0:00:04 > 0:00:08Fishing for salmon and sea trout on a remote Scottish river. An iconic
0:00:08 > 0:00:17sport, but it relies on the existence of an iconic animal,
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Atlantic salmon. I'm present pren - - Kenneth Macdonald, BBC Scotland's
0:00:19 > 0:00:22science correspondent, I'm investigating whether hid none this
0:00:22 > 0:00:25idyllic landscape there's an environmental disaster that might
0:00:25 > 0:00:35mean salmon and sea trout could be disappearing from our seas, rivers
0:00:35 > 0:00:40and lochs. The sea trout are just not there. What effect will it have
0:00:40 > 0:00:44on the fish It will become weaker and easier for a predator to catch.
0:00:44 > 0:00:54It would be wrong to say, well, we don't know, we don't really like
0:00:54 > 0:01:12
0:01:12 > 0:01:17this, but we think you should go Loch Maree a freshwater loch in
0:01:17 > 0:01:22Wester Ross. I'm lucky enough to be getting a guided tour with the
0:01:22 > 0:01:28laird here, John McKinsey. As the landowner he owns the fishing. Tell
0:01:28 > 0:01:35me how far back your familiary goes with this land and this loch?
0:01:35 > 0:01:40we started. In - I think it was 18th great grandfather was granted
0:01:40 > 0:01:43the lands of Gairloch by James IV. So we've been here quite a long
0:01:43 > 0:01:47time. This loch was once world- famous. It brought anglers to
0:01:47 > 0:01:51Scotland from across the globe. That's because it used to have the
0:01:51 > 0:01:54best sea trout ange ling in Scotland. That used to support many
0:01:54 > 0:01:58jobs here, but trout stocks have crashed. It's hard to believe when
0:01:58 > 0:02:03you look at how beautiful this place is, but John believes that
0:02:03 > 0:02:07beneath the surface there's been an environmental disaster. The sea
0:02:07 > 0:02:13trout are just not. There the fishermen don't want to come. Who
0:02:13 > 0:02:20wants to sit in boat for a week when you're not likely to catch a
0:02:20 > 0:02:25lot to put it mildly. When you look around at what it's become now, how
0:02:25 > 0:02:30does that make you feel? It's sad, frankly. It's a pale, pale
0:02:30 > 0:02:34imitation. It's barely an imitation actually. It's a memory. What's
0:02:34 > 0:02:39responsible for that crash? John believes there is an environmental
0:02:39 > 0:02:44disaster caused by tiny parasites called sea lice. They don't live
0:02:44 > 0:02:48here, they live in the sea six miles away. Sea trout and salmon
0:02:48 > 0:02:55are found in freshwater lochs like, Loch Maree. They use rivers to go
0:02:55 > 0:03:05to sea to feed before returning to spawn. It's in the sea that the
0:03:05 > 0:03:08
0:03:08 > 0:03:12route of -- root of any crisis can be found. John's are based on the
0:03:12 > 0:03:16work of Peter Cunningham a byologist who works for the fishery
0:03:16 > 0:03:22owners much he offered to take us out and show us what is wrong much
0:03:22 > 0:03:28he use as 50 meter long sweep net to catch a sea trout. If they are
0:03:28 > 0:03:32lice carrying lice he will know there is a problem here. So on only
0:03:32 > 0:03:36the second cast of this sweep net we have lovely looking sea trout.
