Site Details: Sian Bay

Sian Bay
Loch Eriboll, Port Chamuill, Laid
Lairg, Sutherland
IV27 4UE
Operator: Scottish Sea Farms Ltd
Water type: Seawater

Average female lice per fish

Source

Salmon Scotland mortality

Source

Cumulative mortality over full production cycle

Sian Bay Production cycle end date: Nov 2019
Total losses: 13.4 %

Sian Bay Production cycle end date: Oct 2021
Total losses: 16.5 %

Sian Bay Production cycle end date: May 2023
Total losses: 45.2 %

Sian Bay Production cycle end date: Apr 2024
Total losses: 12.4 %

Source

Fish Health Inspectorate mortality

Date:
25/04/22-01/05/22
Mortality:
9,403
Mortality Rate:
2.4%
Reason given: Bird predation
Bird predation
Physical damage due to predation pressure by birds.
Business correspondent contacted for further info - awaiting reply. First report this cycle. FHI to monitor.
Date:
31/10/22-06/11/22
Mortality:
5,704
Mortality Rate:
1.5%
Reason given: Environment; Gill health Related
Environment; Gill health Related
CGD; post tarp peroxide treatment for AGD; FH diagnostic visit
First report this cycle. FHI to monitor.
Date:
07/11/22-13/11/22
Mortality:
12,648
Mortality Rate:
3.5%
Reason given: Environment; Gill health Related
Environment; Gill health Related
CGD confirmed from FH diagnostic visit, AGD driving mortality
Site inspected on 18/10/2022. AGD main cause of morbidity and mortality. FHI to monitor.
Date:
14/11/22-20/11/22
Mortality:
7,726
Mortality Rate:
2.2%
Reason given: Environment; Gill health Related
Environment; Gill health Related
CGD, AGD
Following weeks morrtality data provided, see for details
Date:
21/11/22-27/11/22
Mortality:
14,225
Mortality Rate:
4.1%
Reason given: Environment; Gill health Related
Environment; Gill health Related
CGD, AGD peroxide tarp treatment scheduled
AGD challenging to control FW treatment is planned from the 4/12. Mortalities remain high. FHI to monitor.
Date:
28/11/22-04/12/22
Mortality:
11,348
Mortality Rate:
3.4%
Reason given: Environment; Gill health Related
Environment; Gill health Related
CGD, AGD FW wellbost treatment scheduled
Mortality levels down slightly but remain high. FHI to monitor.
Date:
05/12/22-11/12/22
Mortality:
6,554
Mortality Rate:
2%
Reason given: Gill health Related
Gill health Related
CGD, AGD; post FW wellbost treatment
Historic report. No further action.
Date:
12/12/22-18/12/22
Mortality:
3,304
Mortality Rate:
1.1%
Reason given: Gill health Related
Gill health Related
CGD, AGD; post FW wellbost treatment
Mortality levels are reducing. FHI to monitor.
Date:
17/04/23-23/04/23
Mortality:
7,141
Mortality Rate:
2.5%
Reason given: Bacterial Disease
Bacterial Disease
Diagnostic samples taken, destocking through harvest
Aeromonas salmonicida identified, harvesting specific pens is ongoing, staff are assessing the situation and an antibiotic treatment is being considered. FHI to monitor. Upadte 8.5.23 FHI to visit
Date:
24/04/23-30/04/23
Mortality:
55,403
Mortality Rate:
20.2%
Reason given: Bacterial Disease
Bacterial Disease
Targeted harvesting
Site contact called to discuss further. Aeromonas salmonicida indentified. However, diagnostic carried out by company vet revealed mortality was due to acute septecemia. Harvested all but 4 pens. Remaining pens have significantly fewer mortalities and are feeding and shoaling well. Still considering the use of antibiotic (florocol) to treat remaining pens pending a review of mortality trend. Mortality has drastically reduced to 4% following harvest. No planned harvest date yet as harvesting has temporarily stopped due to improvement in health.
Date:
01/05/23-07/05/23
Mortality:
13,636
Mortality Rate:
8.8%
Reason given: Bacterial Disease
Bacterial Disease
Targetted harvesting
FHI visited 10/5/23 and Diagnostic samples taken
Date:
08/05/23-14/05/23
Mortality:
4,277
Mortality Rate:
4.7%
Reason given: Bacterial Disease
Bacterial Disease
Harvesting to fallow.
FHI visited 10/5/23 and diagnostic samples taken. Awaiting results.
Date:
15/05/23-21/05/23
Mortality:
2,653
Mortality Rate:
3.5%
Reason given: Bacterial Disease
Bacterial Disease
Harvesting to fallow in wk 21.
FHI visited 10/5/23 and diagnostic samples taken. Awaiting results.
Date:
18/09/23-24/09/23
Mortality:
383
Mortality Rate:
2.9%
Reason given: Transfer
Transfer
Post input transfer
First notification of cycle. Over mortality notification threshold due to small numbers on site. FHI to monitor.
Date:
02/10/23-08/10/23
Mortality:
153
Mortality Rate:
1.2%
Reason given: Transfer related
Transfer related
Post transfer
Small number of large fish pushed mortality % over 1. FHI to monitor.
Date:
15/01/24-21/01/24
Mortality:
170
Mortality Rate:
1.4%
Reason given: Predation by seals; Environmental
Predation by seals; Environmental
Post storm/weather
First report since October 2023. FHI to monitor.
Date:
11/03/24-17/03/24
Mortality:
94
Mortality Rate:
1.1%
Reason given: Handling
Handling
Post selection for broodstock; Harvesting to fallow
FHI to monitor.
Date:
18/03/24-24/03/24
Mortality:
107
Mortality Rate:
1.2%
Reason given: Handling
Handling
Post selection for broodstock; Harvesting to fallow
FHI to monitor.
Date:
03/11/25-09/11/25
Mortality:
17,757
Mortality Rate:
5.7%
Reason given: Gill health related
Gill health related
AGD; FW wellboat treatment scheduled
First report this cycle. FHI to monitor.
Date:
10/11/25-16/11/25
Mortality:
32,049
Mortality Rate:
10.9%
Reason given: Gill health related
Gill health related
AGD; FW wellboat treatment in wk 46. Update 24/11/25 provisional figure is 6.2%, 16125 fish for week beginning 17/11/25. This may not include Sundays mort figures.
Second report this cycle. Increased on previous week. FHI visit scheduled
Date:
17/11/25-23/11/25
Mortality:
23,625
Mortality Rate:
9%
Reason given: Gill health related
Gill health related
CGD FW wellboat treatment in wk 46-47
Third consecutive report. Decreased on previous week. FHI visit scheduled.

