Fish Farmer January 2024 by Fish Farmer Magazine

Fish Farmer

JANUARY 2024

FEED

E x pert predictions f or the coming year

IN THE ZONE SEPA unveils its new sea lice regime

Shrimp

W hite spot health warning f or f armers

Northern Isles Investment in Orkney and Shetland

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08/01/2024 12:48:32

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WELCOME

Editor’s welcome

AY you live in interesting times – that’s seen by some as a curse, but in 2024 it looks more like a simple statement of fact. These are indeed interesting times for aquaculture. In Scotland, this year sees the roll-out of both the new Wild Salmon Protection Zones regime – as detailed on page 28 of this issue – and a trial of the new streamlined consenting process as recommended in the Griggs Report. The new consenting process will be trialled in Shetland and also in this issue, we give some reasons as to why the Northern Isles – Orkney and Shetland – are a key focus for Scotland’s fish farming sector right now. Also in January’s magazine, you can find out why bluefin tuna – also known as mackerel sturgeon – are causing headaches for fish farmers in Norway and why a Grimsby-based project could become the UK’s biggest single salmon farm. We round up the latest developments in fish health and welfare, and feed and feeding systems, and also look at a warning that shrimp farmers could be relying on a test for white spot syndrome that could leave their stocks vulnerable. Nicki Holmyard reports on a conference held by the Fishmongers’ Company in London on the future role of low-trophic aquaculture and Sandy Neil profiles a Scottish seaweed company that is looking to preserve marine habitat for wild trout and salmon. Eugene Gerden provides an update in fish farming in the Netherlands and an article from Cermaq’s Henrik Duesund and Stockholm University’s Dr Patrik Henriksson explains what is being done to help prevent the spread of antimicrobial resistance. Your January Fish Farmer also features Proximar’s land-based salmon farm in Oyama, Japan and new technology developed by Norwegian research institute SINTEF to create an implant that can tell us more about salmon health – from inside the fish. On behalf of my colleagues, I hope you enjoy this issue of Fish Farmer and I wish you all the best for a happy and successful 2024. Best wishes Robert Outram

Robert Outram Serving worldwide aquaculture since 1977 Meet the team Editorial advisory board: S t e ve B r a ck e n, H e r vé M i g a u d , J i m T r e a s u r e r , C hr i s M i t che l l a nd J a s on C l e a ve r s m i t h Editor: R ob e r t O u t r a m Designer: And r e w B a l a hu r a C om m ercial M anager: J a ni ce J ohns t on hns n fish e g ine O ce Administrator: F i ona R ob e r t s on e s n fish e g ine P ublisher: lis e enne C over: Feeding fish Photo: Loch Duart Ltd

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CONTENTS

In the January issue... News

6-18 THE LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS

Processing news

20-21 PROCESSING UPDATE

Comment 22-23 CARP Martin Jaffa

Salmon Scotland

24-25 THE ‘BUSINESS RESET’ Tavish Scott

Shellfish

26-27 LOW-TROPHIC AQUACULTURE Nicki Holmyard

Sea farming

28-29 SEPA PROTECTION ZONES 30-31 ORKNEY AND SHETLAND

Norway

32-33 BLUEFIN TUNA ATTACKS

Land-based farming 34-37 GRIMSBY RAS PROJECT

Seaweed

38-39 SAVING KELP FORESTS Sandy Neil

Shrimp

40-41 TESTING FOR WHITE SPOT DISEASE

Netherlands

42-43 PROSPECTS FOR GROWTH Eugene Gerden

Opinion – Cermaq

44-45 ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE Henrik Duesund and Dr Patrik Henriksson

Technology

46-47 SINTEF’S SENSOR IMPLANT

32 40

Fish health and welfare 48-53 NEWS ROUNDUP

Feed and feeding systems

54-60 OUTLOOK FOR FEED PRICES Fiona Nicolson

What’s new

61 PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Industry diary 65 WHAT’S ON

Opinion

66 THE NATION’S FAVOURITE FISH Nick Joy 4

CLIENT CONTENT Moredun Scientific 50 SALMON GILL HEALTH Wings ICT Solutions 51 IOT AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Masterflex Group 52-53 FUTURE OF FISH TRANSPORTATION AquaSource directory 62-63 FIND EVERYTHING YOU NEED

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UNITED KINGDOM NEWS

United Kingdom news

Entries open for top industry awards

Above: The 2023 winners

ENTRIES are now open for the Aquaculture Awards 2024. The awards are a glittering celebration of all the hard work of individuals, businesses and projects who work tirelessly to keep the aquaculture industry moving forwards. The winners will be announced at a gala dinner on Wednesday 15 May 2024 at the Macdonald Aviemore Resort, Scotland, as part of the Aquaculture UK trade show. There are 13 categories in this year’s awards: • Rising Star • Collaboration • Innovation • Sustainability • Community Initiative • Farmer of the Year • Animal Welfare • Aquaculture Supplier of the Year

• Best New Start-Up • Best Producer of the Year • Unsung Hero • Outstanding Contribution • Judges’ Special Recognition The winners will be chosen by a panel of expert judges: Heather Jones, Chief Executive of the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre; Nicki Holmyard of Offshore Shellﬁsh td avid ittle, eputy irector, nstitute of Aquaculture at the University of Stirling; journalist Jenny Hjul; and Malcolm Johnstone, independent aquaculture auditor/consultant. Submit your entry before Monday 12 February for your chance to get the recognition your teams deserve.To enter or to find out more, visit aquacultureawards.com/enter-the-awards

