All language subtitles for T C S01E02 1080p WEB h264-EDITH_track3_[eng]

We have parents starving
to feed their children.

Enough is enough.

Salmon farming is a fucking
environmental catastrophe.

If we don't stand together, we
cannot have this country we
want.

[people chanting]

NARRATOR: In today's world,
everybody wants their voice to
be heard.

Do not think this will not
affect you.

NARRATOR: But when the
people in power don't
listen...

The laws that are being put out
now is purely out of hatred.

...you need to come together
to make real change.

But don't walk past here
with your noses up.

In this global series, we will
follow a team of
international activists.

We have to speak out.
You have to use your voice,

you have to be courageous,
and you have to be brave.

Nobody should be abandoned to
die.

[speaking Spanish]

We can save many lives if we
act not through hatred,
violence, or division.

These activists will
inspire and revolutionize

the work of local
campaigners...

Now we face a threat extinction

of everything we know and love.

...who are struggling
to make a difference

in their own communities...

[shouting]

It is black people who are
being murdered by a system

that doesn't care enough about
them.

Y'all ready? Y'all ready?

...as they work together to
see if they can shine a light
on injustice

and transform their lives for
good.

This work is, like, super
important. It's really life or
death.

So... good luck.

Stand up, fight back!

NARRATOR: In this episode, we
reveal the truth behind
industrial fishing.

[seagulls squawking]

Across the world, our oceans
are being harvested to
extinction

to feed our growing
population.

♪♪

In response, we looked to
intensively farming fish as a
solution.

Global salmon consumption
has tripled since 1980,

with 70% of it farmed,

which many fear may now
be causing long-term damage.

Salmon farming is a welfare
nightmare.

It's poisoning the seas.

We think over 15 million fish
died on salmon farms in 2022.

NARRATOR: Many countries are
outlawing fish farms entirely,

but Scotland is taking
a radically different path

and has pledged to double the
size of its salmon farming
industry by 2030.

This is our real Scottish
success story

where we have high quality food
produce that's being sold
across the world.

NARRATOR: But many of its
remote rural communities are
saying no.

We have a responsibility for
looking after the island we
live on.

Its soul is not for sale.

And why should we be bullied
by, you know, huge corporate
companies?

[people chanting]

[pensive music playing]

JEAN: Most of these fish farms
are here

because the Scottish government
approves of them.

Because they don't see
the tons of shit and chemicals

that are coming out of these
fish farms.

My name is Jean Moffat.

I am a 75-year-old who thinks
she's maybe 21 and a half.

I would like to say that
I have a sense of curiosity,

but basically,
I'm probably just a nosy cow.

I think it's important
to campaign on things.

I don't care how high
that parapet is, right?

I mean, stick your head above
it.

NARRATOR: Since retiring
as a local councilor,

Jean has devoted all her spare
time

to campaigning against the
expansion of salmon fish
farms.

I can see this fish farm from
my window.

That will put tons of excrement
into the water.

It's just appalling.

NARRATOR: A salmon farm can
hold up to two million fish,

producing hundreds of tons of
excrement a year directly
into the water.

The salmon industry says it
adheres to strict legal
standards

and is closely monitored to
ensure that any toxins remain
at safe levels.

JEAN: I always liken these fish
farms to the iceberg that sunk
the Titanic.

It was beautiful and blue on
the top

and-- and wicked underneath.

And-- and these don't look
appalling,

but what's underneath them is
disgusting.

NARRATOR: Fish farms have
brought nearly £3.5 billion

to the Scottish economy
over the last decade,

generated by almost 200 salmon
farms on its west coast and
Northern Isles.

JEAN: Pollutions from fish
farms are destructive to the
environment.

We have to start thinking
about future generations,

because we will lose the beauty
and the grandeur of Scotland
and its waters.

In the history of salmon
farming,

I think we're on a cusp at the
moment.

And if it isn't stopped now,

I don't like to think what's
going to happen in the future.

It's-- it's insanity.

NARRATOR: With Jean's
activism at a crossroads,

the youngest member of the
Changemakers

is recruited to offer
his support and guidance.

Sean Binder is a trainee
lawyer and global activist.

His frontline experience of
working on human rights issues

could be invaluable for Jean's
mission of raising awareness

to the pitfalls of salmon
farming.

SEAN: Activists are important,
because we want to live in an
environment

that hasn't been destroyed.

Our oceans are literally the
lifeblood of-- of the world,

and is that fundamental to
everything.

I'm certain that salmon farming
comes with immense complexity.

Fish farms, for me, seem like a
solution rather than a problem,
right?

Because they are ways of
growing fish, of growing a food
source

that doesn't take away
from the wild stocks.

♪♪

I'm gonna get a crash course
in why she opposes it

and what it means to oppose
something that seems to be,

at least on the face of it,
something that's very important
to Scotland.

I'm realizing that I don't know
much about the industry.

I'm a fish out of water.

- Hi.
- Jean?

- Seán.
- How are you?

- It's lovely to put a face to
you. - How are you?

