The December 2023 issue of Fish Farmer is out now online

The December 2023 issue of Fish Farmer magazine is out now online and you can read or download it here.

Our cover story this month features Selcoth Fisheries, a freshwater trout farm that shows you do not have to be a big multinational producer to lead the way on sustainability.

Selcoth, based near Moffat in south west Scotland, combines the trout farming business with a sheep farm. The hills in which it nestles provide not only pure water for the fish farm but also renewable energy in the form of hydro power and, soon, solar power too, and the couple running the farm, Olly and Shara Routledge, are also committed to promoting biodiversity in the beautiful part of Scotland. Find out how, starting page 42 of this issue.

Also in the December magazine, we look at carp, a fish that has long been at the centre of the traditional meal at Christmastime – at least in central and eastern Europe.

Closer to home we report from the conference of the Scottish Seaweed Industry Association, held in Oban last month. Seaweed farming is still a very small industry in Scotland and in the west generally, but its potential applications are huge and the conference addressed the question: how can we grow sustainably?

Also in this issue, Sandy Neil considers what happens now after the Scottish Government confirmed that its sweeping plans for Highly Protected Marine Areas have been, well swept to one side.

We report on the global outlook for the aquaculture and, specifically, prospects for growth in Vietnam – which is already a major aquaculture nation.

And on the shellfish front, Nicki Holmyard talks to the scientists who believe that shipworms – the sailor’s enemy in the days of wooden ships – could be our next nutritious and delicious seafood staple. The biggest problem seems to be the name, although it could be questioned whether the suggested alternative, “naked clams”, is really much more appetising.

On behalf of all my colleagues, I wish all our readers a merry Christmas and a safe and prosperous 2024.