Site Details: Shuna Castle

Kilmelford
Argyll
PA34 4XA
Operator: Kames Fish Farming Ltd
Water type: Seawater

Average female lice per fish

Source

Fish Health Inspectorate mortality

Date:
31/07/23-04/08/23
Mortality:
3,400
Mortality Rate:
1.52%
Reason given: Handling/ water temperature
Handling/ water temperature
Mortality attributed to handling and elevated water temperature.
FHI to monitor.
Date:
07/08/23-13/08/23
Mortality:
2,597
Mortality Rate:
1.24%
Reason given: Treatments
Treatments
Damaged gills led to mortality during crowding
FHI to monitor.
Date:
14/08/23-20/08/23
Mortality:
3,740
Mortality Rate:
1.81%
Reason given: Treating/ water temperature
Treating/ water temperature
Reduced handling events unless essential for welfare
Second report of cycle, FHI to monitor.
Date:
21/08/23-27/08/23
Mortality:
3,461
Mortality Rate:
1.71%
Reason given: Water temperature
Water temperature
Reduced handling events unless essential for welfare
Same stock type as Kames Bay (east), stocks have not coped with the temperature and stopped feeding, this has led to some with lsions thought to be secondary infections following caligus infestatuion earlier in the summer. Slice and salmosan were used to control lice. Numbers are reducing but will be above the reporting threshold week 35. FHI to monitor
Date:
28/08/23-03/09/23
Mortality:
4,125
Mortality Rate:
2.07%
Reason given: Water temperature, failed fish
Water temperature, failed fish
Reduced handling events unless essential for welfare, reduced feeding
FHI to monitor
Date:
04/09/23-10/09/23
Mortality:
5,472
Mortality Rate:
2.81%
Reason given: Environmental - Plankton µ jellyfish (gill damage)
Environmental - Plankton µ jellyfish (gill damage)
Feed withdrawn with Vet's approval for 3 weeks to reduce respiritory demands of the fish.
Third week of increased mortality at 2-3%. FHI to monitor.
Date:
11/09/23-17/09/23
Mortality:
5,668
Mortality Rate:
2.99%
Reason given: compromised gills from plankton/ jellyfish
compromised gills from plankton/ jellyfish
withdrawal of feed period under veterinary advice
Routine inspection already scheduled.
Date:
18/09/23-24/09/23
Mortality:
3,836
Mortality Rate:
2.1%
Reason given: compromised gills from plankton/ jellyfish
compromised gills from plankton/ jellyfish
withdrawl of feed period under veterinary advice
Ongoing mortality reduced from previous notification. APHA contacted due to potencial welfare incident as feed was withdrawn for three weeks. Visit scheduled. FHI to monitor.
Date:
25/09/23-01/10/23
Mortality:
2,419
Mortality Rate:
1.35%
Reason given: compromised gills from plankton/ jellyfish
compromised gills from plankton/ jellyfish
withdrawl of feed period under veterinary advice
FHI to visit
Date:
02/10/23-08/10/23
Mortality:
2,180
Mortality Rate:
1.23%
Reason given: compromised gills from plankton/ jellyfish
compromised gills from plankton/ jellyfish
No more action taken, gills healing slowly and mortality decreasing.
FHI visited 3/10/23. Mortality levels continue to decrease. FHI to monitor.
Date:
30/10/23-05/11/23
Mortality:
2,956
Mortality Rate:
1.74%
Reason given: Compromised gills from plankton/ jellyfish
Compromised gills from plankton/ jellyfish
No more action taken, gills healing slowly and mortality decreasing.
FHI visited 3/10/23. FHI to monitor.
Date:
13/11/23-19/11/23
Mortality:
2,645
Mortality Rate:
1.6%
Reason given: compromised gills from plankton/ jellyfish
compromised gills from plankton/ jellyfish
No more action taken by the business. Reportedly, gills healing slowly and mortality decreasing.
FHI visit scheduled. FHI to monitor
Date:
20/11/23-26/11/23
Mortality:
2,931
Mortality Rate:
1.8%
Reason given: Lesions from tenacibaculum. Historical gill damage
Lesions from tenacibaculum. Historical gill damage
No more action taken by operator, reported that gills are healing slowly and mortality decreasing.
Routine site inspection conducted 28/11/2023 and DIA samples taken.
Date:
27/11/23-03/12/23
Mortality:
Mortality Rate:
1.41%
Reason given: Mechanical treatment mortalities (Thermolicing)
Mechanical treatment mortalities (Thermolicing)
Treatment mortalities from thermolicing
Site inspected 28/11/2023 and diagnostic samples collected. Results are outstanding. FHI to monitor.