Source

Inspection reports

Case Number: 2021-0087


Download increased mortality after input in 2018 was reported to FHI as well as mortality event in 2019 due to enviromental insult.
Movement of Lumpfish from out width GB onto site from Bantry at end of 2020. Health certificates inspected on site.
Visibility poor on day of site visit. Fish had been fed already in the morning so feeding response was quite poor. Unable to catch fish for VMD samples.
Remote inspection conducted by , Observed by [Original PDF]

Case Number: 2022-0505


Download Mortality events:
9th August 2021 - 1.5% (2,611)
16th August 21 - 1.9% (3,215)
23rd August 21 - 2.8% (5,484)
30th Aug 21 - 1.8% (2,706)
4th Oct 21 - 3.2% (339)
25th Apr 22 - 2.4% (9,403)
All attributed to gill health and viral disease
Aquagen stock. Site manager has reported good growth rates and reports that fish are performing well.
Peroxide treatment completed in wk40 to promote gill health.
A seal was observed by site staff in pen 7 on 26/09. Reported to have entered the net over the handrail and was directed out over a lowered side net. Net has been checked with cameras and ROV and site manager has confirmed no holes have been discovered. The site was satisfactory with regards to containment on the day of inspection.
Fish came on from Barcaldine smolt unit.
Internal biologist visits the site every quarter. Last report from Q3 details AGD as the main cause of morbidity on the site.
Fish will be split down between Sian Bay and Kempie Bay end of November. Live haul harvests.
Lumpfish are due to arrive on the site in November 22 from Otterferry. No cleanerfish were stocked at the time of inspection.
Fish were sitting deep in the water so were difficult to observe. Fish that were captured in the box net were inspected and appeared in good physical health. 2 runt mortalities observed across the site. Fish sampled for VMD appeared healthy externally and internally and demonstrated a strong feeding response. [Original PDF]

Case Number: 2023-0080


Download Site inspected following mortality reports above the reporting threshold.
5 cages still holding stock on site, decision on whether to hold fish to scheduled harvest date (July 2023) or bring forward the fallow date was due to be made WK 19.
Site experienced a peak in mortalites following FW treatments by wellboat (Intercaledonia). The FW treatments were reported to be 12 hours (between 08/04/23 to 15/04/23). Following the increasing mortalities samples were taken and Aeromonas salmonicida was the primary pathogen identified - vet report stated "Aeromonas salmonicide is likely to have been present during freshwater bathing, which alongside handling stress and/or previous handling through the cycle has resulted in a severe infection challenge".
The majority of mortalities are acute infections, with these fish showing no or very few external signs of furunculosis. The fish with acute infections displayed various internal signs, mainly haemorrhaging on the swim bladder, enlarged spleens and clear ascites. The fish with chronic infections displayed external signs including furuncles
Vet from Pharmaq Analytiq was on site during site inspection to conduct a follow up visit to previous sampling trips. They inspected recently removed mortalities and examined these externally and internally. They also opened a number of lumpfish mortalities.
Cleaner fish on site are from Otterferry, unsure of future stocking plans for cleaner fish, however, if they are to be used they will be source from within Scotland.
Fish on site vaccinated with PD3 vaccine - Salmon pancreas disease, infectious pancreatic necrosis and aeromonas salmonicida. Fish vaccinated at Barcaldine.
Approximately 15 - 40 moribund or lethargic fish observed per cage. Three fish observed deeper in the water column with severe exophthalmia. [Original PDF]

Case Number: 2025-0142


Download Site noticed a Caligus increase and fish were treated with slice in week 16 2025.
Stock were observed to be shoaling and feeding well whilst swimming deep in the water column. Fish had a good feed response. 1 mortality and 2 fish with lesions observed on site, the leasions appeared to be healing well and the site manager attributed these to the damage caused by the storm around one month ago. The fish samples for the VMD appeared in good condition both internally and externally, no sea lice was observed on these fish. [Original PDF]

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