- JEAN: Yeah.
- SEAÁN: I went for a hug there.

- I'm not sure that was okay.
- [laughs] Don't you worry.

So, something that I've read a
bit about is that Scotland
needs these fish farms

to wean off oil and gas as it
approaches a forward-looking
economy.

I think with the exception of
one or two out of the hundreds,

the salmon fish farms are North
American- and Norwegian-owned.

It's not making the money for
Scotland.

- That's your coat.
- Thank you.

JEAN: Can you manage
to put your own coat on?

[chuckles] Yes, just about.

JEAN: So, just there,

there's a fish farm
that's going to double in size.

And the pollutants, the
chemicals,

they are going-- they're going
to taint the waters.

And yet you have these waters

where people kayak, wild water
swim,

paddle board, fish.

That's all going to be lost.

[overlapping chatter]

NARRATOR: There is a proposal
to build a brand new fish
farm

eight miles away from Jean's
house.

The area is known for its
pristine waters

and has been enjoyed
by generations of islanders.

Hi, there. How's the water?

- Absolutely gorgeous.
- [Jean laughing]

- Really balmy out there,
right? - Yeah.

- MAN: Yeah, a bit.
- Yeah.

They wanted to put big fish
farm just along the-- along the
waters there.

Just shocking. Absolutely
shocking.

And you wouldn't have
been able to do this.

No. I mean, it certainly
transforms water quality,
doesn't it?

NARRATOR: If the salmon farm
goes ahead as planned,

the fish excrement
discharged into the waters

could make swimming much less
attractive.

But the industry denies this
and says it doesn't harm
wildlife or the environment.

Jean was talking about how
there's potentially gonna be a
fish farm here

- at some point.
- Yes. Yeah. Devastating.

Would that-- would that make a
difference in your ability to
swim here,

- do you reckon?
- Yes, 100%.

And not just me. I mean, we're
all a bunch of naturalists and
wildlife lovers here.

Um, just the effect that you'd
have on the wildlife, and, you
know,

I've been to other places
where there's fish farms and--

- What's it like?
- It's just dead water.

JEAN: I am absolutely enchanted
by him.

He's about the same age
as my oldest grandson.

Seventy-five, I don't believe
it. I-- I just don't think
that's true.

She doesn't look it,
she doesn't behave like it.

She just isn't 75.

I don't think he finds me too
difficult,

and he hasn't started calling
me Grandmother yet, so he's
still alive.

It's gonna be hard for anybody,
even Jean,

to oppose something as set in
stone.

That's a difficult task, but
it's the task that we have in
front of us.

[pensive music playing]

♪♪

- Morning. How are you?
- SEAÁN: Good.

- You ready for a road trip? -
JEAN: I'm ready for a road
trip.

NARRATOR: Sean and Jean have
been contacted by another
community in

the Orkney Islands, who are
also engaged in a battle
against salmon farming.

JEAN: I'm interested to know
what brings you here.

What's your background, Seán?

My background is that I founded

a human rights organization

to try and raise awareness of
the--

the criminalization
of humanitarian action.

I have spent three and a half
months in pre-trial prison in
Greece...

- Oh!
- ...a couple of years ago.

And I still face 20--

more than 20 years imprisonment
in Greece,

relating to the search and
rescue work that I coordinated.

[tense music playing]

SEAN: I was based on the island
of Lesbos.

We see many people cramming
themselves into these
horrendous boats,

just for their shot of hoping
to make it to Europe so that
they can claim asylum.

Many people have drowned.

There's a need for civilian
search and rescuers,

and that's who I was.

Some things that I have
learned on my journey,

it's that narratives
make a big difference.

How you tell a story
makes such a big difference.

The-- the way the narrative of
fish farming is framed right
now,

it is they will be good for the
economy.

It makes it a difficult thing
to undermine.

Well, exactly, and-- and the
thing is,

it would be kinder to think
that it was only a problem in
Scotland.

But this problem exists
all around the world.

♪♪

NARRATOR: 300 miles north is
the Orkney Island of Papa
Westray.

Just four miles long by one
mile wide,

the island is already fenced
in by six huge salmon farms.

SEAÁN: How do you feel
about getting on ferries?

- Do you get seasick?
- JEAN: No, not at all.

- SEAÁN: You got fine sea legs?
- Yes.

Um, my legs at my age,

- the only thing they fit for
is sea legs. - [both laughing]

NARRATOR: A community group of
islanders

are protesting against the
construction of a seventh
salmon farm on the island.

If built, it would be
Scotland's largest.

I don't know where the--
the vehicles are going.

- Apparently they get lifted
out. - JEAN: Really?

NARRATOR: Wendy Elves is the
leader of a community group

who oppose all salmon farming
on the island of Papa
Westray.

It's a deeply personal issue
to Wendy,

as she has a salmon farm
situated at the end of her
back garden.

What astounds me is actually
how close it is to the shore

and the fact there was 100%,
um, objections to this
particular farm.

We'll tilt the balance
into becoming industrial,

and we haven't got the
coastline that can absorb
another fish farm site.

