The National Park Authority board has refused an application for a marine fish farm below Beinn Reithe on Loch Long.
The developers behind the aquaculture plans described the decision as a “missed opportunity”, after its proposals were rejected by the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park.
The park board voted against Loch Long Salmon’s plans for a semi-closed containment salmon farm on Loch Long, despite the project being supported by the closest community council, national bodies such as SEPA and NatureScot, and a cross-party group of councillors, MSPs and the local MP.
From the surface, a semi-closed containment site looks like a traditional salmon farm, but underneath the water, the net is surrounded by an impermeable membrane, with water drawn up and circulated from deeper in the loch.
Loch Long Salmon stated that this removes the threat of sea lice and attacks by seals, meaning it would not use sea lice treatments or acoustic devices that can harm dolphins or other cetaceans.
Stewart Hawthorn, managing director of Loch Long Salmon, said: “The national park board have missed an opportunity to sensitively use the natural resources within the park to support local communities and fulfil their mission to improve the wider environment beyond the borders of the park.
“In doing so they have gone against the wishes of the community, expert advisers, national regulators and a cross-party group of elected officials.”
“There are a range of options available to us to continue our efforts to bring the benefits of semi-closed containment aquaculture to Loch Long – we will explore those options carefully over the coming days and weeks before deciding on the next steps.”
James Stuart, convenor of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority, said: “This decision was taken following careful consideration by the board of the planning assessment report, together with responses from statutory bodies and community members, and representations from speakers both in support of and in objection to the proposal at a thorough public hearing in Arrochar.
“This application is for development within a national park and it is our view that such a nationally important landscape is not the appropriate location to host development of such an industrial scale and where the risk of an escape of farmed fish could impact on designated water courses.
“The semi-closed containment systems proposed - whilst noted as a substantial step forward for the industry - have not yet been trialled in Scotland and there is not a sound body of evidence on which to base decision making.
“There is a clear risk that the technology may not be sufficiently successful and the location of the application site in Loch Long - with connectivity to the Endrick Water Special Area of Conservation and its fragile population of Atlantic salmon - means that the impacts associated with a potential escape of farmed fish is a significant concern.“
He continued: “The proposed development also presents a number of significant landscape, seascape and visual issues – it would have an industrial character and would notably contrast with the largely undeveloped and remote character of the local landscape.
“The National Marine Plan, the Local Development Plan, our National Park Partnership Plan and Scottish planning policy all require the special landscape qualities and landscape character types of the National Park to be conserved and enhanced – this is also the founding aim of the national park, to which greatest weight is given in any planning decision.”
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