From the early 1980s I have lobbied various Westminster and more recently the Scottish Governments in a bid to make the killing of seals by salmon farmers illegal in Scotland (End the slaughter of seals in Scotland now, News, September 4). Salmon farmers should be required to install and properly maintain predator exclusion nets to humanely stop seals getting close to the salmon cages. An alternative is to farm salmon in on-shore seawater tanks.
These systems are expensive and politicians, civil servants and even RSPCA Freedom Foods refused to force salmon farmers to invest the money required to make Scottish farmed salmon seal friendly.
Instead the Scottish Government gives salmon farmers licences to shoot seals then leaves shooters to police themselves using an honesty box system to report numbers shot.
Since 2011, I have been asking the US government to use existing legislation to ban the import of salmon produced on farms where seals are deliberately killed. I was pleasantly surprised to read in the Sunday Herald that this approach had been successful.
The US government specifically mentions my correspondence as having influenced their decision to implement the ban which comes into force on January 1, 2022. Perhaps now the Scottish Government will make it compulsory for salmon farmers to use predator exclusion nets instead of giving them licences to kill seals? It is ludicrous that it has required a foreign government to protect seals in Scottish waters.
John F Robins,
Save Our Seals Fund
You report on the diesel which spilled from the oil rig Transocean Winner which magically disappeared (Pollution cover-up claims hit coastguard over oil rig grounding, News, September 4).
This serious maritime incident highlights the need for an emergency towing vessel based in Stornoway which Highlands Against Nuclear Transport (HANT) has campaigned for since 2013, with support from many politicians and environmental organisations.
The outcome of an accident similar to this involving a ship carrying nuclear waste from Scrabster to Barrow as is planned on the same route would be much more catastrophic
That is why HANT has called for all shipments of nuclear waste on this route through the Minches to be halted as it is unnecessary and all nuclear waste can and should be stored at Dounreay
HANT calls on the British Government to implement every recommendation made by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch which will follow this disaster and immediately inform the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority that all shipments of nuclear waste from Scrabster to Barrow must now be halted.
Tor Justad, Chair, HANT
Strathpeffer
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