clccncy" and cmloymcnl: an unbal-
anccd cqualon
As the ndustry hus grovn suvver und mproved techno-
ogy, t hus ound vuys to squeeze more vork out o euch
empoyee, u trend thut s euphemstcuy knovn us e-
cency. ln 2006, vhen Mr. Lde o lun lsh commented
thut t vus possbe to creute more obs n Scotund, he
vus correct. \here he vent vrong vus nsnuutng thut
A salmon farm off the coast of the !sle of Skye in Scotland. Photo by Nikki BidgoodfiStockphoto.
MHY more obs (emphuss udded) coud be creuted by the
sumon uquucuture ndustry. Admttedy, betveen 2006
und 2008 (the most recent yeur o uvuube stutstcs), there
hus been un mprovement n ob creuton n the sumon
producton ndustry, vth un overu ncreuse o uround 9
percent, or 78 obs. Hovever, t s mportunt to note tvo
thngs: (l) thut these obs ure not necessury stube or ong-
term und (2) un unuyss vth u onger tme horzon reveus
overu decreuse n uquucuture obs.
As ecency hus ncreused, und the ndustry hus con-
soduted, empoyment opportuntes huve sgncunty
dropped. Lnortunutey, recent stutstcs on the number o
peope empoyed n processng ure not uvuube, but the
stutstcs on sumon producton over the pust 20 yeurs re-
veu un overu trend n ncreused producton couped vth
decreused empoyment. Cver the pust decude, betveen
l998 und 2008, producton o urmed sumon n Scotund
ncreused l6 percent rom ll0,784 tonnes to l28,606
tonnes. At the sume tme, empoyment n the sector hus
steudy decreused, droppng 28 percent durng the course
o these ten yeurs, rom l,309 u und purt tme empoyees
to 949 n 2008.
l5

>OH[Z5L_[
l the ndustry contnues to expund, us t puns, ths trend
s key to contnue, und opportuntes or uternutve ruru
deveopment, such us toursm und recreutonu shng,
muy be mpeded by the negutve envronmentu mpucts
rom sh urmng. As government press reeuses und the
medu huppy hghght nev obs creuted over the pust
coupe yeurs,
l6
the ong-term trend und ost obs becuuse
o the ndustry ure gnored. Accordng to the Sumon lurm
Montor, 5,000 sport ungng und tourst reuted obs huve
been ost n the \est Hghunds und sunds o Scotund
becuuse o the sumon urmng ndustry.
l7
\hether ex-
chungng these obs or those n the sumon ndustry s
vorthvhe mght be debutube the sumon ndustry
coud provde ong-term stube obs, ke sport ungng und
toursm huve the potentu to do. Hovever, uck o envron-
mentu sustunubty n sumon urmng, combned vth
the ubsence o u guuruntee thut compunes v remun n
Scotund other opportuntes urse esevhere, muke the
quuty o these obs questonube.
Murne Hurvest tse uttests thut mpucts on communtes
und vorker suety ure probem ureus. 1he compuny's 2007
corporute socu responsbty report notes thut Dsrupton
o coustu economes bused on shng und toursm und
dumuge to heuth o empoyees resutng rom nudequute
heuth und suety precuutons vere both potentu com-
munty mpucts o the compuny's uctvtes.
l8
ln the 2008
unnuu report, Murne Hurvest noted thut 1here vere no
utu uccdents on the premses n 2008, but the number o
mnor ncdents (cuts und struns) remuns hgh und re-
qures urther uttenton n 2009.
l9

ln Cctober 2009, Murne Hurvest unnounced u mussve ex-
punson n ts operutons through oshore sh urms, vhch
voud creute 40 nev obs. Lnortunutey, the hype ubout
these nev obs hus ued to note thut the number o obs
creuted s dsproportonute to the sze o ths compuny ex-
punson. 1he expunson v udd 50 percent more vuue to
the compuny, but v ony resut n u 4.2 ncreuse n em-
poyment (bused on 2008 empoyment numbers) on Scot-
tsh sumon urms.
20
lurthermore, these urms v requre
crev members to ve n resdentu burges o the coust,
stuuted by the oshore urms. }ob creuton s mportunt
but ure obs requrng vorkers to ve on burges, uvuy rom
ther umes und communtes, the best souton:
,_HTWSLZMYVT6[OLY9LNPVUZ
Sudy, exumpes rom other regons suggest thut probems
ncted on ocu economes ussocuted vth open vuter
uquucuture n Scotund ure nherent to the ndustry.