0:03:36 > 0:03:42That is the good news. It has sea lice. Just how much how many, we
0:03:42 > 0:03:48will have to wait for a wee while we need to anaesthetise, process it
0:03:48 > 0:03:53and take a proper scientific look at. It You can see tiny little lice,
0:03:53 > 0:03:58these are attached by a filament to the skin of the fish. If they get
0:03:58 > 0:04:03too many it creates an infection that is why the dorsal fin becomes
0:04:03 > 0:04:08eroded. It's not as perfect a fin as it should be. That many lice,
0:04:08 > 0:04:14what affect will it have on the fish? Weaker and easier for a
0:04:15 > 0:04:20predator to catch. This is what all the fuss is bfplt it's a sea louse.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24This is a female she has a spring of eggs coming off her tail. They
0:04:24 > 0:04:27are remarkable little creature. They are not aliens, they are
0:04:27 > 0:04:30naturally occurring thesh are little crustacean. They attach
0:04:30 > 0:04:34themselves to passing sea trout and salmon. Now, when a sea louse
0:04:34 > 0:04:38attach it isself to a sea trout it's a feat likened to somebody
0:04:39 > 0:04:43being able to jump on to a jumbo jet and hang on while the jumbo jet
0:04:43 > 0:04:47is in flight. The other problem, is although she doesn't look like much,
0:04:47 > 0:04:54it's how many of her kind that are on that single fish that we netted.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59There were 91 sea lice. Each one of them suckers on, if you like, and
0:04:59 > 0:05:02chew it is way slowly into the fish. Peter says sea lice numbers have
0:05:02 > 0:05:06increased in the last 20 to 30 years hech says there is one key
0:05:06 > 0:05:12reason for that. Out in the sea here, there is a fish farm. He says
0:05:12 > 0:05:17that lice from the farmed fish are infecting the wild ones. It's all
0:05:17 > 0:05:21about numbers. Sri Lanka -- salmon farm will have 500,000 fish in it
0:05:21 > 0:05:25or more. Around here if you have healthy sea trout population in the
0:05:25 > 0:05:29loch you might have 10,000 or 20,000. It's an order of magnitude
0:05:29 > 0:05:33of two more farmed fish. If there is a natural relationship between
0:05:33 > 0:05:37parasite numbers and wild fish, as there always was, you have ten
0:05:37 > 0:05:42times as many hosts with the parasite, you can easily have ten
0:05:42 > 0:05:48times as many parasites. Which is all it is to upset the balance.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52That compromises the health of the wild fish. There are also problems
0:05:52 > 0:05:55for wild fish in areas where there are no farms like the East Coast.
0:05:55 > 0:06:00Peter accept that is there are other factors like global warming
0:06:00 > 0:06:08and lack of food making life difficult for salmon and sea trout.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13He is convinced lice from farms are contributing to their decline. At
0:06:13 > 0:06:18the end of the day, Peter changes out of his wetsuit and brings us
0:06:18 > 0:06:24here, to the River Ewe, the link between the sea lock and Loch Maree.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28He he thinks he can show us one last bit of evidence. If they are
0:06:28 > 0:06:37have lots of lice they will head for the river because freshwater
0:06:38 > 0:06:41kills the parasites. Lice levels are high enough to make them feel
0:06:41 > 0:06:45unkosm comfortable. Judging by the damage on the fins a few of them
0:06:45 > 0:06:50have decided it's Bert coming back into freshwater where the lice will
0:06:50 > 0:06:58come off rather than staying out in the sea. So, campaigners want farms
0:06:58 > 0:07:01near the rivers that are used by wild fish moved far out to sea. The
0:07:01 > 0:07:07fish farm Peter blames is here in the sea loch, a few miles from
0:07:07 > 0:07:10where he took his neting. It's run by Scotland's biggest producer,
0:07:10 > 0:07:17Marine Harvest, they believe there is no proof to link them to what's
0:07:17 > 0:07:24happened to wild fish stocks. We are heading out towards the fish
0:07:24 > 0:07:30farm here on isle ewe, we have ten blast plastic tens each 100 metres
0:07:30 > 0:07:36in succumb frens. How many are we talking about? 500 and 600,000. At
0:07:36 > 0:07:42the moment, we are going to look at a pen which will have 42,500 fish.
0:07:42 > 0:07:48They are around about 4.9 kilos, they are ready for harvesting.
