Scottish Sanitary Survey Programme Sanitary Survey Report Stromness Voe SI-273 and New Site November 2013 Stromness Voe Sanitary Survey Report Title Report Project Name Scottish Sanitary Survey Food Standards Agency Client/Customer Scotland Cefas Project Reference C5792E Document Number C5792C_2013_11 Revision V1.0 Date 7/01/2014 Revision History Revision Date Pages revised Reason for revision number Draft for external 0.1 8/11/2013 All consultation 30,61,62, Appendix 2, Appendix Correction of typographical 1.0 7/1/2014 5, and section numbering for errors Sections 12-16 Name Position Date Michelle Price-Hayward, Scottish sanitary survey Author Jessica Larkham, Liefy 7/1/2014 team Hendrikz, Frank Cox Principal Shellfish Hygiene Checked Ron Lee 7/1/2014 Scientist Principal Shellfish Hygiene Approved Ron Lee 7/1/2014 Scientist This report was produced by Cefas for its Customer, FSAS, for the specific purpose of providing a sanitary survey as per the Customer’s requirements. Although every effort has been made to ensure the information contained herein is as complete as possible, there may be additional information that was either not available or not discovered during the survey. Cefas accepts no liability for any costs, liabilities or losses arising as a result of the use of or reliance upon the contents of this report by any person other than its Customer. Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science, Weymouth Laboratory, Barrack Road, The Nothe, Weymouth DT4 8UB. Tel 01305 206 600 www.cefas.defra.gov.uk Stromness Voe Sanitary Survey Report – V1.0 07/01/2014 ii Report Distribution – Stromness Voe Date Name Agency Joyce Carr Scottish Government David Denoon SEPA Hazel MacLeod SEPA Fiona Garner Scottish Water Alex Adrian Crown Estate Dawn Manson Shetland Islands Council Alan Harpin Shetland Seafood Quality Control Michael Laurenson Harvester Kenny Pottinger Harvester Partner Organisation The hydrographic assessment and the shoreline survey and its associated report were undertaken by SSQC, Scalloway. Stromness Voe Sanitary Survey Report – V1.0 07/01/2014 iii Table of Contents I. Executive Summary .................................................................................. 1 II. Sampling Plan ........................................................................................... 3 III. Report ....................................................................................................... 4 1. General Description .......................................................................... 4 2. Fishery .............................................................................................. 6 3. Human Population ............................................................................. 8 4. Sewage Discharges ........................................................................ 10 5. Agriculture ....................................................................................... 16 6. Wildlife ............................................................................................ 18 7. Land Cover ..................................................................................... 22 8. Watercourses .................................................................................. 24 9. Meteorological Data ........................................................................ 26 9.1 Rainfall ......................................................................................... 26 9.2 Wind ............................................................................................. 27 10. Classification Information ................................................................ 30 11. Historical E. coli Data ...................................................................... 31 11.1 Validation of historical data .......................................................... 31 11.1 Summary of microbiological results ............................................. 32 11.2 Overall geographical pattern of results ........................................ 32 11.3 Overall temporal pattern of results ............................................... 33 11.4 Seasonal pattern of results .......................................................... 34 11.5 Evaluation of results over 230 E. coli MPN/100g ......................... 41 11.6 Summary and conclusions ........................................................... 41 12. Designated Waters Data ................................................................. 42 13. Bathymetry and Hydrodynamics ..................................................... 44 13.1 Introduction .................................................................................. 44 13.2 Bathymetry ................................................................................... 44 13.3 Field Data ..................................................................................... 47 13.4 Tidal Information .......................................................................... 47 13.5 Currents ....................................................................................... 50 13.6 Stratification ................................................................................. 52 13.7 Summary ...................................................................................... 57 14. Bacteriological Survey ..................................................................... 58 15. Shoreline Survey Overview ............................................................. 60 16. Overall Assessment ........................................................................ 63 17. Recommendations .......................................................................... 66 18. References ...................................................................................... 68 19. List of Figures and Tables ............................................................... 70 Appendices 1. General Information on Wildlife Impacts 2. Tables of Typical Faecal Bacteria Concentrations 3. Statistical Data 4. Hydrographic Section Glossary 5. Shoreline Survey Report © Crown Copyright 2014. Food Standards Agency Scotland and Cefas. All rights reserved. Stromness Voe Sanitary Survey Report – V1.0 07/01/2014 iv I. Executive Summary Under (EC) Regulation 854/2004, which sets forth specific rules for the organisation of official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption, sanitary surveys of production areas and their associated hydrological catchments and coastal waters are required in order to establish the appropriate representative monitoring points (RMPs) for the monitoring programme. The purpose of the sanitary survey is to demonstrate compliance with the requirements stated in Annex II (Chapter II Paragraph 6) of Regulation (EC) 854/2004. The sanitary survey results in recommendations on the location of RMPs, the frequency of sampling for microbiological monitoring, and the boundaries of the production areas deemed to be represented by the RMPs. A sanitary survey was undertaken on the mussel fishery at Stromness Voe on the basis recommended in the European Union Reference Laboratory publication: “Microbiological Monitoring of Bivalve Mollusc Harvesting Area Guide to Good Practice: Technical Application” (http://www.crlcefas.org/gpg.asp). This production area was selected for survey at this time based on a risk-based ranking of the area amongst those in Scotland that have yet to receive sanitary surveys. Stromness Voe is long narrow voe located on the west side of Mainland Shetland, opening to the waters around the Scalloway archipelago. It is flanked by two promontories of land: Strom Ness on the western side and White Ness on the eastern side. The area around the voe is sparsely populated with crofts lining the adjacent Whiteness Voe, and the small settlement of Haggersta located near the head of the voe. Stromness Voe fishery is a common mussel (Mytilus edulis) aquaculture fishery made up of three separate mussel farm sites. The principal sources of faecal contamination to this fishery are: · Diffuse pollution from livestock, mainly sheep. · Wildlife present at or near the fisheries (mainly seabirds) · Septic tank discharges associated with houses around the north end of the voe and in the southern part of Loch of Stromness. One septic tank at the north end of the voe was found to be malfunctioning. Faecal contaminants are likely to be carried only short distances by tidal transport, and therefore wind-driven flows may be predominant. Prevailing winds would tend to drive these northward in the voe. Contaminants arising to the north of the fisheries are likely to be carried in lower salinity surface waters moving out from the Loch of Strom. The bacteriological survey showed higher contamination levels in samples taken from the tops of the mussel lines at the northeast end of the Burra Voe site. Stromness Voe Sanitary Survey Report – V1.0 07/01/2014 1 Higher mussel E. coli results were found to occur at high and ebb tides and also when the tides were increasing from neap to springs. Summary of recommendations Based on the locations of the currently active fisheries, it was recommended that the production area boundaries be curtailed in the north to exclude potential septic tank sources around the north end of the voe and at the south east to exclude the septic tank at Pund. The recommended monitoring point should remain at Burra Holm, but be relocated to the northeast extent of the farm to better reflect sources arising to the north of the fishery as