Archive for June 2021
Huge fall in salmon escapes
NORWAY has reported a dramatic drop in salmon escapes for last year – and the trend appears to be continuing. The country’s Directorate of Fisheries says there were 44,000 escapes in 2020, with just 1,200 reported so far for 2021, with almost half the year gone. The figure of 44,000 may still seem high but…
Read MoreSalmon exports to EU down 20%
UK exports of salmon to the EU have slumped by almost 20% during the first three months of this year, new data from the Food and Drink Federation show. Sales of fish of all types are down by almost 52%. Scottish salmon is one of the most sought after products by European retailers and restaurants.…
Read MoreGenetic breakthrough helps tackle oyster disease
Experts at genetics business Xelect, working with the Orkney Shellfish Hatchery (OSH), have found a way to detect a pathogen responsible for the decline of wild European oyster populations, based on DNA analysis. Bonamia ostrae is a disease affecting European flat oysters, representing a serious risk for wild and farmed oysters. The widely used test…
Read MoreISA numbers rising in Norway
The number of suspected and confirmed Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA) cases along the Norwegian coast has continued to mount over the past 10 days. The most recent report was yesterday, when tests indicated an outbreak at a Salaks facility in the Troms and Finnmark municipality at Salangen. The site produces 10,000 tonnes of salmon annually.…
Read MoreOrganic, and now by Royal Appointment
Skye smoked salmon fillets from Organic Sea Harvest’s first commercial production round will be gracing royal dinner tables. Organic Sea Harvest (OSH), Scotland’s first major salmon farming start-up in decades, harvested its first fish on 2 June. Yesterday the smoked fillets were delivered to Buckingham Palace, where it is believed one has been earmarked for…
Read MoreDanish investor expands stake in Norcod
Norwegian seafood processor Isfjord Norway AS has sold its stake in cod farmer Norcod to Danish wealth management and investment company Artha. Norcod, which is also based in Norway, is expecting to complete its first commercial harvest later this year. Artha was already a major investor in Norcod, and Jan Severin Sølbæk, Co-founder and Managing…
Read MoreMinister praises SSF’s ‘green’ hatchery
UK Government Minister for Scotland David Duguid has declared he is “impressed” with the environmental technology at Scottish Sea Farms’ new hatchery at Barcaldine. On a visit to the site on the west coast of Scotland yesterday, Duguid was shown the hatchery’s 600kw biomass energy system. Owned, installed and maintained by AMP Clean Energy, the…
Read MoreHuffing and puffin
Our favourite seabirds are facing a shortage of sand eels, but please don’t blame the fish farmers. On 15 May 2021, the Herald newspaper included a two-page commercial feature placed by the Coastal Communities Network who claim that the safety of Scottish water is being compromised as the economic drivers of open cage salmon farming…
Read MoreSalmon prices continue to slide
Fresh salmon prices are continuing to fall back – against the expectations of many in the industry. According to Statistics Norway, they have dropped by 3.3% in the past seven days (week 23) to NOK 57.64 a kilo, a level not seen since the end of February and almost 17% lower than a year ago…
Read MoreGarware appoints Sutherland as Scottish manager
Leading netting and ropes manufacturer Garware Technical Fibres has appointed Alan Sutherland, former Managing Director – Scotland with Marine Harvest, as Country Manager for Scotland. His appointment takes effect from 1 July. India-based Garware supplies specialist netting for fisheries and aquaculture around the world. Sutherland brings four decades of experience to the company, including nine…
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