NARRATOR: Wendy is concerned
about the impact that nearby
farms

could be having on the
island's marine ecosystem and
wildlife.

But the company behind the new
farm claim that any potential
pollution levels

won't be detrimental to the
local area.

The surface area that these
farms take up on the seabed are
absolutely huge.

There's a notable deadening
of the-- of the shoreline

and the impact upon the marine
life.

If you can't start close on
your doorstep to making a
change

and making a difference,
where do you start?

Hi, everyone.
Thanks for kind of showing up,

um, you know, this evening,
what have you. It's really
lovely to see you all.

Catherine and I have, excuse
the emotion,

but people are quite
passionate about this.

We have spent over the last
year

living and breathing this
proposed site at East Moclett.

We've gone through documents
consisting of about a thousand
pages, actually, in all.

And I really do feel small
communities coming together,

the power is amongst the
people, you know?

And we can make a difference,
but this is not just a Papa
problem,

this is a Scotland problem.

I live on the Isle of Bute,

and-- and I've been working
with anti-open cage fish
farmers for quite a while.

It's insidious,
and-- and it has to be stopped.

There has to be a better way.

If you can get people to say,
"Oh, do you know what?

"I'm not going to buy
any more of that farm salmon."

You know, you take away
some of their bottom line.

They're not going to be
too thrilled about it.

Jean clearly understands
the-- the barriers

and the challenges we've come
up against.

Hopefully, as communities,
we can all come together,

because we all need to come
together so we're heard and
we're listened to.

Having just met the group
that's opposing

a seventh open cage salmon farm
here,

they're incredible.

Um, I-- I was-- I-- I feel
quite thrilled to have met
them.

I think it's really quite scary
for people to speak out

about such a complex issue when
it may offend somebody they're
related to,

or somebody they're friendly
with, what have you.

And this is what causes
divides.

I'd be interested in hearing
about what the impact has been
on your personal life,

spearheading this campaign
work.

Um, huge.

Well, we've been working at it,
generally,

until about three o'clock in
the morning with the document.

It's been exhausting.

But...

we are not doing it for us.

I couldn't live with myself...

if I didn't carry on down this
route.

And it brings up a certain
emotion in me.

We can't stop work.

[somber music playing]

SEAN: What Wendy and Catherine
are doing here on this island
is--

comes with big risks.

I mean, there is ostracism.

The way that communities are
split apart by this
conversation,

and it goes beyond just a
salmon farm, per se, and
becomes an issue of...

you know, a sense of belonging,

a sense of what the future is
for the community,

and I guess, writ large, what
the future is for the country.

And that's important, and I
can--

I feel more for that issue.

So, it's definitely brought it
to life.

NARRATOR: Inspired by meeting
Wendy and her fellow
activists,

Sean and Jean want to explore
ways of kickstarting a bigger
conversation

about the effects of salmon
farming.

I'm a great believer
in strength in numbers.

We are going to try
and pull in some groups, um,

and-- and we have to do that
and keep doing it and keep
pulling in.

If we can talk and shout and
deliver our message in concert,

then it's much stronger.

♪♪

NARRATOR: Determined to find
out more about how best to
organize their mission,

Sean is heading to meet one of
the most vocal anti-salmon
farming campaigners,

who has dedicated 30 years to
the cause.

I am on the way to meet Don
Staniford.

He's more or less the-- the OG
in opposing salmon farms in
Scotland.

Something that I've struggled
with

is getting a full sense
of the negative impact.

This is all happening below the
surface,

and it's hard to really
understand how bad the impact
is.

And if there's one person who
knows, it's Don.

NARRATOR: Don's covert
footage filmed at sites

in other parts of Scotland
has publicly exposed

the hidden horrors
at some salmon farms.

DON: They've got shocking death
rates.

You can see the horrors
lurking inside salmon farms

with photographs obtained
through free information.

This is a toxic, noxious
industry.

You can find out more
at the end of this blog.

We think over 15 million fish
died on salmon farms in 2022.

80% mortality at some sites,

and maybe 25% as an average.

NARRATOR: Marine sea lice,
disease, and infection

are the main causes
of the staggering death rate

prior to the salmon being
harvested.

SEAÁN: Don Staniford
is pretty well-connected,

and I think that is something
that we could try and emulate.

Furthermore,Don has been inside
of these cages,

inside of these nets.

He knows firsthand
what-- what it looks like.

DON: Don Staniford reporting
for Scottish Salmon Watch.

It's the 15th of July, 2020.

There's about 14 cages here.

So, you can see the--
the head of this salmon.

This salmon has
what they call "death crowns."

It has lice wounds,
lice damage on the head.

NARRATOR: Fully stocked pens
in slow-moving water

can make the trapped farm
salmon easy prey for the
parasitic lice,

and they are sometimes eaten
alive.

Sean is meeting Don to talk
about the surveillance

he regularly carries out at
salmon farms across Scotland.

- DON: Hey, Seán.
- SEAÁN: How are you?

