‘Momentous’ fish health plan will grow industry

THE Scottish government is to work in tandem with the country’s fish farmers to address health challenges and help the industry grow sustainably, rural affairs minister Fergus Ewing announced this morning. As he opened the Aquaculture UK exhibition in Aviemore, he unveiled a ‘momentous’ ten-year Farmed Fish Health Framework, that aims to not only enable…

Read More

Welfare award for MH's Steve Bracken

MARINE Harvest Scotland’s longest serving employee, Steve Bracken, was thanked for his commitment to fish welfare at a special presentation in Fort William yesterday. Two members of the RSPCA Assured scheme (formerly known as Freedom Food) surprised Bracken, Marine Harvest’s business support manager, when they arrived at the company’s Stob Ban office to make the…

Read More

Volumes down, costs up for MH Scotland

MARINE Harvest Scotland’s harvest volumes in the first quarter of 2017 were down significantly on the same period last year, according to the company’s Q1 report, published yesterday. The first quarter harvest volume was 8,691 tonnes gutted weight, a decrease from the corresponding quarter in 2017 (17,772 tonnes). This was due to a lower opening…

Read More

Machrihanish milestone as farmed wrasse spawn

A MAJOR milestone in wrasse culture has been reached at the Marine Harvest hatchery in Machrihanish, with the first spawning of farmed fish. Andrew Davie, of the Institute of Aquaculture, who has spearheaded wrasse research in collaboration with the Marine Harvest site, along with the company’s Paul Featherstone and Lindsay Sherriff, said on Twitter yesterday: ‘It has taken…

Read More

Minister fights for farmers

SCOTLAND’S rural affairs minister, Fergus Ewing, repeated his determination to see the country’s salmon farming industry meet its growth targets, as he answered questions from MSPs in the final session of their investigation into the sector. Ewing said: ‘I’m a very strong and public advocate for the sector in Scotland,’ acknowledging that it had come…

Read More

Salmon farming's future: bigger, offshore sites

By Vince McDonagh THERE is now a strong case for accelerating the relocation of older, sheltered Scottish fish farms to larger and more open coastal locations. That was one of the main developments from today’s session of the Scottish parliament’s Rural Economy and Connectivity (REC) committee inquiry into salmon farming. The two-hour long hearing at Holyrood, which was…

Read More

MSPs visit salmon farm as part of inquiry

A GROUP of MSPs from the Rural Economy and Connectivity committee visited salmon farming operations on the west coast yesterday, as part of an ongoing inquiry into the industry in Scotland. The five politicians also met anglers during the day-long tour, and heard about the ground-breaking work of a hatchery using genetic profiling to restock…

Read More

Scottish salmon standards ‘very high’, MSPs told

By Vince McDonagh A STRONG defence of Scotland’s record on the regulation of its aquaculture industry was put up by the team giving evidence at the Rural Economy and Connectivity (REC) committee at Holyrood yesterday. The committee, which is investigating the salmon farming sector, was told by the convenor, Highlands and Islands MPS Edward Mountain (Con),…

Read More

Minister champions salmon sector’s growth

SCOTLAND’S salmon farmers were given wholehearted backing by rural affairs minister Fergus Ewing last night as he championed their plans for growth. Seafood is very important to Scotland and food and drink are the most rapidly growing sector of the economy. Scottish salmon was worth £600 million in exports last year, said Ewing, Cabinet Secretary…

Read More

Students 'must be good communicators'

YOUNG scientists need to communicate their research to a wider audience, a PhD conference in Stirling heard yesterday. Students were given a platform to do just that at the Institute of Aquaculture (IoA), showcasing the results of several years’ study in front of their teachers, peers, and industry guests. ‘You should know how to say…

Read More