News
Early success at new wave farm
COOKE Aquaculture’s newest site in Orkney, East Skelwick, lies 2.5km from the nearest landfall or, as farm manager Stewart Rendall puts it, ‘on the edge of the ocean’. Described as a trial site, it is Scotland’s most exposed high energy farm, and its success could help change the way salmon are farmed in the future.…
Read MoreStudy explores impact of RAS on salmon
THE impact of recirculation aquaculture systems (RAS) on salmon smolts is to be investigated by a consortium led by Stirling University’s Institute of Aquaculture (IoA). The £2 million Robust-Smolt study – involving 14 institutions and organisations – will compare the robustness and susceptibility of RAS reared Atlantic salmon to pathogens. Over the next three years,…
Read MoreSalmon farmers adopt ‘trusted’ algae feed
MORE than 350,000 tonnes of aquafeed containing an algae based protein source have been sold to salmon farmers over the past two years, the North Atlantic Seafood Forum in Bergen was told yesterday. AlgaPrime DHA, made by Netherlands company Corbion, is being sold to Norwegian salmon farmers in feeds formulated by BioMar. Developed to reduce…
Read MoreInsurer spells out risks of RAS
THE world’s biggest fish farm insurer said that recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) had so far been a loss maker. Speaking at the North Atlantic Seafood Forum (NASF) in Bergen today, Geir Myre, global head of aquaculture insurance at AXA XL Catlin, said the proliferation of RAS projects were not ‘dream objects’ for his company, Salmon…
Read MoreNovel feed firm boosts team
NOVEL feed producer Veramaris has expanded its team as it prepares to open its full scale production facility in the US this summer. The Dutch firm makes natural marine algal oil at three sites on two continents, North America and Europe. The third and largest facility, in Blair, Nebraska, is currently under construction and expected…
Read MoreSalmon drives Norway export boom
NORWAY today reported its best February seafood export performance so far, thanks once again to the rising value of salmon. Although volumes were down by 57,000 tonnes on a year ago, this reduction was mainly due to a big drop in fishing for capelin. The overall value rose by nine per cent to NOK 7.8…
Read MoreAquaculture ‘halting population drift’
THE expansion of aquaculture in Iceland is playing an important role in boosting prosperity and helping to stem the drift of young people away from coastal communities, says a new employment report. The report was prepared by the country’s Regional Development Institute and published by the Confederation of Icelandic Fishing Companies, which now includes the…
Read MoreAquaGen buys Scottish salmon hatchery
AQUAGEN, the world leading salmon breeder and supplier of eggs, has signed a deal to buy Scottish Sea Farms’ freshwater hatchery at Holywood near Dumfries as part of a long-term strategic investment that will further improve fish welfare in Scotland. The acquisition follows a successful trial production of eggs under licence in autumn 2018 and…
Read MoreVisitor centre tells The Salmon story
NORWEGIAN Prime Minister Erna Solberg said she hoped a salmon farming visitor centre in Oslo would help address misconceptions about the industry. At yesterday’s official opening of the centre, called The Salmon, she acknowledged the importance of aquaculture to the country’s economy and said the government was committed to its growth. ‘The salmon industry is…
Read MoreSAIC gets top farmers on board
DAWNFRESH farming director Alison Hutchins and the managing director of Shetland Mussels, Michael Tait, have joined the board of the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC), it was announced today. With a combined 35 years of experience, Hutchins and Tait will enhance the board’s existing expertise, said SAIC in a press release. The board consists of…
Read More