- Good to see you.
- SEAÁN: Good to see you.

I think I've campaigned for--
against salmon farms for over
25 years.

I feel as if I wasted 20 years
by going through the planning
process,

by filing environmental
objections,

- by writing letters.
- Yeah.

The hidden camera,
this changed everything.

We just get the video on
YouTube or Vimeo.

They can see it for itself.

People watch these videos
of welfare abuse, of death.

And this is a sentient being.
This is the king of fish,
Atlantic salmon.

What is the most effective
call to action, then,

to help channel the anger
or the-- the-- the sorrow

that the people who watch this
kind of footage might feel?

- How to channel that? - Well,
it's a boycott campaign.

You know, don't eat farmed
salmon.

You can stop this.

You can stop this lethal, toxic
industry by not buying the
product.

What we are saying is there's
no right way to farm salmon.

You should not be buying farmed
salmon.

Does that then lead to
opposition from-- from some
locals,

who might be, you know,
working in this industry,

who see a space for better
farmed salmon?

People like to indulge
in wishful thinking,

so they want to believe the
best.

You know, so communities are
clinging on to maybe closed
containment

or land-based systems.

The fact is that we shouldn't
be farming salmon at all.

In the wild, Atlantic salmon
swim thousands of miles across
the open ocean.

This is like the golden eagle
of the sea.

We've filmed with divers, and
they've called the police out.

We've got back to the shore,
and the police have been
waiting for us,

and the salmon farm has
complained,

and I ended up filing two
complaints to Police Scotland,

and the police inspector
apologized to me.

[laughing] It's public water.

I think the law is on our side.

What we've got against us is
we're going up against
multinationals

with billions of dollars of
turnover.

Do you face injunctions
or anything like that

that has been effective?

Tell me about your legal
situation.

Um, I think as a salmon farm
campaigner,

I've had multiple lawsuits.

It's almost like a-- a badge of
honor.

It's also, like, stripes.
I've had four lawsuits.

I've been to court.

Yeah, you know
you're doing the right thing.

In the music business they say,
"Where there's a hit, there's a
writ."

It's almost the same thing in
activism.

[ethereal music playing]

For sure, it's clear
that his in-your-face approach,

showing the raw footage of what
happens on a salmon farm,

is incredibly powerful and
moving.

And these had great success,
I think because of that tactic,

and it perhaps is something
that Jean and I can adopt.

At the same time, I feel like
I'm not sure I'm yet ready to
say

that there is no space for
salmon farms in Scotland at
all.

Don seems convinced of this.

I think I need to explore more
and understand more.

NARRATOR: After hearing Don's
revelations,

Seán realizes salmon farming
is a far more complex issue

than just powerless local
communities.

He's arranged a meeting with
Matt Palmer, a veterinary
surgeon,

who's an expert in the
welfare of farmed and wild
fish.

So, I guess one key thing
to-- to really speak about

is the use of antibiotics.

So, you know,
last year alone, for instance,

the Scottish salmon farm
industry used 8.9 tons of
antibiotics on their farm.

And these antibiotics
are going into the feed,

the feed's going into the
water.

So, it-- it's a big issue.

Uh, and that can lead to-- to
the buildup of resistance to
antibiotics,

and it can lead to-- to--

ultimately lead to-- people
dying.

This is an industry that is,
um, you know,

still relying on-- on chemical
use.

It's fairly commonplace
to-- to use formaldehyde.

- So, um, that's-- - That's for
preserving human bodies.

It absolutely is. Yeah. Yeah.

So, it's an embalming fluid.

It's used as-- in a solution
with water to-- to bath the
fish.

- Tasty.
- Yeah.

When we pour embalming fluid
and pesticides into an open net
cage,

we're effectively pouring it
onto the Scottish shoreline.

Well-- well, you're absolutely
right.

Some of these chemicals
are toxic to-- to marine life.

In some cases, to up to sort of
39 kilometers away from the
farm.

NARRATOR: But it's not just
an issue facing Scotland.

The expansion of industrial
fish farming

is facing increasing scrutiny
across the globe.

In Thailand, environmental
campaigners have been
battling

against the mass prawn fishing
trade.

In the Mediterranean,
communities are pushing back

on the expansion of sea bass
farms

due to concerns
about chemicals in the ocean.

Some Scottish farms
have also been criticized

for their use
of chemicals and antibiotics.

Keen to find out more about
what really goes on behind the
scenes,

Seán has been trying to
arrange a visit to a farm.

He has finally been invited to
visit one

that claims to only use
sustainable farming methods.

He's heading to Ullapool on
the northwest Scottish coast.

SEAÁN: I'm just driving
to Wester Ross Salmon Farm.

And I'm going there
because they are the only farm

to actually open and invite me
in to see what's going on.

Been a lot of bad press in the
media.

And, you know, no one wants to
show dead salmon floating
around in a salmon pen.

This is a standout salmon farm,
it seems.

You know, they pride themselves
on being sustainable.

So let's find out whether or
not this is in fact the future
of salmon.

