Site Details: Vestness

Unit 3 Quarry Road
Pierowall Westray
KW17 2DH
Operator: Cooke Aquaculture Scotland Ltd
Water type: Seawater

Average female lice per fish

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Salmon Scotland mortality

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Cumulative mortality over full production cycle

Vestness Production cycle end date: Jan 2018
Total losses: 9.6 %

Vestness Production cycle end date: Feb 2020
Total losses: 18.4 %

Vestness Production cycle end date: Feb 2022
Total losses: 7.7 %

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Fish Health Inspectorate mortality

Date:
07/02/22-13/02/22
Mortality:
243
Mortality Rate:
1.18%
Reason given: Damage from predators.
Damage from predators.
Site was harvesting at the time, only a small number of fish left on site. Site was fallowed by 18/02/22.
Historic mortality picked up during inspection. Site manager was reminded of reporting requirements at time of inspection. No further action.
Date:
31/07/23-06/08/23
Mortality:
16,224
Mortality Rate:
4.13%
Reason given: Handling
Handling
Site contacted for further informaton : Mortality caused by handling during a routine wellboat movement. Mortality has now reduced on site below reporting threshold.
FHI to monitor.
Date:
16/10/23-22/10/23
Mortality:
17,182
Mortality Rate:
4.72%
Reason given: Gill Health
Gill Health
Mortalities for WK 42, reported WK50. Mortality has reduced below the reporting level.
No further action
Date:
23/10/23-29/10/23
Mortality:
6,923
Mortality Rate:
2.00%
Reason given: Gill Health
Gill Health
Mortalities for WK 42, reported WK50. Mortality have reduced below the reporting level.
No further action
Date:
30/10/23-05/11/23
Mortality:
17,605
Mortality Rate:
5.18%
Reason given: Gill Health
Gill Health
Business correspondent has been contacted - awaiting response. FHI to monitor
Date:
06/11/23-12/11/23
Mortality:
4,585
Mortality Rate:
1.42%
Reason given: Gill Health
Gill Health
Business correspondent contacted. Significant reduction in mortality since last notification
Significant reduction in mortality rate since last notification. FHI to monitor
Date:
04/12/23-10/12/23
Mortality:
3,263
Mortality Rate:
1.05%
Reason given: Gill Health
Gill Health
Retrospective historic mortality event picked up through site Inspection on the 28/5/2024 (case 2024 0169)
No further action

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Inspection reports

Case Number: 2020-0528


Download Inspection of site records carried out remotely on the 26th November 2020 by with shadowing. Inspection of stock on site carried out on the 2nd December 2020 by .
Water clear but fish staying low due to rougher seas. Fish shoaling closer to surface appeared well and responding to feed. No issues observed while on site. Fish removed for vmd sampling appeared in very good condition externally with no lice noted.
No gross pathology observed on internal examination of fish taken for vmd sampling.
FMA not fallowed synchronously but RA conducted in accordance with CoGP 4.3.101 [Original PDF]

Case Number: 2022-0439


Download Fish are on North East Nutrition (organic feed) and have been performing well since input with a high feed conversion rate.
Company's own biologist in Orkney every week or every couple of weeks to perform basic health checks including taking gill samples and performing lice checks. Routine health surveillance ensures that any potential health issues are detected early and can result in a quick response from the health team.
Seals are present in the area surrounding the site but are reported to not be interacting with the cages and not contributing to mortality. During inspection, a seal was observed resting on the walkway of a cage.
All sites in the farm management area stocked with a single year class, however fallow periods are not synchronous. Risk assessment in place.
Site produces organic salmon so freshwater and hydrolicer treatments are used to control sea lice. Hydrolicer was on site in
October 2021 and demonstrated good clearance.
No site specific sea lice management plan available due to low lice numbers present in Orkney historically. However, the site's sea lice strategy statement details that the health team would develop a site specific sea lice management plan if this was ever required.
Wild lumpfish were observed in some of the cages.
Mortalities are uplifted from the cages by boat and either taken to the shorebase for storage in sealed bins before uplift by approved contractor or the uplift boat will also sometimes transfer the mortalities directly to Kirkwall for further transport to
SCM biodiesel or Pelagia for further processing.
AGD on site but not causing significant mortalities. Site just recently FW treated over the weekend.
Fish have reportedly been performing well with good conversion rates. Plans to move fish off to Skelwick for the remainder of the cycle and will be dead haul harvested from Skelwick. No harvesting done from Vestness.
1 moribund fish observed across the whole site. Handful of fish observed with physical damage, attributed to handling from the recent freshwater treatment.
Fish sampled for VMD appeared healthy externally and internally.
Paperwork and site inspected by , supervised by . VMD sampled by [Original PDF]

Case Number: 2024-0169


Download SAL peaks in mortality 2023 wk 31 16224 (4.13%) (handling), wk 42 17182 (4.72%) gill health, wk 43 6923 (2.0%) (gill health),
Wk 44 17605 (5.18%) gill health, wk 45 4585 (1.42%), wk 49 3263 (1.05%) gill health. Jelly fish the main cause of the gill health issues.
Site stock grown to organic standard. Site is used as a nursery grow out site. Current stock was direct fw input. Fish to be transferred out within six weeks and then restocked with 400g growers (sw to sw transfer). This is just a one off due to logistics and poor weather preventing usual stocking practices. [Original PDF]

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