Features
From problem to product
Sludge from fish farms and hatcheries is seen as waste, but it also contains potentially valuable resources One of the advantages of fish farming with a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) is that waste – in its various forms – can be collected rather than ending up in the ocean. The bad news is that it…
Read MoreX marks the spot
It’s an election year for the Westminster parliament, so what is the aquaculture industry looking for from the politicians? Sandy Neil investigates Brace yourself for a UK election year. A Labour landslide? A Conservative revival? A king-making coalition? Whatever happens, 2024 will surely become another turning point for the country and, for this short time…
Read MoreThe war on lice
Technology is opening up a number of potential fronts in the struggle to keep farmed fish lice-free Early warning could help salmon farmers take timely action to reduce sea lice numbers before their stock becomes infested with the parasites. Clearly, assessing the levels of sea lice by counting the lice attached to salmon in a…
Read MoreRocks ahead
Is shellfish farming still viable in the UK? Nicki Holmyard reports on a paper that sets out to answer that question The past president of the Shellfish Association of Great Britain (SAGB), Jeremy Simmonds, has seen the industry go through many highs and lows over the decades, but says he has never seen shellfish aquaculture…
Read MoreScaling 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…
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