I'm going to meet Gilpin,
who's the managing director,

and also Adam, who's one of the
younger employees on the salmon
farm,

to get a sense of how this all
works.

- Hi, there.
- GILPIN: Hey, Seán. Hi.

- How you doing?
- Welcome to the West Coast.

- Thank you very much.
- You chose a great day.

It is balmy out here.
Very nice. How are you doing?

- It's Adam.
- Nice to meet you.

- Let's jump in the boat.
- Perfect. Thank you.

Let's jump in. Jump in.

GILPIN: Okay. Open.

SEAÁN: Being honest with you,
you were the only person

that actually was okay with us
coming on.

We-- we reached out to quite a
few, and there seems to be some
hesitance

about allowing people on, and
I-- I wonder why that might be,
I guess.

I think I would suggest that a
significant proportion of the
criticism

- is rather ill-informed.
- SEAÁN: Mm-hmm. Okay.

They don't fully understand
what we're doing.

NARRATOR: Wester Ross
Fisheries says it doesn't use
any chemicals

on its stocks to rid the
salmon of lice and disease.

You know, you try to avoid
certain chemicals.

It's my understanding that you
try to minimize that completely

on this salmon farm.

Well, there's no chemicals at
all used in our-- in our
farming operation.

We don't actually like the use
of the word "chemicals." That's
slightly misleading,

- if you don't mind me saying
so. - SEAN: Okay.

"Medicines" is a far better
use of wording.

So we carry out regular checks
of our lice levels.

Okay. That's all available in
the public.

So we're under an enormous
level of public scrutiny.

Our technique for dealing with
sea lice is to use cleaner
fish.

In our case, it's wrasse. Okay?

So we put in a small percentage
of wrasse,

probably less than 1%,

and it works extremely well.

So, presumably, the wrasse just
kind of minimizes that risk.

Well, you-- you have to
remember

is that if the wrasse contained
in our salmon pen

is following its natural
instinct to eat the lice,

then the lice won't get a
chance to thrive on our salmon.

'Cause-- 'cause you mentioned
wrasse, where are they from?

Where-- where--
where do the wrasse come from?

I mean, in the summertime, when
I have my children with me,

we'll-- we'll just collect
wrasse along here.

SEAÁN: Adam, what are you up to?

ADAM: So, with me,
we've got some wrasse here.

So these little guys.

- SEAN: These are the cleaner
fish, right? - ADAM: Yes.

So these live with our fish and
they just take off any harmful
lice.

- SEAN: Do they do so
effectively? - ADAM: Yeah.

I mean, they don't really leave
any trace.

I mean, they've got little
small mouths with little sharp
teeth.

- You can see that.
- SEAÁN: Oh, yeah.

NARRATOR: 22-year-old Adam has
worked on the salmon farm for
six years.

Why-- why did you come here?

Was this always something
you wanted to do?

I think I was destined in some
way.

I mean, it was the main job,
sort of occupation in the area
I live

for, you know, a guy leaving
school.

If you enjoy the outdoors
like myself and just,

you know, you're not scared
to get a bit wet, a bit cold.

- [Seán chuckles]
- It's perfect for someone--

You have to be okay
with being wet and cold here.

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

SEAN: One thing that
distinguishes Wester Ross
salmon farm from others, then,

is, you know, the use wrasse,
rather than, say, the
medicines,

the hydrogen peroxides,
whatever, the formaldehyde.

- Things like that. And--- - I
would just hold there, Sean.
Okay?

Any medicine that is
used in a salmon farm,

okay, is fully licensed, fully
authorized, and been fully
tested.

SEAN: The use of antibiotics in
salmon farm is the only one
that--

that's increasing rather than
decreasing, compared to on
land.

Antibiotics are used only as an
absolute last resort.

The industry is not proud of an
increasing use of antibiotics.

But unfortunately, sometimes
there's been absolutely no
choice,

because the choice was quite
simple.

Either the fish are gonna die,

or we're gonna administer
antibiotics to the absolute
lowest level possible.

NARRATOR: It's estimated
nearly half a million tons of
wild fish

go into feeding Scottish
farm salmon every year.

A large percentage is
imported from the global
south,

although most of it
is trimmings taken from fish

that have already been caught
for human consumption.

SEAN: Your company prides
itself on the sustainability
issue.

How is it different from--
from other salmon farms?

I think every salmon farm
company is focused on
sustainability.

We're very, very careful about
the-- the choice of our diet.

So the diet for the salmon is
critical.

It's really important where the
fish meal comes from in the
diet.

Okay? So we only use trimmings
of fish that have already been
caught,

and that justifies our very,
very strong sustainability
message.

♪♪

SEAÁN: I had gone there
with the-- with the feeling

that I probably would end up
thinking "This is an excellent
farm,

"this is possibly
the way it should be done."

However, it was unwilling to
concede that

there was problems
with the industry as a whole.

It meant that we were unable to
have, I think, the important
conversation

of saying there are problems
with the industry,

but whenever we tried to get
there,

it was, "No, no, no, no
problems at all. Nothing wrong
here."

