Amazing turnout for demo dook

This Saturday wild swimmers from around Loch Linnhe came together on a freezing cold morning to brave the waters in an act of protest against the proposed mega fish farm and industrial site on their shores.

The 8000 tonne farm proposed by Loch Long Salmon would be the largest in Scotland, with an equivalent live weight of 11,000 cows. A vast proportion of the solid waste from the farm would collect beneath the cages; all the urine, pathogens and any chemical treatments would also be passed into the loch.

This would obliterate the fragile marine life on the seabed, sound the death knell for the last vestiges of the wild salmon population for which Loch Linnhe was once famed, and make the water a health hazard for the thousands of swimmers and snorkelers who take to the loch throughout the year.

Charlotte Parkin, who led the protest swimming group, has been a long-time advocate for the physical and mental health benefits of wild swimming. After the event, she said, “It was an amazing turnout for a bitterly cold January morning - individuals even travelled from Glasgow and Roybridge to partake in the protest swim, highlighting the strong desire for their voices to be acknowledged regarding the proposed mega fish farm. It just underscored the significance people place on preserving Cuil Bay and the surrounding area. The community is resolute in its opposition to any potential spoilage or pollution of this cherished area."