Marine Fund Scotland announces latest grant decisions

A trial for a new water-borne feeding system for salmon farmer Cooke Scotland and a new service station for cleaning fish farming nets are among the projects supported in the latest round of funding from the Marine Fund Scotland.

In total, the fund is making grants with a total of £14m for marine industries and coastal and island communities in 2024/25.

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Under fire

Salmon farm, Chile

From highway robbery to lawsuits from indigenous communities, as Vince McDonagh reports, the Chilean salmon industry is facing challenges on a number of fronts.

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Nova Scotia PM speaks out against Cooke fish farm plan

Nova Scotia Prime Minister Tim Houston (pictured) has come out firmly against Cooke Seafoods’ plan to expand its Liverpool Bay salmon facility. In February he had already expressed his reservations about the project. Houston has now come off the fence, to say he will directly oppose it because it would mean a large increase in…

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Labour election hopeful impressed during visit to Cooke Aquaculture

Cooke Scotland managing director Colin Blair, left, and North Lanarkshire councillor and Coatbridge and Bellshill Labour Party prospective parliamentary candidate Frank McNally at Cooke's Bellshill head office.

Frank McNally, a leading Scottish Labour politician and general election hopeful, has met with Cooke Aquaculture Scotland to hear about the positive and social impact the company, and aquaculture in general, is having on the region. (Pictured) Cooke Scotland managing director Colin Blair, left, and North Lanarkshire councillor and Coatbridge and Bellshill Labour Party prospective…

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Cooke Aquaculture included on ‘Top Employers’ list

Cooke Aquaculture has been named as one of Atlantic Canada’s Top Employers for 2024. The company, which also has a large salmon farming business in Scotland, has won plaudits for the way its treats staff and builds strong communities. Kristina Leung, managing editor at Mediacorp, organisers of the annual Canada’s Top 100 Employers competition, said:…

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Cooke gives up legal fight over trout farm closures

Cooke Seafood has abandoned plans to win back leases at its two Washington state steelhead trout farms in the US, blaming delays by the state’s administration which it says make the case futile. The group’s subsidiary, Aquaculture Pacific, has filed a motion with the Superior Court of the State of Washington to dismiss its appeal…

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Aquaculture trainees are ALBAS winners

Trainees from Scottish Sea Farms and Cooke Aquaculture were among the winners at the ALBAS (Awards for Land-based and Aquaculture Skills) on Thursday night. Craig Grounds (pictured above, with Jill Couto-Phoenix), from Oban in Argyll and Bute, won Aquaculture Learner of the Year. He completed his Modern Apprenticeship in Aquaculture at UHI Shetland while working…

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Nova 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…

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