And it just shows how-- how
much they want to control the
narrative.

NARRATOR: Having seen
firsthand what he's up
against,

Sean wants to explore the best
way of engaging the public's
attention

with his fellow Changemakers.

SEAN: So what we've been doing
is traveling around in Scotland
and meeting

with other community members
who are also challenging it.

And it seems to me that the
vast majority of people who are
exposed to salmon farms

agree that salmon farms
shouldn't exist.

When you add to this the kinds
of antibiotics which are going
into the feed

and many other chemicals used,

I mean, it's a veritable
cocktail of disaster

that is being poured
into Scotland's oceans.

The usage of antibiotics leads
to

resistance to antibiotics
in human beings.

So I think it would be really
crucial for the community, on
one hand,

to use that personal
messaging of how salmon
farms

are actually impacting them
personally.

On another level, engaging
urban people,

which are the consumers of
this product, for me, is
essential.

♪♪

Last night I spoke to my team.
They relayed to me their
thoughts.

These are all excellent
campaigners.

And I think the first thing
that we are putting into
practice already

is that we need to network
more.

Building coalitions
with other organizations,

with charities, is really
important.

NARRATOR: Jean and Seán
have organized a meeting

with campaigners from across
Scotland.

SEAÁN: I am looking forward
to this evening.

And also you have networked
with many people already.

All of that seems to really
help build a sense of
confidence,

a sense that communities aren't
isolated,

because some of these
communities really are
isolated.

I think for Jean's campaign to
be successful on the national
level,

we need that almost elevator
pitch

or "Get Brexit Done" style
phrase

that people can immediately go,
"I understand what you mean."

Hi, Mick. It's Jean Moffat
here...

I've got quite a few differing
communities coming together
tonight.

It may not be happening
right on their doorsteps,

but because they have spoken
out about it, they've lost
friends.

- Hi, there.
- Jean.

- Lovely to see you again.
- JEAN: Yeah.

CORIN: Tactical approaches of
all the different groups vary
wildly.

Having a very clear vision and
reinforcing that over and over
again,

I think, is really, really
important for us.

That what we're doing is
getting rid of open cage salmon
farms.

We're not looking for small
changes.

SEAN: What kind of narrative
can we identify that is short
and sweet,

that resonates with someone
like me, an outsider?

I'd love to have a conversation
about targeting, campaigning,

what we can do.

CORIN: I think in terms of
campaigning, we're talking now
about

who are we gonna rely on
stopping this

and what are the levers
and the pressure points

that we're gonna need to pull
and push to make that happen.

Local communities are a lever
and a-- and a pressure point.

Consumers are a pressure point.

General public is so unaware
of the horror of this industry.

And so I think it comes back
to, how do we raise the horror
factor?

How do we make this-- how do we
make people aware of this?

We were talking about having an
image and maybe a strap line,

you know, a few words,
and I thought if you could get

one of those absolutely rotten
salmon pictures that you've
got,

and the strap line is "Swam in
sewage."

Fish welfare has been one of
the most resonant issues,

because it's easy, visually,
to shock people.

A picture of a fish with
a big, massive hole in it,

or you can see its brain, boom.

And you'll get massive
engagement. So it's-- it's
really challenging.

WOMAN: Jean, how are you
feeling after gathering all the
troops?

Well, apart from being fucking
knackered?

SEAN: It was one of the longest
meetings I've had

with different communities
coming together.

I think we are now more or less
in agreement that the end goal
is to...

completely end any salmon
farms,

particularly open net salmon
farms.

JEAN: It was quite fascinating.

We will fight on.

And, you know, it might-- it
might take ten years,

but fight on we shall.

NARRATOR: Seán and Jean
now have a clear objective.

They want to form a national
campaign group which opposes

all open net salmon farming.

So they've requested a meeting
with the head of Scotland
salmon farming industry

to share their concerns.

JEAN: We're meeting a gentleman
called Tavish Scott.

For 21 years he was a Lib Dem
MSP,

so a member of the Scottish
Parliament,

and he is now the chief
executive of the Scottish
Salmon Producers Association.

He very strongly...

dislikes anyone who says
anything against salmon farms.

It would be lovely
if he came away thinking,

"Gosh, I've got to do
something. Let's push for
closed cages in our seas."

NARRATOR: Tavish Scott is the
country's most influential
figure

in salmon farming.

He has the power to help push
for reform across the
industry.

- Hi, Tavish. How you doing?
- How are you?

- I'm Seán. Nice to meet you.
- Seán, nice to see you.

- Hi, Tavish. Jean Moffat.
- Hi. Pleased to meet you.

Pleased to meet you.

Tavish, you have lost, this
year, over 25% of salmon.

That's an extraordinary number.

So what-- what's the answer to
losing that amount of salmon?

Is it a closed cage, surely?

We don't want any losses.

Why would any business want any
losses?

And when you operate in the
sea, then you have all the
naturally occurring organisms

that live in the sea
and that can affect our fish.