0:07:48 > 0:07:53farm cost over �2 million to set up. It employees five full-time and
0:07:53 > 0:07:57five part-time staff much across Scotland this industry employs over
0:07:57 > 0:08:031,000 people and generates �400 million for the economy. We weren't
0:08:03 > 0:08:09sure what to expect on the farm itself. Would we see fish with lice,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12would it be obvious if marine har rest were to blame? Steve showed us
0:08:13 > 0:08:20some fish, anaesthetise them and prove his fish were clean of lice.
0:08:20 > 0:08:28What we are looking for here are any signs of lice on the fish. And,
0:08:28 > 0:08:32there don't appear to be. That's good. Very good. They are beautiful
0:08:32 > 0:08:37looking fish. We saw no lice. Steve says that us a's because lice
0:08:37 > 0:08:45levels are monitored and a range of chemical treatments is used to
0:08:45 > 0:08:49remove them if worrying numbers are found. If you came to the farm and
0:08:49 > 0:08:53you sea saw a will the of lice on the fish that would be a different
0:08:53 > 0:08:57matter. They work with nearby farms and wild fish groups to reduce lice
0:08:57 > 0:09:02and share some information. Can an operation this big really claim
0:09:03 > 0:09:07it's having no impact on the wild r environment? We are farming in
0:09:07 > 0:09:11nature. So, we can't say that we're not having an impact. It's knowing
0:09:11 > 0:09:14how much of an impact we've got I think it would be wrong to say,
0:09:14 > 0:09:19well, we don't know, we don't really like this, but we think you
0:09:19 > 0:09:23should go out of the loch. We don't think that is a reason for moving.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Campaigners say the industry may not be admitting the scale of the
0:09:26 > 0:09:29problem. That's because sea lice levels are monitored by the
0:09:29 > 0:09:33companies themselves and information about how many lice are
0:09:33 > 0:09:37found on each farm isn't published. To the wild fish lobby, that is
0:09:37 > 0:09:42like asking the fish farmers to be poachers and gamekeepers at the
0:09:42 > 0:09:46same time. I think, if there was an issue on a farm, and there have
0:09:46 > 0:09:52been issues in the past, there is no getting away from that, I think
0:09:52 > 0:09:56it is important that we do have external, auditors, inspectors to
0:09:56 > 0:10:00look at the farm. I'm sure they would want to do that in any case.
0:10:00 > 0:10:05It is important. The staff here keep a close eye on their fish. The
0:10:05 > 0:10:07government does check up on the farms. Are they doing enough? We
0:10:07 > 0:10:11have used the Freedom of Information system to find out
0:10:11 > 0:10:15about those inspections. In the last three years, inspectors almost
0:10:15 > 0:10:21always simply looked at paperwork, rather than doing their own lice
0:10:21 > 0:10:25counts. They only counted lice themselves on about one in 20
0:10:25 > 0:10:28visits. Campaigners say that is pretty much self-regulation. If
0:10:28 > 0:10:33campaigners are right and the industry could be hiding the scale
0:10:33 > 0:10:43of the problem, what is the worst that could happen? There is
0:10:43 > 0:10:51
0:10:51 > 0:10:55We have come to Norway. A country whose fish farming industry dwarves
0:10:55 > 0:11:01that of Scotland. We are told things here are very different from
0:11:01 > 0:11:05back home. In what way? That is what we have come to find out. The
0:11:05 > 0:11:09Norwegian salmon industry is the biggest in the world, six or seven
0:11:09 > 0:11:14times bigger than ours. Recently the impact on wild fish has become
0:11:14 > 0:11:18a major political issue. I arranged to meet the Norwegian Environment
0:11:18 > 0:11:22Minister. It's not just his casual attire that differs from what I've
0:11:22 > 0:11:26seen in Scotland. Thank you for having us. Is there any doubt in
0:11:26 > 0:11:30your mind, and the mind of the Norwegian government, there is a
0:11:30 > 0:11:38link between sea lice and fish farms and sea lice and the wild