Scottish Sea Farms’ accounts for 2022 reveal the cost of biological challenges

THE 2022 audited accounts for salmon producer Scottish Sea Farms, published last month, show a “year of two halves” – profit margins were slashed, thanks to fish health problems in the autumn and winter. Scottish Sea Farms, also known as Norskott Havbruk, is jointly owned by Norwegian salmon giants SalMar and Lerøy. Group turnover from continuing

operations in 2022 totalled £263.38m, up 35% from 2021’s £195.23m. Profit, however, was down 34% to £14.84m and the group’s profit margin was slashed from 11% in 2021 to just 3% last year. The report says: “In late Q3 and into Q4, we have experienced biological challenges, mainly from jellyfish and gill health, resulting in the early harvest of small expensive

fish as well as increased costs of mortality.” Grieg Seafood’s former Shetland assets were also integrated in 2022, which Scottish Sea Farms acquitted in December 2021 along with Grieg’s Skye sites. These were sold to salmon farmer Loch Duart, making £11.7m for Scottish Sea Farms. The statement of profit and loss for Scottish Sea Farms in 2022 shows that the cost of sales increased by 47% year on year, to £233.5m. Smolt input for 2022 hit a record for the group, with 13 million smolts put to sea from Barcaldine (pictured) and the newly acquired site at Girlsta, Shetland. Emoluments for the highest-paid director, presumably Managing Director Jim Gallagher, totalled £810,000 (2021: £566,000).

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08/01/2024 14:49:30

Cooke’s Scotland arm deploys a third hybrid barge COOKE Aquaculture Scotland has e o e its ﬁrst h ri fee arge in Shetland, in a move which the company sa s wi f rther re ce its car on foot rint. he new h ri iese e ectric s stem it jor aritime for the o ister sa mon farm site in e het an is the thir to e im emente oo e cot an in its commitment to s staina i it fo owing s ccessf res ts from re io s insta ations at r ne sites in i a tronsa an estness. n oo e re iewe arge ower to e ore a ternati e so rces of ower supply to the company’s seawater sites in r ne an het an . he h ri s stem re ces f e cons m tion an car on io i e emissions an e ten s the ife of the generator an e i ment sing the resi a ca acit from the generator to charge the atteries. he a i iar iese generator fee s e ectricit to the rest of the faci it . on the atteries eing f charge the generator sto s an the h ri s stem o erates the fee arge. na ho r erio the o ister arge can gain to ho rs of r nning time

from the atteries a one an on re ies on fo r to si ho rs of ower from the arge engine. rno rown oo e s ite anager for Copister, said: “Here at sea, we raise our ﬁsh with care an that inc es ens ring we are sing the atest techno og to fee them s staina . e was one of si is an s chosen as art of the cottish o ernment s ar on e tra s an s scheme an h ri arges wi contri te its am ition to ma e the who e co ntr net zero .

Top: Bxxx Above: Copister hybrid feed barge

Salmon Scotland calls for more investment in rural housing

Above: Tavish Scott

THE trade group Salmon Scotland is calling for £10m raised each year in licence fees – paid to Crown Estate Scotland – to be reinvested in affordable housing to tackle the growing property crisis in rural communities. Tavish Scott, Chief Executive of Salmon Scotland, said: “The Scottish salmon sector employs thousands of people in our most fragile coastal communities... one of the greatest risks to this way of life is the lack of affordable housing. That is why we’ve been calling on the Scottish Government to ringfence around £10m of the rent, which Crown Estate Scotland receives from salmon farmers to provide housing that enables local

te e rns anaging irector for jor aritime sai oo e has anima we fare an en ironmenta s staina i it at the heart of its sa mon production, and we are honoured to e chosen to artner with their commitment to ow im act farming. r h ri techno og an s stems monitoring atform wi ens re that oo e ea s the wa in car on foot rint re ction. oo e ac t re cot an is the argest ro cer of organic cottish sa mon.

working-age people to live and work in the towns and villages they grew up in.” A spokesperson for Crown Estate Scotland commented: “The seabed is a shared, public space and, like many multinational businesses, salmon farmers pay to use it for their commercial purposes. Crown Estate Scotland then passes profits to the Scottish Government and ministers decide how that money is used. “Since 2017, around £40m of Crown Estate Scotland profits have been passed by Scottish Government to coastal local authorities to support community-led initiatives, economic regeneration... and more. This funding is in addition to money distributed directly by Crown Estate Scotland... to help with a range of initiatives, which in the past three years has included support for affordable rented housing for older people in Orkney, low-cost housing for health and social care workers in Arran, and of six fuel-efficient affordable homes in Skye.”

Fish health webinar

cot an s sa mon farming in str saw a high e e of morta ities which too a hea to on har est n m ers rofits an the re tation of the sector. On Wednesday 24 January at . am Fish Farmer magazine wi e hosting a ane of e erts to isc ss fish hea th iss es in the first a gen a we inar. he isc ssion wi co er the essons that ha e een earnt what the o tcomes oo e i e in an what the ros ects are for etter fish hea th an s r i a rates in f t re. ience mem ers wi ha e the o ort nit to fie estions for the ane . ane mem ers are confirme as onnie o tar ea of eterinar er ices at cottish ea arms har es an ea of the ish ea th ns ectorate an ain erri ea of echnica at a mon cot an . o register for this free we inar isit it. fish hea th we

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08/01/2024 14:50:07

UNITED KINGDOM NEWS

SEPA to go ahead with wild salmon protection zones PROPOSALS for a new framework designed to protect wild salmon against sea lice are to go ahead, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has confirmed. SEPA has published its response following a consultation exercise last year, in which it set out details of how wild salmon protection zones will operate. Based around bottleneck areas for migrating young wild salmon entering the ocean from Scottish rivers and lochs, the zones will impose restrictions on proposals for new or expanded fish farms, and will also require closer monitoring of sea lice numbers at existing farms. The proposals, which are based on modelling by SEPA’s experts that is far from universally accepted, have not proved popular with the industry. SEPA has set out the timetable for imposing the new regulations, however. The rules covering applications for new or expanded farms take effect from February this year and new reporting requirements for existing farms will be imposed from March. From March 2025, sea lice limit conditions reflecting current performance will apply to existing, higher relative risk farms. • See Mapping out the lice threat, page 28.

Mowi Scotland revenues up but profits down

MOWI Scotland has reported a 3.74% rise in turnover to £443.3m last year – but there was a so a arge ro in rofits. The latest accounts for the Scottish arm of the world’s largest farmed salmon producer for 2022 have just been published. he o erating rofit was £27m against £54m in 2021 an the rofit efore ta ation came out 50.85% lower at £26.1m against £53.1m 12 months earlier. Mowi Scotland said the decrease was predominately due to higher mortalities and the results of salmonid rickettsial septicaemia and micro je fish ooms. Mowi operates in some 50 locations around Scotland, consisting of smolt hatcheries, fresh and sea water farms,

primary processing units and various other facilities connected with salmon farming. The company said production o mes o er the ast fi e ears have varied between 57,000 and 73,000 tonnes, depending mainly on the production cycle of biomass in the sea and biological performance. With total Scottish production of 156,000 tonnes and 205,000 tonnes over that period, Mowi was the biggest player in Scotland, with a market share of around 30%. The report said that the financia erformance of Mowi Scotland has been “satisfactory” and these positive market trends should continue with increased consumer demand for seafood as a source of protein. But while the turnover in 2022 was higher than in the previous year, there had been a 10.1% decrease in harvest volume due to higher mortalities, the salmonid rickettsial septicaemia o t rea an je fish iss es.

Salmon continuing to boost Scottish economy THE Scottish aquaculture sector’s direct economic contribution is now approaching the half a billion pounds mark, a new Scottish government report has disclosed. The Scottish government’s marine economy statistics for 2021 (published in December 2023) says it has increased by 154% to £472m over a decade, conﬁrming the ita ro e of Scottish salmon, which makes up 96% of the sector. Bouncing back from Covid, the gross value added rose 30% from £362m between 2020 and 2021, according to the report, while employment has risen 20% over the decade.

The entire marine economy generated £4.5bn in 2021, which is still dominated by oil and gas (£1.88bn), although this industry has decreased by 37% over the decade. This is followed by the marine tourism sector (£494m) and then aquaculture, while fishing contri te m to the Scottish economy and shipbuilding generated £403m. he fig res for the sa mon sector do not include the wider supply chain, which also adds hundreds of millions of pounds to the Scottish economy. There are around 2,500 direct jobs in Scottish salmon and around 10,000 jobs connected to the sector. Tavish Scott, Chief Executive of Salmon Scotland, said: “The hard work of Scotland’s salmon farmers in the Highlands and Islands directly generates £1.3m every day for Scotland’s economy, fuelled by increasing eman for o r n tritio s fish at home and abroad."

SAIC set to fund seven more aquaculture projects THE Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) is supporting further research into fish health and wellbeing initiatives in 2024, with seven successful projects set to benefit from its most recent funding call. With a combined total value of more than £860,000, the funded research and development (R&D) projects have secured more than £300,000 from SAIC with additional support being provided by commercial partners. Research will kick off in early January, with each group targeting a summer completion date. Included among the successful initiatives are projects focused on gill health in Atlantic salmon, parasite management, cleaner fish health and welfare, and managing or preventing disease through immunisation and vaccinations. A number of the projects selected for funding are extensions of previous research supported by SAIC, with teams applying for a funding boost to take concepts to the next stage. The innovation centre’s team of experts as well as its independent scientific panel assessed the seven applications.

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08/01/2024 14:52:08

Mowi goes greener with locally sourced pallets SALMON producer Mowi has managed to reduce its carbon footprint by switching to local producers for the pallets used at its agshi ro ction faci it ar hor. nn a tonnes of fresh sa mon is chi e ac e an shi e thro gho t the an a roa from ar hor on tim er a ets. owi a roache cott a ets art of the ro to he come a new a roach. his e to a s ccessf co a oration with im er which insta e a a et ro ction ine at ar hor. ow owi s a ets are not j st eing man fact re in cot an but the timber is also being grown there too – enabling Mowi to eneﬁt from a sec re oca s of tim er. his has he e to so e the cha enge of ens ring a contin o s re ia e s

of sustainable timber pallets to this remote ocation. rom see to ﬁnishe a et the materia s and labour involved are all within the north west of cot an . his sa es on the transportation of timber to a separate man fact ring site an again to owi s rocessing faci it . owi estimates a sa ing of mi es for one oa of a ets. ring the co rse of a ear with a ets se this e ates to ro gh tonnes of emissions sa e . a ing a re ia e so rce of a ets in s ch c ose ro imit owi sai means that the com an no onger nee s to or er a f oa of pallets and store them but can call off smaller quantities as and when the are re ire .

