UK Illegal chemical 'used on salmon' Environmentalists are concerned about fish farms New concerns about the illegal use of chemicals in the salmon farming industry have been uncovered in a BBC Scotland investigation. While most salmon farmers maintain that they use the correct chemicals under licence, a former fish farm worker has revealed he treated fish with a product designed for horses and chickens. Campaigners said the treatment was more lethal to the marine environment than sheep dip and have called for tighter regulation of the industry. Environmentalists have repeatedly accused the salmon farming industry of misusing chemicals to treat sea lice.
Sea lice are parasites which kill salmon and have been a major problem for the industry.
In the past fish farm employees have been reluctant to speak out because they depend on the farms for work in remote locations. But Jonathan Davis, a former fish farm worker from Wester Ross, has broken his silence to allege that a chemical with the brand name of Deosect was used on the farm where he worked for three years. If the fish showed any signs of distress like head shaking the chemical treatment was aborted. We have been unable to detect Deosect in any sample taken from the farm. Strict feeding guidelines for salmon Friends of the Earth Scotland has urged Sepa to make further enquiries and said it should be better resourced to deal with what it believes is a more widespread problem in the industry.