0:11:38 > 0:11:40population? No. I mean, we do not consider this is a scientific issue,
0:11:40 > 0:11:44scientists believe there is a connection. They have to take
0:11:44 > 0:11:48political action on the basis of science. I cannot invent science,
0:11:48 > 0:11:53that would be very wrong. How would you characterise where the fish
0:11:53 > 0:11:57farming industry is in Norway at the moment? Moving step-by-step in
0:11:57 > 0:12:01the right direction. What I normally tell the sea farming
0:12:01 > 0:12:04industry is that they should take lessons from what other industries,
0:12:04 > 0:12:08like chemical industries or aluminium industries did in the
0:12:08 > 0:12:121970s, stop denying that there is a problem and spend all their time
0:12:12 > 0:12:16solving the problem. I wanted to find out what had driven the
0:12:16 > 0:12:20minister to a view that was out of step with what the industry in
0:12:20 > 0:12:30Scotland had told me. That meant an early start the next day on the
0:12:30 > 0:12:35
0:12:35 > 0:12:41other side of Norway. We are in Hardangerfjord, which is the fjord
0:12:41 > 0:12:48holding the highest density of fish farms in the whole world. They are
0:12:48 > 0:12:52all closed down for fishing. That's because wild stocks have all but
0:12:52 > 0:12:56disappeared. We travel to Granton, a village that had once depended on
0:12:56 > 0:13:02fishing. We met a man whose life had been bound up with the river
0:13:02 > 0:13:10from childhood, whose way of life had been lost. The whole community
0:13:10 > 0:13:17started living by the start of the fishing season in the river. And,
0:13:17 > 0:13:24the early catch of like 4,000 kilos. In this short river. This is a
0:13:24 > 0:13:34river that's probably, I think, it's like three kilometers long.
0:13:34 > 0:13:34
0:13:34 > 0:13:44Great capacity. Great production of You have not fished this river in
0:13:44 > 0:13:49
0:13:49 > 0:13:59how long? In 15 years. Why? Sorry. I am not able to tell you how it
0:13:59 > 0:14:04was. You would have to experience it. You won't believe me if I tell
0:14:04 > 0:14:09you. It means there is a whole generation now, more than a
0:14:09 > 0:14:17generation... May be two. And they have grown up thinking that the
0:14:17 > 0:14:21river as it is now is normal. You constantly have to remind
0:14:21 > 0:14:26yourself that, despite the stunning scenery here, there is a widespread
0:14:26 > 0:14:31belief that what lies beneath is an environmental catastrophe.
0:14:31 > 0:14:41cannot show you industrial pollution or anything like that.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44This is a slow death beneath the surface. The scientists can prove
0:14:44 > 0:14:53that this is a disaster. Norwegian government has responded
0:14:53 > 0:14:56to these concerns. Now farmers have to report weekly lice figures and
0:14:56 > 0:15:01farms can be forced to slaughter their fish if levels are
0:15:01 > 0:15:05persistently high. Anyone can see statistics from any individual farm,
0:15:05 > 0:15:15in stark contrast to Scotland. The Norwegian government is even
0:15:15 > 0:15:15
0:15:15 > 0:15:20thinking of banning fishing in certain areas. That is at least in
0:15:21 > 0:15:26part because Norwegian trout like these ones face a new problem. In
0:15:26 > 0:15:302009 there was an outbreak of lice which scientists believe was caused
0:15:30 > 0:15:33by them becoming resistant to the chemicals used to kill them. The
0:15:33 > 0:15:38implications are huge. Potentially it could mean that farmers could
0:15:38 > 0:15:47not do anything to control infestation of their fish and wild
0:15:47 > 0:15:54ones nearby. Back in Scotland, the key question was: His resistance
0:15:54 > 0:15:59happening here? By one of our great salmon rivers, the Tate, I arranged
0:15:59 > 0:16:03to meet a man who speaks for the industry here. We are regulated by
0:16:03 > 0:16:08the Environmental Protection agency, SEPA. They keep a close eye on what
0:16:08 > 0:16:13is going on in the industry, as did the Fish Health Inspectorate. The