Scottish Greens slate their own government over pace of reform THE Scottish Greens have written to the Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon, calling for urgent talks on tackling problems in Scotland’s under-fire salmon farming industry. The Scottish Greens have previously called for a moratorium on salmon farm expansions and, in the long term, for a transition away from open net pen farming at sea. The party has, however, agreed to work with the Scottish Government and industry on improvements as part of its power sharing agreement with the Scottish National Party, which has publicly committed to supporting sustainable growth for the aquaculture sector. Green Party ministers are currently part of the Scottish Government. Rural Affairs spokesperson Ariane Burgess MSP says communities and environmental campaigners are becoming more and more

frustrated with what they see as a lack of progress. In her letter, she says: “I am writing to express the Scottish Green Parliamentary Group’s strong concern about the slow pace of reform of the fish farming industry. This is an important issue for our party members, constituents and environmental NGOs, and is a growing concern for the public. “I trust that we can work together to deliver urgent, meaningful action required to address the environmental impacts of the industry and reduce fish farmed deaths, disease and suffering.” The letter specifically calls for the following actions: • Include a spatial plan for fish farming in National Marine Plan 2. • Remove the aquaculture industry’s exemption from the National Planning

Above: Ariane Burgess

Framework 4 requirement on developments to conserve, restore and enhance biodiversity and fully mitigate negative impacts. • Commit to applying SEPA’s risk-based sea lice framework to all fish farms from the date of its implementation. • Review climate risks to finfish farms around Scotland, particularly the west coast.

New categories for the Marine Innovation Awards 2024 ce e rate the th e ition of the marine trade event eawor new categories have been introduced for the ro ean ommercia arine nno ation war s s. he awar s wi e announced at an evening event on the opening day of eawor on ne . he are esigne to showcase the progress made in design and technology in the commercial marine in str . ge a ane of in str e erts the s are presented at the awards e ening. he categories are • esse esign onstr ction • arine ower ro sion • ectronic ectrica stems

here are j st two r es he e i ment ser ice roject or esse entr must have been released to mar et in the erio since the ast eawor he from to ne . . he entr m st e innovative (not simply a ro ct enhancement . Entries can be made online at seawor .com ecmas a o t and the deadline for entries is a . .

Above: The awards will be held at Seawork

• afet raining • a igation omm nication • Underwater Intervention i ing n erwater echno og • tonom • arine i ment Materials • n ironmenta enewa e nerg

• ec e

i ment

or more information emai awar s@seawor .com or hone .

• arine i i s est roject • Maritime Sustainability • o ng erson s e e o ment • aritime rofessiona of the Year • Lifetime Achievement

he th anni ersar e ition of eawor ta es ace in o tham ton from es a ne to h rs a ne with ee @ eawor ta ing ace on ne.

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08/01/2024 14:52:52

EUROPEAN NEWS

European news

Salmon rules as Norwegian seafood exports hit new annual peak in 2023

NORWAY’S seafood exports last year hit a record NOK 172bn (£13bn), with aquaculture and salmon in particular still the main driver of that achievement. Figures from the Norwegian Seafood Council show that the export value increased by NOK 20.7bn (almost £1.6bn) or 14% on 2022. Seafood remains one of Norway’s most sought-after global trade goods and has ﬁrmly established itself as the country’s second-largest export product, behind oil and gas, said Christian Chramer, Managing Director of the Seafood Council. The Norwegian kroner weakened against the euro and US dollar last

year (although it has strengthened in recent weeks) and this resulted in a solid growth in value. Chramer said: “It is the weak Norwegian krone and the general price increase in the markets that lifted the value to a record high level. “In total, the devaluation of the krone contributed to increasing the export value by almost NOK 15bn (£1.14bn) in 2023.” Farmed salmon is clearly Norway’s “ ing ﬁsh, with the country e porting 1.2 million tonnes last year. The value was NOK 122.5bn (£9.3bn), representing 71% of the total value of all seafood exports. Salmon was once again the engine of

Salmon Evolution ends the year with record biomass LAND-based fish farmer Salmon Evolution recorded an all-time high biomass of more than 2,200 tonnes as 2023 drew to a close. The Norwegian company’s latest trading update also notes that there were record harvest volumes last year. As at 31 December 2023, the company had a standing biomass of more than 2,200 tonnes (LW) and had alltime high net biomass production of 1,439 tonnes (LW) in the quarter Salmon Evolution’s plant at Indre Harøy, Norway, operates a hybrid flow-through system, which it says is a truly sustainable production process and also protects the fish against many of the pathogens associated with farming at sea. The company said biological performance has been good, with the fish displaying good appetite and monthly mortality currently at 0.4% or below. Of the harvested fish this year, 92% were assessed as superior grade, compared with an industry average of 85%. Salmon Evolution harvested a record high 1,104 tonnes (HOG) in Q4, with a tight weight concentration. Harvest volumes in the first quarter of 2024 are expected in the

Norwegian seafood exports. In 2023, Norway exported 1.2 million tonnes of salmon to a value of NOK 122.5bn, which is 71% of the total value of all seafood exports. This corresponds to 16 million meals of Norwegian salmon every single day. Aquaculture generally is riding high in Norway, making up 75% of all seafood exports measured in value and 46% in volume. Norway exported 1.3 million tonnes of seafood from aquaculture, worth a total of NOK 128.7bn (almost £10bn) in 2023. While the volume fell slightly, the value was up by 16% or 17.6bn (£1.3bn).

range of 800 to 1,000 tonnes (HOG), before increasing significantly from Q2 and onwards. Trond Håkon Schaug-Pettersen, CEO of Salmon Evolution, said: “The market backdrop going into 2024 is highly attractive, with record high salmon prices expected. Salmon Evolution is well-positioned to capitalise on this on the back of a substantial increase in harvest volumes over the coming quarters, following a fully stocked farm at Indre Harøy.”

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08/01/2024 14:59:48

Måsøval reports increased harvest – and wins compensation FAMILY-owned salmon company Måsøval has announced a higher than expected harvest for both 2023 and the final quarter of last year. It was the first of the big salmon companies to unveil Q4 details – three days into the New Year. The company harvested 7,929 tonnes in the final three months of 2023 against an expectation of 7,700 tonnes and 25,533 tonnes for the whole year against a

guidance of 24,300 tonnes. The full Q4 and 2023 details will be unveiled on 27 February. Just over three months ago, the company undertook a major reorganisation of the business, which it said was necessary to address its growing tax burden. Måsøval’s 2023 second quarter results had been disappointing, with revenues and EBIT down on the previous year. The company also received

some other good news over the Christmas holiday. It was told that it had won a claim for compensation of NOK 12.8m (not far short of £1m) against the Norwegian state for losses incurred after one of its facilities in Norway was misdiagnosed with pancreatic disease four years ago. The case went to trial in November last year and a decision was announced just before the New Year. The court ruled that the State, represented by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Fisheries, should be ordered to pay Måsøval NOK 12.8 million in compensation for loss of earnings and incurred expenses as a result of the misdiagnosis, plus accrued interest and delay interest. The company had originally claimed compensation of NOK 29.8m (£2.3m).

Icelandic police drop fish escape investigation

Above: Arctic ish farm

THE Icelandic police have dropped their investigation into fish farmer Arctic ish over a large salmon escape in August last year. An estimated ,000 fish got out in what was seen around the country as a ma or incident, with anti salmon farming factions calling on the government to ban open pen fish farming. The celandic eterinary Authority AST immediately requested an official inquiry into a possible violation of regulations after holes were found in the nets at the company’s facility in Patre sf r ur. AST said at the time that there was a possibility of an infringement, which had to be investigated. The consequences of such an inquiry can be serious, as celand’s legislation dictates that company board members could face possible fines and even imprisonment if charges are proved, whether the offence was committed intentionally or not. of investors who are joining the project ut four months on the local police, who are now.Their experience and connections will empowered to carry out such investigations, said be of great use to us in the development of they have dropped their enquiries as there was our project.” no basis for continuing with them.They said that He added: “This also shows the the release was not due to the company’s actions, in estor s faith in o r ision of wi fire o r accidental or otherwise. technology and our team.” owever, the National Association of ishing GeoSalmo said it is aiming to produce roups has called on the police to thin again, high a it sa mon with the first hase claiming the company has a case to answer. producing 7,500 tonnes, eventually building eanwhile, a company statement said “Since up 24,000 tonnes. August, we at Arctic ish have put a lot of wor Construction preparations are well into reviewing our wor ing methods, with the advanced and the planning agency has aim of minimising the ris of a smear. a rea iss e an o inion confirming “Among other things, we have decided to stop GeoSalmo’s environmental assessment using the type of feed spreaders that caused report. the hole. e are implementing a new electronic Þórðarson said a fundamental aspect of quality and maintenance system that improves the company’s preparations has involved wor practices. securing energy for the plant. “There will be increased emphasis on staff training and the implementation of lighting controls to prevent puberty early maturation has been reviewed. “ e have also created a new ob in the company, the ob of farm manager, and we have ohn unnar rinds ar oining us for that ob. e has decades of e perience in fish farming at our parent company in Norway. And we have also set up plans and secured equipment with the aim of eeping the lice load down... all these measures are aimed at minimising the environmental impact Above: eoSalmo proposed salmon farm of the activity.

Takeoff for GeoSalmo with financing completed LAND-based salmon company GeoSalmo has successfully raised ISK two billion (around £11.5 million), allowing it to move ahea soon with its arge sca e ﬁsh farm project in Iceland. he effort attracte an in entia gro of investors from across Scandinavia and northern Europe. GeoSalmo plans to build a 24,000 tonne h ri ow thro gh s stem farm at Ölfus, near Þorlákshöfn in southwest Iceland, around 35 miles from the town of Grindavik, which is currently under threat from a nearby volcano.The proposed site is well away from any active volcanic activity. The farm will have an on-site smolt facility, as well as a grow-out and processing plant. The company has already carried out an environmental and planning assessment. It has also signed a contract with the geothermal energy company Orku Náttúrunnar for 28 megawatts of electricity for the entire development of the land station and its full operation. Jens Þórðarson, Managing Director of GeoSalmo, said: “This is an important milestone for us and secures the company capital to take the next steps on its journey. “We are extremely happy with the group

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08/01/2024 15:02:37

EUROPEAN NEWS

US fund brings wellboat operators together

Above: Peter Brandal (L) and Sverre Taknes (R)

TWO leading Norwegian-based wellboat businesses – AquaShip and Intership – are set to merge following a deal that has meant both of them have been taken over by a US investment fund. American Industrial Partners Capital Fund VII, LP, an investment fund managed by American Industrial Partners (AIP), has become the majority and controlling shareholder in both AquaShip and Intership. The combined company will be led by CEO Sverre Taknes, operating from Kristiansund and Executive Chairman Ole-Peter Brandal, operating from Hareid. AIP said: “The combination brings together two complementary businesses with leading operating expertise, differentiated and high-quality assets, and technological innovation. “The combined company will benefit from significant access to capital as a result of the transaction, enabling execution of ambitious growth plans on the back of increasing demand for diversified aqua services from both new and established customers globally.” London-based investment firm Alchemy was the largest shareholder in Intership until it sold its entire stake in the transaction. AILP, with majority ownership by AMERRA, previously the largest shareholder in AquaShip, will continue as a shareholder in the combined company and will be represented on the board by the CIO of AMERRA, Craig Tashjian. Management from both companies will also continue as significant shareholders. AquaShip claims to be the only company that owns and operates vessels in all four main areas of aqua services. It operates a fleet of 28 vessels, consisting of live-fish carriers, utility vessels, harvest vessels, fish feed carriers and service vessels, with operations in Norway, Scotland, Ireland, Chile, Canada and Shetland. Intership has built one of the world’s most modern wellboat fleets and has proven to be an innovative player by bringing new and fish-friendly freshwater treatment for lice and gill diseases into the market. It is a member of industry body Salmon Scotland. Together, the combined company will have a fleet of 39 vessels and nearly 700 employees operating in Chile, the UK, Ireland, Canada and Norway. DNB Markets acted as exclusive financial adviser to AquaShip and Arctic Securities acted as exclusive financial adviser to Intership in connection with the transactions. Arkwright London LLP advised the AquaShip board. Talweg Capital has co-invested in the combined company, advised AIP in connection with the transactions and serves on the combined company’s board of directors.

Time limits on aquaculture permits ‘will create uncertainty’ THE industry group Seafood Norway has said there is no need for time limits to be imposed on aquaculture permits. Creating an expiry date for permits, it suggests, would create unnecessary uncertainty. The move has already been suggested, among others, by the county authority in Finnmark, where a lot of ﬁsh farming is carried out. But Jon Arne Grøttum, Director of Aquaculture at Seafood Norway, said: “Our short answer is that we agree with the Aquaculture Committee that a time limit on aquaculture permits should not be introduced.When we now see what is proposed, we will ag that we do not think it would be a wise element to introduce, either for existing or new company licences for salmon and trout.” He said Norway’s Aquaculture Committee did not come up with a proposal for a time limit on permits for salmon, but opened up the possibility of having it for other species. r ttum ustiﬁes the industry organisations’ point of view by saying that any regulatory interest (ground rent) is already established through auctions, production tax and ground rent tax.

Secondly, predictable framework conditions, which ensure longterm investments, are essential for development and innovation in a mature and integrated value chain. He said that if the Finnmark council proposal was taken up, it would have meant expropriation of assigned rights, for which the industry’s practitioners have paid and would be in addition to the ground rent taxes already introduced. The introduction of a time limit on new permits also raises signiﬁcant challenges with regard to predictability for the industry and how this should be practiced, says Seafood Norway’s (Sjømat Norge’s) response to the consultation. “It cannot be understated that a time limit on company licences will create uncertainty for investors and access to risk capital, which is necessary for the further development of this important industry,” he concluded.

Gigante takes big step towards production NORWEGIAN an ase fish farmer igante a mon has reache a major mi estone for its new ant with the farm s n rser oo now fi e with sea water. he com an is i ing one of orwa s most a ance recirc ating a ac t re s stem faci ities on the is an of i e n re os a in . oo ing the n rser oo is an im ortant ste towar s starting the first ro ction c c e. nctiona testing of ro ction e i ment is ongoing the com an sai with the target of re easing smo t as soon as the test erio has een com ete . igante s e ge ertsen sai he initia test r n is ositi e e er thing is wor ing as anne an we ha e not enco ntere an nforeseen cha enges. wo more ro ction nits wi e com ete ring with a fina com etion of the ant in the secon ha f of this ear.

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08/01/2024 15:05:04

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European news.indd 13

08/01/2024 10:08:09

EUROPEAN NEWS

Italian aquaculture companies facing EU fraud probe

£100 million bonus for fish farming communities

government has said it is keen to get the COASTAL comm nities that host fish farming sites are set to receive an increased we fare enefit message from its new aquaculture policy across to the public. payout of NOK 1.4bn (£103m) from the It has come under serious criticism over Norwegian Aquaculture Fund, the Oslo its salmon tax stance from some of these government has announced. communities in recent months, following The money will be used to develop job losses related to aquaculture and various welfare and social projects in investment projects put on hold. areas that are often isolated from the The Centre Party lost particularly heavily main urban centres. in these areas in September’s municipal The government says it is raising elections, largely as a result of the salmon contributions to the Aquaculture Fund tax policy. by around NOK 900m (£68m) over he a ac t re f n is arge finance the previous budget. It will go to some THREE Italian aquaculture producers are being by a production levy and from the sale of 142 municipalities and seven county investigated by the European Union for alleged new farming capacity licences. m nici a ities a in areas where fish fraud. farming operations are located. The figure involved, says the EU’s independent Fisheries and Oceans Minister Cecilie public prosecuting office, is around €4.5m Myrseth said:“With the government’s (£3.9m). The companies have not been named. action a significant art of the a e A statement from the office said: “Following creation that takes place in the aquaculture an investigation by the European Public industry will remain in the local Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Palermo and communities.” Rome, coercive measures were decreed against She added:“This is fresh money into tight three aquaculture producers, suspected of municipal budgets that will contribute committing fraud involving EU maritime and to welfare and development locally.The fisheries funds, with an estimated damage of payments are part of the social contract; €4.5m. municipalities that facilitate commercial “The suspects run a string of companies activities must be compensated for this.” operating in the aquaculture industry, with Above: Coastal village in Norway Norway’s Labour-Centre Party coalition headquarters in the province of Rome and offices in Petrosino, Rome, Guidonia and Piombino. The companies form a complete supply chain, from the breeding of fish to the a company that shares our the entire fish is utilised THE Norwegian cod farmer production of sushi for supermarkets and values of innovation and and put to good use. Ode and the innovative restaurants, serving markets throughout Italy.” business C Food Norway have sustainability.” Tor Olav Seim, Head The office alleges that the companies under Claus Opshaug, CEO and of Strategy and Business come together on a project investigation obtained around €4.5m, granted by to utilise the entire cod. founder of C Food Norway, Development and founder the regions of Sicily, Lazio and Tuscany, under said: “C Food Norway has of Ode, said: “Our ambition Ode is the world’s largest the EU’s European Maritime and Fisheries built its business model on at Ode has always been to cod producer, while C Food Fund Operational Programme between 2014 sustainable seafood products revolutionise the whitefish Norway is recognised for its and 2020, for construction and refurbishment industry, not just by producing from both wild fish and focus on sustainable seafood of production sites. aquaculture. top-quality cod but also by production and resource It adds: “However, the investigation uncovered utilisation. “The goal of the being a pioneer in sustainable a fraudulent mechanism, by which the collaboration is to be able to utilisation of marine The project involves using construction and refurbishment works were use the byproducts from Ode resources.The world needs the entire fish for human assigned to a company that belonged to the in existing and new readymore protein from the sea – consumption and involves same corporate structure as the companies cod is high in protein and now made products that C Food C Food Norway developing benefitting from the funds. According to the Norway develops. we can also utilise our entire byproducts from Ode’s cod evidence, this allowed for the costs of the project production. “We believe there is product. to be inflated and for the organisation to obtain unexploited potential in being “Through our partnership The purpose is to explore illicit profits – which were then used for ends able to use larger parts of with C Food Norway, we new, exciting markets for other than those established under the projects.” products such as cod heads, the fish for food and we loo are taking a big step forward It warns that the facts under investigation forward to working closely to realise this vision. We bac bones, swim bladders, fish could constitute criminal association for with Ode to succeed in this.” look forward to work with skin and liver – to ensure that committing aggravated fraud to obtain public C Food Norway, known financing, money laundering and fraudulent for its innovative approach transfer of funds. to seafood production and At the request of the EPPO, the judge for reduction of waste, will preliminary investigations of Tivoli ordered the through this agreement house arrest of one suspect and the requirement expand its operations to to stay in the municipality of residence for two include byproducts from others. In addition, the judge ordered a seizure the aquaculture industry. of €4.5m against six companies operated by the Both companies believe this suspects. collaboration is an example of The office stressed: “All persons concerned are how industry players can work presumed to be innocent until proven guilty.” together. Above: Tor Olav Seim (L) and Claus Opshaug (R)

Project explores using entire cod for human consumption

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08/01/2024 15:06:23

Iceland extends reform consultation deadline

Above: Svandís Svavarsdóttir

SALMON producer SalMar has admitted that it lost aro n sma fish in a “mechanical incident” at its Jovika site on the island of Senja, near Tromsø, Norway recent . he fish concerne weighed about 7g each. The loss is thought to be considerably higher than the initial estimate, when the inci ent was first isco ere . SalMar said that the accident occ rre as fish were e to be pumped from a wellboat. n m er of fish en e partly on the footpath and partly in the sea. Remedial measures were immediately implemented, including setting nets for recapture, says the report sent to the Directorate of Fisheries. The company said: “The incident was a consequence of defective installation of arriers in a fish tan in this

H eav y D uty and CO M F O R TA B L E

Above: SalMar Senja plant

case the centre strainers in the tan . he fish ha e therefore ended up in the RAS [recirculating aquaculture s stem faci it iofi ter an fish tra . It added: “We keep the Norwegian Food Safety Authority and the Directorate of Fisheries informed about a more detailed survey of the scope and causal relationships, and at the same time, together with the supplier, are making the necessary equipment adjustments to prevent something similar from happening again.”

