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To: Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park and Local Planning Authorities and the Scottish Government

Against Fish Farming (AFF) at Ardentinny & the Firth of Clyde

Please do not support or consent to proposals/applications by Dawnfresh Farming Ltd or other enterprises to develop fish farming in the Firth of Clyde. Specifically current proposals by Dawnfresh Farming Ltd at Ardentinny, Isle of Bute, Great and Little Cumbrae.

Why is this important?

Caged farming on land or water is innately cruel and severely damaging to our environment and the natural habitat of other species.

Overcrowding leads to stress, disease and high mortality. Chemicals ineffectively used to treat disease and parasites such as sea lice, (which also transfer to wild fish populations) along with the large amounts of waste material (faeces) pollute the waters, destroy the seabed and biodiversity, wash up along the shore lines and beaches and give rise to health risks to humans and other animals.

Dawnfresh Farming Ltd has announced £16 million plans to double their Scottish Trout production, but Rainbow Trout are not native to Scotland (they are larger than our native fish and when they escape their cages predate on the smaller fish). This proposed expansion at Ardentinny and into the Firth of Clyde would be at huge cost to the environment, the existing marine mammal population and human wellbeing and enjoyment of the beautiful coast lines of the West Coast of Scotland adversely affecting Tourism.

The intensely populated cages would attract interest from predators such as seals and birds who can became entangled and die in nets and if deemed to be a persistent threat they are shot. An existing seal colony, established over many years and thriving at the proposed site at Ardentinny, Loch Long, would be at significant risk.

Loch Long and the Firth of Clyde is one of the last thriving ecosystems for migratory salmonids in the west of Scotland, however Sir David Attenborough has recently accused fish farms of 'threatening the very survival' of wild salmon which is already in decline like everywhere else. The three proposed Firth of Clyde sites (Isle of Bute, Great and Little Cumbrae) at such a narrow point of the Firth means all fish coming from the Atlantic on their way to the river Leven and Loch Lomond are going to pick up sea lice.

Loch Long and the Firth of Clyde has seen an increase in populations of porpoises, seals and even pods of dolphins and orcas at times seen far up into the Firth this would be thwarted by use of sonic deterrents at the above proposed sites to protect their stock.

Please sign this petition and support me and other concerned parties in protecting our environment for future generations both human and non-human to enjoy safely.

Firth Of Clyde, West Coast Scotland

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Updates

2019-06-05 18:53:34 +0100

1,000 signatures reached

2019-05-19 20:10:37 +0100

500 signatures reached

2019-04-28 09:44:16 +0100

100 signatures reached

2019-04-27 11:28:08 +0100

50 signatures reached

2019-04-23 09:52:10 +0100

25 signatures reached

2019-04-21 19:08:58 +0100

10 signatures reached