Source

Inspection reports

Case Number: 2023-0540


Download Stock on site from Westmill Hatchery (Troutlodge; pen 2 & 3) and Torhouse Mill (KFF own stock)
Mortality attributed to jellyfish insult experienced in summer 2023 and only slowly recovering. Secondary infection of tenacibaculum, PRV and Piscirickesttsia salmonis, with the latter being described as sub-clinical. Recent thermolicing treatment conducted over weekend of 24/11 and 25/11 has exacerbated mortalities (in all pens). Lice numbers in loch have started to creep up in recent weeks, therefore interventioned was conducted.
Targeted harvests were occuring on site during site inspection; plan is to have 4 pens remaining by end December 2023. Site is planning to fallow out in July 2024.
Site is planning to change its nets after the next crop to CFR nets- same as the ones recently installed at Eilean Coltair.
During site inspection, a number of moribund fish were seen in pen 3 and pen 2. These pens are stocked with Westmill
Hatchery fish (origin:Troutlodge). Pens 10 and 8 were also observed with an increased number of moribunds. A small number of fish on site were observed with large circular lesions but were not able to be caught for sampling. Healing lice damage and lesions on the head were also seen in some of the fish; some of these fish were removed for diagnostic sampling. Diagnostic samples were taken from pen 3 and pen 5 (three from the former and two from the latter pen). [Original PDF]

Case Number: 2025-0052


Download Fish input onto site Wk 43 2024 from Kames Bay East FS0462.
Recent treatments include Thermolicer, SLICE and Salmosan (Azamethiphos). Last SLICE conducted 03/02/2025.
Site is currently transferring fish to Loch Pooltiel.
Health checks are conducted weekly, with more in-depth checks occurring every two weeks. Last PCRs showed presence of
Tenacibaculum, however not clinically seen on site presently.
Site is located in a farm management area that does not fallow synchronously on a single year class basis. Associated risk assessment was inspected and deemed satisfactory.
During remote paperwork (13/02/2025), all paperwork except for movement records, transport records and sea lice harvesting strategy/waypoints inspected. Other records were inspected on 19/02/2025.
Due to adverse weather, site inspection planned on 19/02/2025 could not be conducted. [Original PDF]

Case Number: 2025-0069


Download Site visited after inspection on 19/02/2025 (2025-0052) could not be completed due to adverse weather.
Surveillance frequency risk assessment completed during previous inspection.
3 dead runts were observed on site, but the rest of the population appeared healthy and with a good feeding response. No signs of damage observed on the fish and no moribunds observed. The fish sampled for the VMD showed no clinical signs of disease.
Site has completed transfers to Loch Pooltiel, and will be receiving fish from Torhouse Mill and Glenkens this week.
Escape event MSe020325RTR1 reported on 02/03/2025 during a well boat (Aqua Gripfisk) crowding operation.
The issue has been identified with an electrical failure of the gate valves on the grading vessel. It is advised that Kames Fish
Farming Ltd (FB0134) should ensure that 3rd party contractor’s equipment is maintained and operating properly prior to undertaking operations. Adequate checks and an auditable record of checks occurring should be in place to help prevent future issues. The Specialist Transporter Business Aquaship UK Limited (STB0004) will be responsible for ensuring that in the future the valves on the vessel will be checked manually prior to loading or discharging and that these checks are recorded in the vessel’s log before the start of any operation.
In addition, Kames Fish Farming Ltd (FB0134) should ensure that mitigations are in place to prevent any fish which are discharged onto the deck of the boat from being lost through the gunwales.have provided evidence that mesh will also be fitted in front of the holes on the gun wall to avoid the risk of fish spilling onto the deck in the future. [Original PDF]

Source