Scottish Sanitary Survey Programme Sanitary Survey Review Forth Estuary: Pittenweem & Anstruther FF 073 & FF 068 June 2014 Forth Estuary: Pittenweem Report Title & Anstruther Review Project Name Scottish Sanitary Survey Food Standards Agency Client/Customer Scotland Cefas Project Reference C5792D Document Number C5792D_2013_4 Revision V1.0 Date 25/06/2014 Revision History Revision Date Pages revised Reason for revision number Draft for external 0.1 29/04/2014 - consultation Amended in accordance 1.0 25/06/2014 Cover, 6 with consultation responses. Name Position Date Leify Hendrikz, Michelle Scottish Sanitary Survey Author 25/06/2014 Price-Hayward Team Principal Shellfish Hygiene Checked Ron Lee 25/062014 Scientist Principal Shellfish Hygiene Approved Ron Lee 25/06/2014 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 Forth Estuary: Pittenweem & Anstruther Sanitary Survey Review 25/06/2014 Report Distribution - Forth Estuary: Pittenweem & Anstruther Name Agency Joyce Carr Scottish Government David Denoon SEPA Douglas Sinclair SEPA Fiona Garner Scottish Water Alex Adrian Crown Estate Laura Gray Fife Council Harvesters Forth Estuary: Pittenweem & Anstruther Sanitary Survey Review 25/06//2014 Review Specification and Introduction Sanitary surveys are used to demonstrate compliance with the requirements stated in Annex II (Chapter II Paragraph 6) of Regulation (EC) 854/2004, whereby if the competent authority decides in principle to classify a production or relay area it must: · make an inventory of pollution sources of human/animal origin likely to be a contamination source for the production areas; · examine the quantities of organic pollutants which are released during the different periods of the year, according to the seasonal variations of both human and animal populations in the catchment area, rainfall readings, wastewater treatment, etc.; · determine the characteristics of the circulation of pollutants by virtue of current patterns, bathymetry and the tidal regime in the production area; · establish a sampling programme of bivalve molluscs in the production area which is based on the examination of established data, and with a number of samples, a geographical distribution of the sampling points and a sampling frequency which must ensure that the results of the analysis are as representative as possible for the area considered. The EURL Good Practice Guide (GPG) for the monitoring of bivalve molluscs harvesting areas recommends the re-evaluation of sanitary surveys every six years. Location, extent and nature of fisheries and faecal pollution sources may change over time and the review is conducted to determine whether the sampling plan and/or production area boundaries remain appropriate and protective of public health. As specified by the Food Standards Agency, this review is comprised of a brief desktop search of publicly available information together with a shoreline survey. No additional queries are submitted to organisations or agencies. The review is intended to identify whether there have been significant changes in: • Historic microbiological data. • Sewage treatment and sewerage infrastructure. • Housing and development. • Harvester operations. The output of the review is a report identifying any new information that has been obtained and/or whether major elements of the original sanitary survey can be regarded as essentially unchanged. That report includes an overall assessment as to whether the production area boundaries and/or RMPs should be modified from those recommended in the original report and if so, a description of the revised Forth Estuary: Pittenweem & Anstruther Sanitary Survey Review 25/06/2014 Page | i boundaries and a revised sampling plan with the boundaries and RMP(s) locations. A restricted sanitary survey was undertaken for Forth Estuary: Pittenweem in 2008 and a full sanitary survey was conducted for Forth Estuary: Anstruther in 2013. Further to the sanitary survey being undertaken for Anstruther, it was decided by FSAS and Cefas that this review of the Pittenweem sanitary survey should consider the possibility for a combined production area to cover both of the present production areas at Pittenweem and Anstruther. The present review has therefore considered relevant information present in both sanitary survey reports alongside other information collated specifically for the review. The present report is not intended to present detailed information relating to pollution sources that were identified in the 2008 Pittenweem and 2013 Anstruther sanitary survey reports. Therefore, this review should be read in conjunction with those reports. Forth Estuary: Pittenweem & Anstruther Sanitary Survey Review 25/06/2014 Page | ii Table of Contents Scottish Sanitary Survey Review ............................................................... i Review Specification and Introduction ....................................................... i Sampling Plan – Forth Estuary: Pittenweem............................................ iv 1. AREA AND FISHERY ............................................................................... 1 2. POPULATION AND HUMAN SEWAGE IMPACTS .................................. 4 2.1 POPULATION ............................................................................................. 4 2.2 SEWAGE DISCHARGES .............................................................................. 6 3. FARM ANIMAL POPULATION AND AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS ......... 11 4. WILDLIFE ............................................................................................... 13 5. WATERCOURSES ................................................................................. 15 6. METEOROLOGICAL DATA.................................................................... 18 7. HISTORICAL E. COLI DATA .................................................................. 22 7.1 SUMMARY OF MICROBIOLOGICAL RESULTS ................................................. 23 7.2 GEOGRAPHICAL PATTERNS OF RESULTS .................................................... 24 7.3 TEMPORAL PATTERNS OF RESULTS ........................................................... 25 8. MOVEMENT OF CONTAMINANTS ....................................................... 28 9. OVERALL ASSESSMENT ...................................................................... 29 10. RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................... 34 11. REFERENCES ....................................................................................... 36 12. LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES .......................................................... 37 APPENDICES 1. PLANNING APPLICATIONS 2. SHORELINE SURVEY REPORT 3. CTD CASTS – DATA SUMMARIES © Crown Copyright 2014. Food Standards Agency Scotland and Cefas. All rights reserved. Forth Estuary: Pittenweem & Anstruther Sanitary Survey Review 25/06/2014 Page | iii Sampling Plan – Firth of Forth: North 2008 2013 Pittenweem Anstruther 2013 Review Changes report report PRODUCTION Forth Estuary: Forth Estuary: Firth of Forth: North Amended to Pittenweem Anstruther AREA include Pittenweem Surfs Pittenweem Surfs, combined Anstruther SITE NAME & Pittenweem Pittenweem & Anstruther Pittenweem and Anstruther FF-073-819-19 & FF-068-184-19 TBD fisheries SIN FF-073-189-19 SPECIES Surf clams TYPE OF No change Wild FISHERY Area within lines Area within lines Area within lines drawn drawn between NO drawn between NO from NO 5900 0440 to 5374 0188 to NO 5863 0354, NO Single RMZ for NO 5929 0400 to NO NGR OF RMZ 5373 0160 to NO 5953 0474, NO combined area 5643 0195 to NO 5614 5676 0206 to NO 5976 0456 and NO 0236 5669 0234 5887 0336 METHOD OF Dredging SAMPLING FREQUENCY Monthly OF SAMPLING No change LOCAL Fife Council AUTHORITY AUTHORISED Sandy Duncan SAMPLER(S) Area bounded by lines drawn Area bounded by between NO 5619 lines drawn 0300 and NO 5700 between NO 5700 Area bounded by lines 0300 and between 0348 and NO 5700 NO 5700 0300 and 0200 and NO 6400 drawn from NO 6108 New area PRODUCTION NO 5700 0000 and 0200 and NO 6400 0700 to NO 6400 0700 to combining AREA between NO 5700 0700 and NO 6108 NO 6400 0272 to NT Pittenweem and 0000 and NO 5024 0700 and between 56439953 to NT 5100 Anstruther. 0000 extending to NO 5773 0375 and 9953 to NO 5089 0073 MHWS excluding NO 5770 0374, and extending to MHWS. St Monans and extending to Pittenweem MHWS harbours Forth Estuary: Pittenweem & Anstruther Sanitary Survey Review 25/06/2014 Page | iv 1. Area and Fishery The Firth of Forth is located on the east coast of Scotland at the mouth of the Forth Estuary where it opens into the North Sea. The Pittenweem and Anstruther production areas are situated on the northeast side of the Firth of Forth and stretch from west of the town of St Monans (at the southwestern end of the Pittenweem production area) eastward to the western edge of the town of Crail (at the northeastern