These very small micro
jellyfish that affect the fish
gills.

So we've spent an inordinate
amount of money and time on
better science,

on veterinary advice,
to reduce those losses.

There's no interest in us
in having losses.

We'd like to reduce that
as much as we possibly can.

If you talk to marine
biologists-- and we have
several--

um, it is a proven fact
that the chemicals used

are doing a great deal of
damage to the environment.

We use-- we all use medicines
when they're veterinary
supervised.

We employ brilliant vets to do
that.

Come on. Come on. You know--

No, I-- I could say "come on"
to you.

I'm not sure your arguments
stack up to any kind of-- any
proper assessment.

Should we then focus on
antibiotics?

I know this is brought up as a
comparison. That different to
terrestrial farming,

sea farming has an increased
use of-- of antibiotics,

whereas the others have
a-- a decline in it.

Well, first of all,
we publish antibiotic figures.

The other sectors don't publish
them.

So with great respect, you
can't say they're going up or
down,

because no one knows.

You can refer to
the research done on this.

No, but-- no, but government
doesn't collect statistics

from any terrestrial farming.

Any antibiotic we use--

And it's a very small use
compared to terrestrial land
farming--

How can you know that if you
don't-- if the terrestrial
land--

That's what I'm referring to.

The numbers you--
we just see published.

So you agree that--
so you also refer to figures?

How does that-- how does that
link with your previous
argument?

Sorry, I don't understand.

Well, the-- the only figures I
can go on is those that you've
just referred to.

SEAN: That indicate that they
have--

Because you people-- because--
because you attack us.

Who's "you people"? I'm sorry.

Because you attack us
for having antibiotic used.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to
attack you.

I'm-- I'm trying to figure out
exactly, just because you said

there are no figures available,
and now we're seeing

the-- referring to the exact
same figures.

So you'll accept my original
use of those figures.

And so you'll have to answer
the question.

But-- but you haven't accepted
the point I'm making, Seán,

which is there is a world of
difference

between voluntarily providing
figures for the government on--

And it's a non sequitur.
I'm-- I'm trying to focus--

No, it's not. It is not.
I couldn't disagree more.

Tavish was, shall we say,

a champion condescender towards
myself.

Um, and much as I would like
to have really fought back,

I get the impression that he'd
simply have walked away.

He does not want to handle or
hear

anything that contradicts his
views of salmon farming in
Scotland.

He let-- His PR face slipped
for a moment when he said "You
people."

I nearly lost my cool.
I mean, at certain points...

he attempted to dismiss my--
my--

my arguments by saying, "Well,
that's-- those statistics
aren't valid.

"You can't-- you can't
refer to those statistics."

And then the next breath,
used the exact same statistics.

We're not able
to find compromise right now.

Which shows that we need to go
do further.

I mean, if we can't work with
the industry,

if Jean finds it difficult
to work with industry,

then I imagine she'll now want
to, you know, take more direct
action.

[pensive music playing]

NARRATOR: With their concerns
falling on deaf ears,

Jean and Seán have come up
with a bold concept

of how to target their
message at the consumer.

Sean's fellow Changemaker,
Flavia, is an expert at
this,

so he wants her thoughts on
the idea.

We're gonna talk about
the Scottish Salmon Scandal.

Jean and I are gonna get a--
like, a little coffee van.

You know those-- those vehicles
that you serve coffee in the
back from?

Yeah, yeah.

And we are going to have
a fake "fish shop" in it.

And then we'll have texts
pointing out that, you know,

"This contains very toxic
chemicals that are then seeping
out into the ocean."

The consumer that
we are talking to, okay.

This is not enough
in order to change behaviors.

You know that there's a-- a
group of vegan activists,

they go outside McDonald's
stores or that kind of store

and they stand up with their
computers,

showing what happen
inside the-- the meat houses.

SEAN: Yeah, I think we could
probably do that, then.

And there's some images where
they have--

like, one salmon has, you
know--

you know, dozens and dozens
of these parasites on its body.

FLAVIA: That's spectacular.

NARRATOR: With Flavia's
approval, Jean and Sean have
decided

to take their message onto
the streets of the Scottish
capital.

SEAÁN: We can achieve change,
but it's a very long road.

If your thing is going on the
street and banging pots and
pans together

to talk about something
so people listen to you,

then that will actually enhance
these efforts where we talk to
policymakers.

Because the policymakers
will see your words,

but also hear the noise of the
pots and pans and think, "This
is meaningful."

NARRATOR: As home
to the Scottish parliament,

they also hope to push their
message

to those who have the power
to make real change.

But first, they need a
vehicle.

JEAN: So where are we going?

SEAN: As you know, we have our
mobile fishmonger concept.

Did you find one?

It might not be exactly what
you thought, but it might be
the perfect thing.

JEAN: Oh, my goodness.
That's a Citroeën, isn't it?

- I believe so.
- JEAN: Oh, my goodness.

We have learned that a lot of
the campaigning happens at the
local level.

- Outside of big cities.
- Yes.

