Spatial management measures for disease mitigation as practiced in Scottish aquaculture

Abstract

Aquaculture is an increasingly important economic activity in coastal waters. The fluid environment means spatial management is an important tool for protecting fish health. Scottish aquaculture (largely Atlantic salmon) uses a range of different types of area to group farms for different management or reporting purposes related to fish health. Farm Management Areas are defined by local knowledge and used by industry for co-operation among groups of farms, including in the management of sea lice. Disease Management Areas, defined using a simple but robust model, are used by the Scottish Government for control of notifiable diseases. Particle dispersal models are used to assess areas affected by treatment residue around farms, and to manage maximum allowable area biomass for environmental protection. Sophisticated models of sea lice transport have been developed to help inform management of this key parasite. Large regional areas are used for a variety of purposes, such as a policy presumption against new farms covering the entire east and north coasts of Scotland, and five reporting areas for official production statistics. Scottish aquatic environments are shared by many interest groups and spatial management is proving essential for sustainable development by aquaculture and other users.