Hawa: dccrcasng jobs and allcgcd unsalc workng
condlons
ln Huvu, vhere the open oceun uquucuture ndustry s
supported by tuxpuyer money, there ure tvo oceun sh
urms currenty n exstence. Cne o these, lonu ue
\uter lurms (l\l) reuched u muxmum eve o em-
poyment n Cctober 2008, vhen t empoyed 49 peope
(not u ocu). y Apr the next yeur, ts empoyment hud
dropped to 33.
2l
At the sume tme, the compuny upped to
muke modcutons to ts ste. ln uct, the modcuton vus
bused n purt to emnute the need or stu: \e beeve
thut the ony vuy or lonu ue to ucheve protubty or
our lonu operuton s by reducng our reunce on SCLA
dvers.
22
1he compuny's pun s to get stung needs dovn
Photo by Rob Owen-WahlfStock.Xchng.
to l4 proessonu, sem-proessonu und uborer postons
un overu ob oss o 7l percent.
23
Lookng ut the entre
ndustry n Huvu does not punt u better pcture. Hukuu
LLC, the other exstng oceun sh urm, hus uso recenty
upped to muke chunges. 1he compuny puns to drust-
cuy expund producton. Hovever, ony u reutvey smu
number o obs v be creuted. etveen the tvo urms,
the ndustry empoyed u totu o 44 peope n 2009. Ater
modcutons to both urms ure compete, overu produc-
ton v huve ncreused l73 percent, rom ubout 2.2 to 6
mon pounds, but empoyment v huve decreused by
ll percent.
24
lurthermore, the quuty und suety o the obs provded
by l\l huve been chuenged. etveen 2007 und 2009,
our ormer empoyees ed uvsuts ugunst l\l. 1he
rst sut, setted out o court, ueged thut l\l dd not
provde u sue puce to vork, resutng n nures cuus-
ng ongong physcu und emotonu pun und hurm.
25
1he
second, uso setted out o court, uso ueged thut l\l
ued to provde u sue puce to vork or proper equpment,
resutng n u dsubng buck nury.
26
1he thrd cuse, vth
smur uegutons, vus vountury dsmssed.
27
1he nu
cuse, not yet resoved, ueged umong other thngs thut
l\l vuy gnored und vouted the mundutory prov-
sons und obgutons set orth n ts ovn Dve Munuu
und thut the compuny hus vouted stute und ederu uvs,
resutng n nures to the vorker.
28
Chlc: dscasc oulbrcak and 2S,000 uncmloycd
ln Che, vhere dseuse outbreuks und chemcu use n
open vuter sumon urms huve become notorous, un un-
sustunube ndustry hus equuted to unsustunube empoy-
ment opportuntes. As lnectous Sumon Anemu svept the
ndustry, sumon producton vus devustuted. At ts peuk,
the ndustry creuted 50,000 drect und ndrect obs,
29
but
by 2009 unon euders estmuted thut 20,000 o these obs
vere ost.
30
}ob cuts begun us lSA spreud betveen operu-
tons. ln lebruury o 20l0, SumonChe sud thut 5,000
more muy ose obs betveen Murch und }une 20l0, be-
cuuse there v not be uny hurvested sumon to process.
3l
*VUJS\ZPVUHUK9LJVTTLUKH[PVUZ!
Sumon urmng muy huve become one o the bggest
puyers n Scotund's economy contrbutng to over hu
o Scotund's totu ood exports but ts contrbutons to
ruru economes und Scottsh ctzens s dvndng, und the
oshore obs the ndustry s movng tovurd muy be ess
desrube thun the very obs the ndustry s emnutng n
the recreutonu ungng und toursm sectors. Moreover, the
ndustry s domnuted by u Norvegun compuny, und there
ure no guuruntees ubout vhut v huppen to obs, or spe-
cc uquucuture stes n the uture, vhen other ocutons
vth over cost opportuntes urse.
Councs, punnng uuthortes und potcuns ure under
pressure to provde ob opportuntes, und ths s u d-
cut chuenge, but t s mportunt to ook beyond the use
promses mude by sh urmng corporutons und nto the
uture. lnsteud o sucrcng Scotund's ruru communtes
or ths mutnutonu ndustry, potcuns shoud support
more sustunube, ocuy controed busnesses. \hen
open vuter sh urms u to dever on ther promses o
ocu economc gun, communtes, economes und the
envronment voud be better served through nvestment
n obs vth ongevty, such us toursm, sustunube shng,
und-bused recrcuutng uquucuture systems, smu-scue
shesh uquucuture und vuue-udded processng.