0:16:13 > 0:16:17reports are open to all to see. They are regularly reported on and
0:16:18 > 0:16:22are regularly inspected. industry body says there is no
0:16:22 > 0:16:26significant problem. On our travels around Scotland, rumours of Purse -
0:16:26 > 0:16:31- resistance persisted. We wanted to find out how big a problem it
0:16:31 > 0:16:36was so we submitted a detailed Freedom of Information request of
0:16:36 > 0:16:40our own. Some of the answers were very interesting indeed. When we
0:16:40 > 0:16:50asked a Government, we found notes of private discussions between
0:16:50 > 0:17:02
0:17:02 > 0:17:12Government officials and drug In another document relating to the
0:17:12 > 0:17:14
0:17:14 > 0:17:19Veterinary Medicines Directorate, That sounds like the Government
0:17:19 > 0:17:24knows it is not being told everything. Guy Linley-Adams is a
0:17:24 > 0:17:27lawyer. He has been hired by campaigners. He has discovered no
0:17:27 > 0:17:34single body here is recording all the instances where resistance is
0:17:34 > 0:17:41happening. If we're getting resistance sea lice we need to know
0:17:41 > 0:17:47where the populations of those are. If it does spread, you will get
0:17:47 > 0:17:52multiple resistance in sea lice and you could have this awful scenario
0:17:52 > 0:17:56with farms having huge burdens of sea lice.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59And it could have even more worrying effect. I have a
0:18:00 > 0:18:04Government report that we have obtained that says that regulators
0:18:05 > 0:18:13are explaining the UN -- investigating the unexplained death
0:18:13 > 0:18:18of 6,000 fish on a farm at Hoganess in Shetland. We contacted us
0:18:18 > 0:18:22sources identity we cannot reveal who has direct knowledge of
0:18:22 > 0:18:26Hoganess and the industry more widely. He told us that resistance
0:18:26 > 0:18:29to medicines is a real problem and some farmers have been turning to
0:18:29 > 0:18:33illegal pesticides. We have been passed any male which it is claimed
0:18:33 > 0:18:43was written by a concerned member of staff and which was sent to
0:18:43 > 0:18:48
0:18:48 > 0:18:51management early in September of Staff are clearly worried and we
0:18:51 > 0:18:58know that chemicals banned from using the marine environment were
0:18:58 > 0:19:07seized from a boat at a farm. The company told us it took the
0:19:07 > 0:19:11allegations, including the e-mail, seriously and were investigating.
0:19:11 > 0:19:16Due to a confusion about which part of the law covers this area, the
0:19:16 > 0:19:20company will not face any consequences. The minister in
0:19:20 > 0:19:26charge, who is working on a new bill on aquaculture, agree to meet
0:19:26 > 0:19:31me. His resistance an issue that you recognise as being a problem in
0:19:31 > 0:19:35Scotland? At the moment, there is not evidence of resistance to the
0:19:35 > 0:19:38various treatments that there are. Some other countries have found
0:19:38 > 0:19:43that there is resistance if you continuously used the same
0:19:43 > 0:19:47treatment. Do you not think we are in roughly the same position as
0:19:47 > 0:19:53with sea lice in a hall, namely that the Scottish Government does
0:19:53 > 0:19:57not know how big the problem of resistance is because, as it says
0:19:57 > 0:20:00here, some fish farms are holding back from telling you? I think we
0:20:00 > 0:20:07have a pretty clear idea of where these problems have historically
0:20:07 > 0:20:10been. In any event, if there is a difficulty that is affecting one
0:20:10 > 0:20:14fish farm, I think there is a certain pressure in the industry
0:20:14 > 0:20:19for bat farm to deal with it because, of course, if one part of
0:20:19 > 0:20:24the industry is showing poor performance, that affects the
0:20:24 > 0:20:30marketability of all products. you know what is going on with fish
0:20:30 > 0:20:34farms, how come we the public cannot find out about it? We cannot
