Features
Scaling up
Bacteria are being put to work, extracting the useful elements from harvested seaweed, as Robert Outram reports We’re in the John Coulson Building at Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University, watching macerated sugar kelp spinning furiously in what looks like a sophisticated food processor. The aim of the exercise is not, however, to create a nutritious seaweed smoothie.…
Read MoreSafe to eat
The latest round of testing shows that Norway’s farmed fish are still safe for consumers, as Vince McDonagh reports Farmed fish is free of illegal substances and safe to eat, research by the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research has found. The organisation carried out the work, which mostly took place in 2022, on behalf of…
Read MoreTaking on the challenges
Climate change and other factors keep throwing up new threats to fish health, as our expert panel explained in Fish Farmer’s Aqua Agenda webinar. Robert Outram reports THE PANELLISTS Dr Iain Berrill Head of Technical, Salmon Scotland Dr Iain Berrill has always had an interest in the marine and freshwater environment. He studied a BSc…
Read MoreGrow your own
The coastal town of Grimsby has processed salmon for many years but now it will be producing them too, as Vince McDonagh reports Grimsby used to pride itself on being hailed the seafood capital of Europe. But that crown slipped some time ago, partly as the result of Brexit but mainly because the town lost…
Read MoreSmash and grab
Farmed salmon are facing a new threat in the form of hungry bluefin tuna, reports Vince McDonagh Norway’s salmon farmers are facing a new threat from a powerful predator. Large tuna fish are breaking into fish farm facilities, allowing thousands of salmon the opportunity to escape. It is no longer an isolated problem. Salmon companies…
Read MoreGimme shelter
Kelp forests are a cornerstone environmental resource. One seaweed farmer in the west of Scotland is doing its bit to restore them, reports Sandy Neil Highland coastal kelp forests are among seven major environmental projects being supported by Scotland’s salmon farmers to help save iconic wild salmon and sea trout. More than £118,000 has been…
Read MoreSteady as she goes
The Netherlands’ fish farming sector is steadily growing, reports Eugene Gerden The Netherlands’ fish farming sector has been steadily growing, thanks to continuing stable domestic demand for farmed fish and improving economics in the country. That was the message presented at a recent symposium as part of the 40th anniversary of the Dutch Society for…
Read MorePowered up
Selcoth Fisheries already runs largely on renewable energy but the family running it want to do more. Robert Outram finds out why Selcoth Fisheries is a trout farm in the hills near Moffat in Dumfries and Galloway, in the southwest of Scotland. It’s a small family business, run by Olly and Shara Routledge but earlier…
Read MoreNorthern lights
Orkney and Shetland are key to hopes for expansion for the Scottish salmon sector, reports Robert Outram Some of the most exciting developments in Scottish fish farming are taking place in the Northern Isles – Orkney and Shetland – where operators are investing in expansion, new sites and improved processing facilities. Back in December 2021,…
Read MoreFeeding frenzy
High feed prices could be set to continue in 2024, experts say. Fiona Nicolson reports At the end of 2022, Rabobank’s Global Animal Protein Outlook for 2023 revealed that global grain and oilseed prices had almost doubled between May 2020 and May 2022, due to increased demand, concerns about supply and increased geopolitical uncertainty. Some…
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