Huge lorry loads of dead fish hauled away by road from a Lamlash Bay fish farm on Tuesday have concerned local residents who have already voiced fears regarding an expansion of fish farming in the area.
Thousands of dead salmon were removed for incineration from Arran’s only commercial fish farm after an outbreak of the parasitic borne condition - Proliferative Gill Disease (PGD).
Sources told The Arran Banner that tonnes of diseased salmon were removed from the Kings Cross site and would be transported to the mainland to be incinerated.
During this week residents in the area have been commenting on the stench of rotting fish.
A spokeswoman for Pan Fish, which maintains the Arran fish farm on behalf of fish farming giant Marine Harvest, confirmed that there had been a disease outbreak at the island unit and that the affected fish had been removed from the site.
‘There was some loss of fish on part of the Lamlash site,’ she said.
However, the spokeswoman would not confirm how many fish have been affected.
She added: ‘PGD is not uncommon in fish farms.
‘We were told on Monday that the staff had noticed some of the fish were sick.
‘In three separate removals the fish were taken away, off the island, and incinerated.’
PGD is carried by water-borne parasites and can prove lethal to infected fish within a matter of days.
The disease causes salmon to suffocate due to severe damage to the gill area.
Symptoms include swelling and red and white mottling of the gill area, giving them a sore and raw appearance.
As infection is caused by a parasite circulating in the water there are fears that the diseasecould be passed on to wild fish in the area.
Lamlash community councillor Brenda Stewart said: ‘This latest problem is why we don’t want another massive fish farm in Lamlash Bay.
‘There are so many questions that need to be addressed mainly; will this disease be detrimental to the wild fish in the bay?
‘I have strongly objected to this new fish farm all along and this latest development shows us what a danger the fish farm could be.’
