· FOI/EIR · partially withheld
International Gill Health Initiative meeting in Bergen: EIR release
Information requested
Details on the "international group called the gill health initiative" which meets annually (as testified by Rob Raynard on 6 February), in particular a copy of the last report and any other documents, emails and other information relating to the last meeting including details of "how the science has moved on, what is causing the problem and what the solutions are".
Response
As the information you have requested is 'environmental information' for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.
This exemption is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.
Please find enclosed a copy of the list of abstracts that were presented at the last meeting of the International Gill Health Initiative that took place in Bergen on 27-28 April 2017.
Some details relating to previous meetings are available online –
2014 meeting - https://www.vetinst.no/forskning-innovasjon/pagaende-forskningsprosjekter/the-gill-health-platform/the-second-meeting-in-the-internathe-second-meeting-in-the-international-gill-health-initiativetional-gill-health-initiative 2015 meeting - https://www.fishhealth.ie/fhu/health-surveillance/aquaplan-fish-health-management-ireland/gill-health-initiative 2016 meeting - http://scottishaquaculture.com/events/gill-health-initiative-meeting/
The aim of the Gill Health Initiative is for fish farmers, veterinarians and scientists to share the latest information on gill health research both in the field and the laboratory: from key issues and fundamental studies, to advances in diagnostics and treatments. Marine Scotland Science's involvement in the last meeting was to attend as a delegate.
Detected exemption language
We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA. This exemption is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes.