Brexit ‘costs industry up to £100m a year’, Salmon Scotland chief says

Brexit has cost Scotland up to £100m each year in “lost” salmon exports, according to the industry body, Salmon Scotland. That’s what the organisation’s Chief Executive, Tavish Scott, will be telling MSPs in the Scottish Parliament today. He will be addressing MSPs on the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee as part of their…

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Plans to blow up islets to build large post-smolt facility

A row is brewing over plans for a new post-smolt facility in the north of Norway – which will involve blowing up two small islands to make space for the construction. The company behind the project is Gaia Salmon, which plans to produce between 8,000 and 10,000 tonnes of post-smolts weighing up to 800 grams…

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Grant helps novel sea lice vaccine research to next step

A small sea louse from a salmon river

Hopes for an effective vaccine against sea lice have been boosted with the news of a grant that is helping research into a further stage. Partners from the University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture, AQUATRECK Animal Health SL and Moredun Scientific have been awarded almost £50,000 from the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC), after the…

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Now Norwegians changing minds on fish farming

Round fish farm pens in blue sea, mountains on horizon

Norwegians are becoming increasingly negative about salmon farming, according to new polling. The survey was carried out by Norwegian broadcaster NRK public radio and follows a series of reports about large salmon death numbers from various biological issues. But the industry organisation Seafood Norway believes that views would be different if there were more positive…

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Better news on escaped fish numbers

wild salmon leaping upstream

Fewer escaped salmon are getting into Norwegian rivers, according to the latest annual survey. OURO, the aquaculture industry’s association for dealing with escaped farmed fish says that fewer of these salmon  migrated up the rivers in 2023 than in previous years.  It adds: “This is positive because fewer escaped fish in waterways before spawning reduces the…

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Arctic Fish granted licence renewal for two sites

The Icelandic Food Agency, MAST, has renewed the operating licence of Arctic Sea Farm, a subsidiary of Arctic Fish, at two key sites. The decision allows for up to 7,800 tonnes of salmon.  The sites are at Patreksfjord and Tálknafjörður in the Westfjords region of the country. Arctic Fish, which is majority owned by Mowi,…

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Data will drive the fish farm of the future

As technological advancements continue and costs become more accessible, how are traditional and modern fisheries adopting data-driven approaches and intelligent systems into their production processes? This will be one of the key themes at the Blue Food Innovation Summit, taking place in London on May 21-22. Leveraging data, automation, and cutting-edge tech like IoT, Big…

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Now Cermaq is forced to cull 900,000 young salmon

Cermaq has become the latest large Norwegian salmon company to be hit by a major biological issue. The company said yesterday it has been forced to cull 900,000 fish with wounds in six cages at its facility near Hammerfest. The fish weigh around 500 grammes on average. Earlier this week the Lerøy Seafood group reported…

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60-year salmon study helps understand a species under threat

The most detailed long-term study ever carried out of Atlantic salmon in a Scottish river valley has yielded valuable insights, say researchers at the University of Aberdeen. The data covers six decades’ worth of data on salmon populations and river conditions in Girnock Burn, Royal Deeside. Atlantic salmon have long been identified as a threatened…

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