Scottish Sea Farms predicts "an exciting" 2026
2026 marks an exciting new chapter for Scottish Sea Farms’ operations in Shetland, the company has said.
This is being made possible through the stocking of Scotland’s largest farm to date at Billy Baa, and plans underway for further developments to drive fish health.
Scottish Sea Farms' Billy Baa site in Shetland.
Scottish Sea Farms said in an update on its website that Billy Baa exemplified the company’s mission to farm sustainably, incorporating innovations to improve fish health and minimise environmental impact. The farm, which has a biomass consent of 4,091 tonnes and will create eight full-time jobs, is due to come on stream in May 2026.
In keeping with SSF’s strategy for larger farms in better locations, with deeper waters and faster currents, it will have nine 160m pens, the first of this size in Shetland, and one of 120m.
Richard Darbyshire, Regional Manager for Shetland, said the average depth at Billy Baa is 45m, making it one of the deepest farms within the Shetland estate.
‘With the depths at Billy Baa and the new 160m pens, our fish will have more room than ever to grow,’ he told The Source. ‘These larger pens in larger grids improve the water flow through the farm and lead to better performance and survival.’
The new farm represents a total investment of £7.5 million, with the majority of the spend with Scottish suppliers.
The £1.8 million workboat is being built by MacDuff Ship Design and the pens and moorings are from Inverness-based Gael Force Marine.
The SeaQurePen 500s are built to withstand the challenging environment in Shetland and will be a much-improved working platform for the farm staff.
A tried-and-tested double netting system has also been installed, with a 75mm mesh outer net and an 18mm mesh inner net, as well as a new ‘glider’ system for the nets to ensure correct tension throughout.
ScaleAQ in Scotland supplied the cameras and 500-tonne steel feed barge, which is not just Scottish Sea Farms’ largest barge to date, but also equipped with its most advanced hybrid system.
“We are installing a Fjord Marine Hybrid system from Fjord Maritime, to power the feed barge,’ said Richard.
“We trialled the technology on one of our existing farms and made fuel and maintenance savings worth £250,000, so have decided to increase the size to give even greater savings and reliability.”
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