This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Aquaculture and Fisheries Bill
02/03/2007
The Scottish Parliament has backed a Bill to support the sustainable development of the freshwater fisheries and aquaculture industries.
The Aquaculture and Fisheries (Scotland) Bill gives Ministers powers to contain and eradicate the parasite Gyrodactylus salaris, which would have a damaging impact if it arrived in Scotland.
Deputy Environment Minister Sarah Boyack said:
"We want to support the sustainable development of the aquaculture and fisheries in Scotland.
"Gyrodactylus salaris (GS) would have a devastating impact if it were to arrive in our rivers. The Bill gives us comprehensive powers to eradicate that threat and we will continue to put every effort into ensuring that GS never arrives in Scotland.
"This Bill reinforces the good practice that already exists across the industry and will increase public confidence by ensuring that all fish farm operators have to meet certain standards.
"This lays strong foundations for the future of both freshwater fisheries and aquaculture, for the benefit of the whole of Scotland."
The Bill will:
Aquaculture
- Introduce a duty on fish farmers to collect, retain and make available for inspection information relating to fish parasites and containment of fish
- Give powers to allow inspectors authorised by Ministers to take samples of stock and measure levels of parasites
- Allow enforcement action to be taken where farms do not have satisfactory measures in place to control parasites or contain fish
- Regulate live fish movements into specified areas in marine waters
- Allow Ministers to establish a scheme to make payments for any fish destroyed for the purposes of disease controls
- Increase powers to allow Ministers to fund initiatives relating to sea fisheries, freshwater fisheries, aquaculture and inshore fisheries
Freshwater fisheries
- Give powers to introduce a temporary order restricting the movement of live fish, fish eggs and foodstuff for fish in the event of an outbreak of Gyrodactylus salaris anywhere in the UK and to make disinfection arrangements
- Give powers to take measures for the containment and eradication of Gyrodactylus salaris including:
- Powers to construct, maintain and dismantle barriers across rivers
- For this purpose a power of compulsory purchase of land
- A power to enter onto land for the purposes of surveying the river
- The closure of existing fish passes to prevent upstream migration of fish
- Treat rivers with chemicals or other agents to kill the Gyrodactylus salaris parasite
- Permit the removal and disposal of dead and moribund fish
- Introduce powers to allow Scottish Ministers to order the compulsory slaughter of fish to eradicate Gyrodactylus salaris
- Amend existing provisions in the Salmon & Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 2003 relating to protection orders, close times, use of rod rests, use of live vertebrates as bait, use of gaffs, tailers, pike gags, landing nets and keep nets
- Prohibit the use of live vertebrates as bait
- Prohibit the intentional introduction of live fish into inland waters without prior written approval
Sea fisheries
- Bring in a system of administrative penalties for certain sea fisheries offences
Inshore Fisheries
- Increase the maximum fine level for an offence under a Regulating Order to £50,000
- Provide that the discretionary revocation of a licence by the grantee can happen after the licence holder is convicted of one fisheries offence