0:20:34 > 0:20:39find out what is happening farm by farm. If we were in or we could
0:20:39 > 0:20:44find it on the wet. That is a good point. I have discussed it with
0:20:44 > 0:20:48Norwegian ministers and Norwegian fish farming interests. We have
0:20:48 > 0:20:51pose the question of whether there is adverse effect through public
0:20:51 > 0:20:55disclosure of information. We should be looking at that in
0:20:55 > 0:21:00Scotland and it will be part of what we expect to consult on in the
0:21:00 > 0:21:05aquaculture bill. There is nothing to fear from disclosure of
0:21:05 > 0:21:09information that we believe tells a good story about our industry.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12are also looking at marine protected areas. To what extent
0:21:12 > 0:21:18might that extent, perhaps adding areas where there is no fish-
0:21:18 > 0:21:23farming? We will consult on that. Could we see a position, as in
0:21:23 > 0:21:28Norway, where fish farming is not allowed to protect wild fish
0:21:28 > 0:21:32stocks? Everything is open for discussion. We have to have the
0:21:32 > 0:21:36consultation and you have to understand what the effects of
0:21:36 > 0:21:39different options would be. That was quite surprising. There
0:21:39 > 0:21:44was a quick look -- a commitment to greater transparency so that we,
0:21:44 > 0:21:51the public, can find out more about what is going on in fish farms. And
0:21:51 > 0:21:54there was agreement on the idea of having areas where fish farming is
0:21:54 > 0:21:58banned completely. It looks like we are not the only people who have
0:21:58 > 0:22:02learned from what is going on in Norway.
0:22:02 > 0:22:09Some people have taken matters into their own hands. I have come to the
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Isle of Lewis to meet Peter Urpeth. A fish farm was proposed here at
0:22:13 > 0:22:18Broad Bay but locals object to because they were worried about the
0:22:18 > 0:22:23impact on the wild fish coming up this river, the Gress. You went
0:22:23 > 0:22:30into this campaign to try to stop this fish farm being developed.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33Did you expect to win? No. There is a presumption in favour that these
0:22:33 > 0:22:37things are good. They are fishing in the river is
0:22:37 > 0:22:42owned by local people and, in a first, the council he rejected the
0:22:42 > 0:22:47application, at least in part because of advice from government
0:22:47 > 0:22:51agencies that a farm would not have an impact on wild fish. The local
0:22:51 > 0:22:55authority here scrutinised that and looked at the new evidence we
0:22:55 > 0:23:00presented and came to the conclusion, which I think what --
0:23:00 > 0:23:07which I think was unique, that the link is there, is proven and
0:23:07 > 0:23:11undeniable. I think that has huge implications for the future of fish
0:23:11 > 0:23:16farming and planning for Scotland. When you look out here, this cannot
0:23:16 > 0:23:21be undone if it is damaged. Once it is gone it is gone. So there will
0:23:21 > 0:23:25be no fish farm here in Broad Bay. While the refusal of planning
0:23:25 > 0:23:29permission is remarkable enough, what is even more remarkable is the
0:23:29 > 0:23:33way the campaigners think they won. They won by winning the scientific
0:23:33 > 0:23:36argument. The firm that wanted to build a farm was the Scottish
0:23:37 > 0:23:41Salmon Company. You are not concerned that it might set a
0:23:41 > 0:23:45precedent? Not at all. Were you surprised by what the Government
0:23:45 > 0:23:48scientists had to say about the proposed development? I don't
0:23:48 > 0:23:54really know what the Government scientist said about the proposed
0:23:54 > 0:23:59development. What I do know and what we're doing is for kissing in
0:23:59 > 0:24:03on salmon farming within their Hebrides. We created 75 jobs when
0:24:03 > 0:24:13we opened a process facility last year. It was a �4 million
0:24:13 > 0:24:18
0:24:18 > 0:24:26investment. We have and use site at so -- at Loch Eport.