A vde vurety o shesh, ncudng musses, oysters und
scuops ure ureudy cutvuted n Scottsh vuters, und ths
producton s currenty domnuted by smu-scue produc-
ers.
34
Recrcuutng und-bused uquucuture systems (RAS)
ure unother opton thut ure not ony more envronmentuy-
responsbe, but huve been shovn n the Lnted Stutes to
be cupube o producng muny more obs, und keepng
more economc gun vthn ocu communtes. More
nvestment shoud be mude to urther these more vube
uternutves.
\e urge pocymukers not to et sh urmng corporutons
tuke udvuntuge o struggng communtes, und ve recom-
mend thut the Luropeun lsheres lund support nvest-
ment n busnesses und resources thut cun bud ong-term
economc prosperty und deveopment n Scotund, und
beyond.
(KKP[PVUHS,_HTWSLZ
)YP[PZO*VS\TIPH! ln the l990s, urmed sumon produc-
ton trped n rtsh Coumbu, but not u snge nev ob
vus creuted. As uquucuture n ths Cunudun provnce
ncreused, vd sh undngs decreused, und empoyment
n processng dropped o us ve.
32
5VY^H`! etveen l985 und 2000, Norvuy's sh urmng
ndustry expunded tenod, but empoyment dropped by
20 percent.
33

A factory hsh farm off the coast of Hawaii. Photo by NOAA.
Lndnotes
l Murne Hurvest. Hstory. lebruury 20, 2008. Avuube ut: vvv.
murnehurvest.com/en/About-Murne-Hurvest/Hstory/r
2 More obs coud be creuted n Scotund, suys lun lsh che. lsh-
updute.com, Nov. 30, 2006. Avuube ut: vvv.shupdute.com/nevs/
ustory.php/ud/5993/More_obs_coud_be_creuted_n_Scotund,_
suys_lun_lsh_che.htm
3 More obs coud be creuted n Scotund, suys lun lsh che. lsh-
updute.com, Nov. 30, 2006. Avuube ut: vvv.shupdute.com/nevs/
ustory.php/ud/5993/More_obs_coud_be_creuted_n_Scotund,_
suys_lun_lsh_che.htm
4 Murne Scotund Scence, Scottsh lsh lurms: Annuu lroducton
Survey 2008. 1he Scottsh Covernment, 2009 ut 27.
5 Sumon lurm lrotest Croup vurns o urther ob osses. lsh lurmer,
}une l9, 2006.
6 lsheres Reseurch Servces. lnectous Sumon Anuemu. 1he Scottsh
Covernment, 20l0. Avuube ut: vvv.murub.uc.uk
7 Cover, Chures. louton rom sh urms us bud us sevuge.' 1e|e
gtaph (London). Sep l9, 2000.
8 Sumon lurm lrotest Croup vurns o urther ob osses. lsh lurmer,
}une l9, 2006.
9 Murne Scotund Scence, Scottsh lsh lurms: Annuu lroducton
Survey 2008. 1he Scottsh Covernment, 2009 ut 3l.
l0 Murne Scotund Scence, Scottsh lsh lurms: Annuu lroducton
Survey 2008. 1he Scottsh Covernment, 2009 ut ll.
ll Sumon lurm lrotest Croup vurns o urther ob osses. lsh lurmer,
}une l9, 2006.
l2 Sumon lurm lrotest Croup vurns o urther ob osses. lsh lurmer,
}une l9, 2006, lun lsh. lress Reeuse. lun lsh ucqures Murne
Hurvest to orm the vord's urgest sh urmng compuny. Murch 6,
2006, Murne Hurvest. Hstory.
l3 Murne Scotund Scence, Scottsh lsh lurms: Annuu lroducton
Survey 2008. 1he Scottsh Covernment, 2009 ut 32.
l4 Attuck on prot rom sue o sh-urmng compuny. lress und }ournu,
1he Aberdeen (Ll), Aug l4, 2006.
l5 Murne Scotund Scence, Scottsh lsh lurms: Annuu lroducton
Survey 2008. 1he Scottsh Covernment, 2009 ut l9 und 27.
l6 Aquucuture Stunds Strong. lress Reeuse, the Scottsh Covernment,
Dec. l7, 2009.
l7 ruce Sundson. 1he ley uestons. 1he Sumon lurm Montor.
Avuube ut: vvv.sumonurmmontor.org/documents/questons.
htmrqueston9
l8 Murne Hurvest, Corporute Socu Responsbty Report. 2007 ut 8.
l9 Murne Hurvest, Annuu Report 2008 ut 9.
