News
90,000-tonne land-based salmon farm planned for Lewis
A Norwegian salmon company is hoping to build a 90,000-tonne land-based fish farm in a remote part of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides. The story was broken this week by local paper the Stornoway Gazette, which was tipped off following a presentation for investors. The company concerned, Norwegian Mountain Salmon (NMS), already has plans underway…
Read MoreSubsea awards recognise underwater expertise
Aberdeenshire firm J+S Subsea was one of the big winners at last night’s Subsea Expo Awards in Aberdeen, picking up two accolades. The Kintore-based firm collected the Company of the Year Award – under 50 employees, which was sponsored by Ocean Installer, reflecting its strong growth in recent years. A second award came in the…
Read MoreApplecross and wellboats leading Bakkafrost Scotland fightback
Increased treatment capacity and investment in the Applecross hatchery are enabling Bakkafrost to address fish health issues in its Scottish operations, the company has reported. “Dual treatment” – tackling sea lice and gill health issues at the same time in wellboats like the Ronja Star, pictured – is helping to improve fish gill health while…
Read MoreGrieg Q4 rocked by spiro, jellyfish and winter sores
Grieg Seafood is the latest Norwegian salmon farmer to report biological and jellyfish issues during the final quarter of 2023. The company, which was big in Scotland until three years ago, but now concentrates on Norway and Canada, recorded an operational (EBIT) loss of NOK 67 million (around £5m) against an operational profit of NOK…
Read MoreSea lice research at VESO Aqualab
Sea lice – a point of focus VESO is a world leading contract research facility, committed to the conduct of state-of-the-art trials with fish and fish pathogens. Our main focus is on know-how regarding host-pathogen interactions and on conducting experimental challenge procedures with the pathogens that commonly affect aquaculture of cold-water species. A particular point…
Read MoreWhat shall I talk about?
There’s hardly been any news about farming, so what on earth can I talk about? With French farmers dumping God knows what on their parliament and Brussels trying to fend them off the EU, there’s hardly anything interesting going on. Yet the media are finding it hard to cover. Occasionally they mention the green agenda…
Read MoreNordic Aqua on track for first Chinese harvest
Norwegian company Nordic Aqua Partners, which is developing a land based facility in China, has reported a good operational performance in the fourth quarter of last year with construction works for Stage One completed on time and on budget. The biological performance was good for all batches – with strong growth, a mortality rate below…
Read MoreArctic Fish hits 2023 record despite escape crisis
Iceland’s Arctic Fish produced an operational profit or EBIT of €3.2 million (£2.7m) in 2023, the first full year under Mowi ownership. This was in spite of serious escape issues during the summer which led to a backlash in Iceland against open pen salmon farming. The company said the financial biological performance improved somewhat after…
Read MoreNova Scotia premier opposes Cooke expansion plan
A potential dispute is looming between the aquaculture giant Cooke Seafood and the leader of the Nova Scotia regional government in Canada. Nova Scotia prime minister Tim Houston has come out against Cooke’s proposal to expand its salmon farm in Liverpool Bay through its Canadian aquaculture operation, trading as Kelly Cove Salmon Ltd. There has…
Read MoreFaroes shines for Bakkafrost as Scotland steadily improves
Bakkafrost’s Scottish business began to turn the corner during the final three months of 2023, the company reported today. After a difficult time with biological challenges between July and September Bakkafrost said “The fourth quarter gave opportunities with good biological development to grow the fish, resulting therefore in reduced harvest volumes, concentrating on growing into the…
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