0:24:26 > 0:24:31Consumers may be facing a battle on a new front. Guy Linley-Adams has
0:24:31 > 0:24:36his eye on what retailers are doing. He knew that some supermarkets were
0:24:36 > 0:24:46selling salmon that was described as responsibly sourced. That took
0:24:46 > 0:24:47
0:24:47 > 0:24:52in concerns about siting farms butt we have been out shopping but this
0:24:52 > 0:24:55is not a scientific sample. There are some supermarket chains that do
0:24:55 > 0:25:04not make any kind of claims about their salmon at all. Let's have a
0:25:04 > 0:25:10look at these three bagfuls and see what we have got. Right, Tesco
0:25:10 > 0:25:15responsibly farmed. That sounds good. They are warm words. It gives
0:25:15 > 0:25:25the impression that they have done something right. No-one would claim
0:25:25 > 0:25:28
0:25:28 > 0:25:37to irresponsibly Falla anything, would they? Sainsbury's tells you
0:25:37 > 0:25:45the loch that it comes from. Loch Linnhe has problems because of its
0:25:45 > 0:25:47salmon farms. It is a long, narrow loch. Salmon reared to the highest
0:25:47 > 0:25:53welfare standards with care to the environment. That doesn't really
0:25:53 > 0:25:57tell you what they're doing. We sent a member of our production
0:25:57 > 0:26:02team to talk to fishmongers in the supermarkets to see if they could
0:26:02 > 0:26:06shed any more light on the matter. The first was Sainsbury's. They are
0:26:06 > 0:26:10by far the most helpful. The woman came out from behind the counter
0:26:10 > 0:26:16and showed me through the various packaged fish and explain the
0:26:16 > 0:26:26labelling. At the end she said, I cannot give you categorically
0:26:26 > 0:26:27
0:26:27 > 0:26:33assure you that our fish comes from farms. -- from farms that meet
0:26:33 > 0:26:38certain standards. Waitrose assured me that the only source the very
0:26:38 > 0:26:45best. I asked if I could be certain that there fish was not interfering
0:26:45 > 0:26:50with wild stocks. He said yes. At Tesco, no-one was behind the
0:26:50 > 0:26:54counter and I had to wait for five minutes. Someone from another
0:26:54 > 0:27:00counter came to speak to me and asked me to come back in 20 minutes.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04I came back and waited around again but there was no sign of anyone.
0:27:04 > 0:27:13Having visited these stores, are you any less confused than you
0:27:13 > 0:27:17work? No. It is a fairly mixed message. The women at Sainsbury's
0:27:17 > 0:27:21seemed to me, as a consumer, the one he knew most.
0:27:21 > 0:27:26Tesco said it complied with the law when choosing farm sites and that
0:27:26 > 0:27:35it has created a code of good practice on earth farming,
0:27:35 > 0:27:39including measures on lice. Sainsbury's said: We recognise that
0:27:39 > 0:27:44there could be lice impact on while fish but our actions and work with
0:27:44 > 0:27:49suppliers aim to keep impact to a minimum. Our producers have
0:27:49 > 0:27:53structured lice treatment plans and we have jointly funded controls
0:27:53 > 0:27:57tournament -- to minimise further impact.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01Waitrose said it did insist that farms are not sighted at the mouths
0:28:01 > 0:28:04of rivers used by wild fish but admitted that claim on its website
0:28:05 > 0:28:09that farms were far from many natural salmon rivers was not
0:28:09 > 0:28:14strictly accurate. They also said they would contact the branch we
0:28:14 > 0:28:18visited to clarify the firm's position with staff. Science cannot
0:28:18 > 0:28:23yet answer the question of whether fish-farming is causing an
0:28:23 > 0:28:29environmental disaster. The results are not all-in. Such results as we
0:28:29 > 0:28:33have a very hotly-contested. Serious questions have been raised.