20 Murne Hurvest Scotund puns 50% expunson vth oshore sh
urms, lshnevseu.com, Cct 7, 2009
2l lonu ue \uter lurms, LLC. lnu Suppementu Lnvronmentu
Assessment or u Modcuton to Net len Desgns \thn the Lxstng
lroducton Cupucty und lurm Leuse Areu or lonu ue's Cshore
Cpen Cceun lsh lurm o Lnuuohu lont, lonu, Huvu. Apr 2l,
2009 ut 22.
22 lonu ue \uter lurms, LLC. lnu Suppementu Lnvronmentu
Assessment or u Modcuton to Net len Desgns \thn the Lxstng
lroducton Cupucty und lurm Leuse Areu or lonu ue's Cshore
Cpen Cceun lsh lurm o Lnuuohu lont, lonu, Huvu. Apr 2l,
2009 ut l0.
23 lonu ue \uter lurms, LLC. lnu Suppementu Lnvronmentu
Assessment or u Modcuton to Net len Desgns \thn the Lxstng
lroducton Cupucty und lurm Leuse Areu or lonu ue's Cshore
Cpen Cceun lsh lurm o Lnuuohu lont, lonu, Huvu. Apr 2l,
2009 ut 23.
24 Cucuuton perormed by lood & \uter \utch. Combned totu pro-
ducton und obs proected by compunes n ther lnu Lnvronmentu
Assessments uter upproved modcutons rom lnu Lnvronmentu
Assessment lroposed Lxpunson o Hukuu loods Cshore lsh lurm,
Mumuu uy, Cuhu, Huvu`. lrepured or Cce o Conservuton und
Coustu Lunds, Huvu` Depurtment o Lund und Nuturu Resources
by Aquucuture lunnng & Advocucy LLC. }uy 24 2009 und lnu
Suppementu Lnvronmentu Assessment or u Modcuton to Net len
Desgns vthn the Lxstng Cupucty und lurm Leuse Areu or lonu
ue's Cshore Cpen Cceun lsh lurm o Lnuuohu lont, lonu,
Huvu`. lrepured or Cce o Conservuton und Coustu Lund Dv-
son, Depurtment o Lund und Nuturu Resources by lonu ue \uter
lurms. luuu-lonu, Hl. Apr 2l, 2009
25 lursson v. lonu ue \uter lurms Lnted Stutes Dstrct Court or the
Dstrct o Huvu` No CV07 00242Ml led Muy l0 2007 ut 3.
26 Lubossere v. lonu ue \uter lurms, LLC Lnted Stutes Dstrct Court
or the Dstrct o Huvu` No CV07 00540 Ml led Cctober 29
2007 ut 4.
27 Mchue Lurson vs. lonu bue \uter lurms LLC Lnted Stutes Dstrct
Court or the Dstrct o Huvu`. CV 08 00428 led September 23,
2008 ut 3 und Mchue Lurson vs. lonu bue \uter lurms LLC Lnted
Stutes Dstrct Court or the Dstrct o Huvu`. Amended Notce o
Vountury Dsmssu. CV 08 00428 led December 8, 2008 ut l.
28 \ugner v lonu ue \uter lurms LLC Lnted Stutes Dstrct Court or
the Dstrct o Huvu` No CVC9 00600 led December l6 2009.
29 SumonChe Antcputes Luyos. 1heshSte, lebruury l9, 20l0.
30 Cheun sumon ndustry expects vorst producton ever n 20l0.
Metcoptess Sou|h ||an||c !evs gency. Cct 28, 2009.
3l SumonChe Antcputes Luyos. 1heshSte, lebruury l9, 20l0.
32 rtsh Coumbu Mnstry o lnunce und Corporute Reutons. rtsh
Coumbu's lsh lroduct und Seuood lndustry n the l990s. Muy
200l ut 38-39 und 56-57.
33 Norvuy Drectorute o lsheres. ley lgures rom the Norvegun
Aquucuture lndustry: 2000. Depurtment o Aquucuture, 200l ut
l2. As quoted n: Murshu, Due. lshy busness: 1he Lconomcs o
Sumon lurmng n C. Cunudun Centre or locy Aternutves, Vun-
couver, }uy 2003 ut l6.
34 Survey u Yeur o Scottsh Shesh lurms. 1helshSte.com, }uy 2009.
-VYTVYLPUMVYTH[PVU!
veb: vvv.oodundvutereurope.org
emu: gzunzununveurope.org,
emtcheveurope.org, uvtovskuveurope.org
phone: +32488409662
Copyrght }une 20l0 lood & \uter Lurope
Anstruther Harbor in Fife, Scotland. Photo by Colin BrougfStockXchng.