It happens very technically
in reams of paper.

It's not happening vocally
on the streets of the capital.

- No, no.
- And this is our--

- this is our job now.
- That's right.

We need to engage them in a
conversation.

I know one person
in Scotland that can do that.

- [laughing]
- I'm looking at her.

NARRATOR: Jean and Seán
are heading to Bristo Square

in the heart of Edinburgh,
hoping for maximum public
engagement.

They're relying on shock and
awe tactics to reach the
people.

♪♪

I'm hoping people will be
disgusted.

I think some people might be
alarmed,

and then there's people that
actually won't give a damn.

- We are trying to look like
fishmongers. - Fishmongers.

Hello there, sir. How are you?

Would you like to learn about
open cage salmon farming?

- Yeah.
- Did you know, for example,

that over 15 million Scottish
salmon died before they made it
to the plate?

That's one in four salmon.

What do you think about that?
Good or bad?

It's... astonishing. [laughing]

SEAÁN: Isn't it remarkable?

Okay. Who wants to know about
The Great Scottish Salmon
Scandal?

You can get all the information
here.

We are willing to share.
Thank you very much.

They use formaldehyde, which
is, like, a cadaver preserver,
basically,

and hydrogen peroxide, that
just seep out into Scottish
lochs.

I-- I don't think I'll be
eating that.

They use chemicals like
formaldehyde, which is used to
preserve human bodies.

- MAN: Formaldehyde?
- JEAN: Yeah. Yeah.

Oh, that's-- that's atrocious.

When you buy salmon in the
shop, it'll have pink meat,
right?

But if it's farmed, it's not
naturally pink. They dye it.

- Would you like to take a
leaflet? - Yeah. Could do.

SEAN: Activism doesn't have to
be this big act. It can be a
small act.

It can be, you know,
the ripple of individuals

that come together into a big
wave.

Did you know that those farmed
salmon,

about one in four, 25%, die
before they ever make it to the
plate?

Thank you for telling me.

JEAN: You're not going to
eat salmon anymore?

No, I actually won't. I
actually won't.

Thank you. I won't buy salmon
anymore. [laughing]

It's gone pretty well,
actually.

People are interested. People
are talking.

I think this kind of direct
action draws attention.

It reaches people who wouldn't
usually know about it.

And the next tier, of course,
would be signing letters,

writing emails, raising
awareness.

And then the next level still
will be,

you know, engaging with
policymakers directly.

Guess how many humans are
equivalent

to the amount of poop
that salmon farms make?

- 100. 100 humans.
- I was gonna say 100.

It's an additional 1.5 million
Scots pooping directly into our
lochs.

Really?

NARRATOR: Jean is talking
to a former industry insider.

I was 17 when I started
working on the salmon farm,

and it opened my eyes to,
like, how horrendous it is

and what they do to the fish.

JEAN: With your experience
of the fish farm,

do you reckon that we've hit
the nail on the head with
those?

Yeah, 100%.

SEAÁN: Gone better
than I expected, actually.

They've been shocked about what
the salmon farming industry
does here in Scotland.

And that's what we wanted to
do.

This is what we learned
previously, is that we weren't
reaching out to the--

to the wider public about this
issue.

That we weren't using the kind
of shocking or disgusting

or fear-inducing imagery and
narratives.

And that's what
we're trying to do here today.

And it has clearly proved
effective.

JEAN: Change for anything can
always happen if you work at
it.

It might not be as much and it
might not be as fast as you
want,

but change can happen and it--
and it's worth going for every
inch of it.

It's time that we, now armed
with the support of the vast
public,

go to the powers that be
and submit our letter.

- Yes.
- To the political class.

We should do that. We should do
that.

Let's go to Parliament.

[inspiring music playing]

NARRATOR: Holyrood in
Edinburgh is the home of the
government

and the center of Scottish
democracy.

Jean has written a request
calling for

all open net salmon farms
to stop operating,

and a review conducted to
assess the true cost of the
industry.

JEAN: Thank you very much.

It's been an amazing journey.

I have learned myself so much.

The comradeship that-- that
I've built up with Sean--

You know, he's a young lad
with a good brain on him,

and it's just been a joy to
work with him.

SEAN: Jean has some real
tenacity.

This is where change happens.

It is people like Jean
who live in a community,

who have experience of a
particular issue,

who say, "You know what? That's
enough."

And that's how change happens.

- That was funny.
- What was funny?

No, just that emotion, where it
came from.

Where-- where do you think it
came from?

I-- Um...

the culmination of-- of the
journey.

The whole-- I don't want to
talk about it, though.
[laughing]

Funny.

- Journey's end.
- Yeah.

- Well, this journey.
- Yeah. Plenty more to do.

- It's the next one.
- It's only just the beginning.

Absolutely. Absolutely. I know.

Thank you. Thanks for sharing
it with me.

- You're welcome. Thank you for
having me. - It's been-- it's
been a joy.

This isn't the end. This is
only the end of this journey.

[uplifting music playing]

♪♪