IS O M A X

E X TR E M E

Pump error toll at Senja plant was worse than first feared, SalMar says

CO N D I TI O N S

ICELAND’S Fisheries and Food Minister Svandís Svavarsdóttir has reacted to criticism that she has not given the country’s salmon farming industry enough time to study proposals in the new aquaculture bill. Originally she had said she wanted comments by 3 January but then extended the deadline by just seven days – until 10 January. The minister (pictured) sees her plan as creating a blueprint for the future but it could be heading for a Norway-style clash with the industry, which is clearly not happy with some of the proposals.

SFS, the Icelandic Association of Fishing Companies, is saying they go against the guidelines set out in a detailed Boston Consulting Group report prepared for the Minister of Food a year ago. Boston recommended “moderate fees in a growing industry” with many opportunities along with forward-thinking for the future. But SFS says the Minister is now proposing both high and burdensome taxes on the operating companies. The government also plans to protect Eyjafjörður and Öxarfjörður, two key fjords, from open farming. “These conservation plans were not presented as part of the consultation process that took place this year,” says SFS. “And there has to date been no scientific examination of the areas to see whether they are suitable for farming.” The association says the government plans, including proposed charges, go significantly further than what has been done in other comparable countries.

R E N C H M anuf ac turer

E st. 1 9 6 4

Above: Gexx

www. g uyc otten. c om

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08/01/2024 15:09:02

WORLD NEWS

World news

Southern Chile hit by new toxic algal outbreak

Above: Blumar farm and barge

SALMON farmers in the south of Chile are battling against another large toxic algal bloom, which has already cost the sector thousands of tonnes in lost ﬁsh in the past few weeks. Losses are already approaching 3,000 tonnes in Atlantic and Coho salmon. So far, farms run by AquaChile and Blumar seem to be the hardest hit.

Blumar has said it is actively responding to the outbreak at its Victoria production site, which has around 850,000 salmon, weighing an average of 4kg. Specialist diving teams have been sent to the area. Chile’s aquaculture supervisory body Sernapesca has described mortality levels in the Reloncaví Estuary as

“massive” but says it is working hard to address the situation. The National Director of Sernapesca, Soledad Tapia, indicated that “this event has allowed us to put into practice the associated work plans, which we have prepared in recent months” with the various technical organisations. He added: “We have corroborated this in our audits by checking that the logistics of removing mortalities have been carried out according to plan. “If we compare it with contingencies from previous years, the coordination this time has been more efﬁcient, given the fulﬁlment of plans, the movement of vessels associated with the removal of mortalities and their treatment. However, we must be cautious and continue improving the procedure to be prepared for larger events that could eventually occur.” Although the outbreak has affected nine cultivation centres, 60% of the recorded mortalities are so far concentrated in just one concession.

Billionaire builds stake in Australian kingfish farmer AUSTRALIAN tech billionaire Anthony Hall has amassed a significant stake in troubled yellowtail kingfish producer Clean Seas Seafood. Hall, co-founder of medical imaging business Pro Medicus, now owns just over 11.5% of Clean Seas’ equity. Clean Seas has two brands: Spencer Gulf Kingfish for professional cooks/foodservice (pictured) and South Australian Yellowtail for consumers to cook at home. The company is listed on the Australian stock exchange ASX, but shares have slumped from a high in August of A$0.54 to A$0.26 earlier this month. The company is currently partway through a capital-raising exercise to fund the costs of downsizing, following a review, which recommended scaling down the company’s output and focusing on the premium market. Hall was the architect of the Pro Medicus software system

and remains the company’s Technical Director. Reports suggest he has so far invested an estimated A$6m (£3.13m) in Clean Seas. Hall also owns a controlling stake in Australian shellfish farmer Yumbah Aquaculture.

Proximar’s salmon reach first post-smolt grow-out stage

PROXIMAR Seafood AS has just announced that the ﬁrst batch of Atlantic salmon has been successfully transferred from the nursery department to the post-smolt grow-out facility. The ﬁsh will be harvested at the

company’s Oyama facility near Mount Fuji during the third quarter of 2024. Chief perating fficer harma Rajeswaran said: “It is a great milestone to finally initiate operations in the PSG facility. We have been waiting with excitement for this day and I am pleased to see that the move into the new building has been successful. “Our team has done a fantastic job in preparing for this transfer.” The company said that following the completion of construction works in September, installation and testing of the recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) equipment has progressed swiftly in the first module of the post smolt

grow-out facility. The grow-out building has been prepared to receive the first batches in accordance with the schedule. Installation of RAS equipment in the remaining three modules will continue in the coming months, aligned with the required capacity and production plan. The fish now transferred were brought into Proximar’s hatchery in 2022. Since then, they have been through the first feeding and nursery department, before being smoltified and transferred to the first operational module in the PSG. Left: Proximar nursery, Oyama

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08/01/2024 15:13:29

Canadian capital pulls antisalmon farming advertisements

Photo: Oviphagy

ANTI-salmon farming billboards around Ottawa have been removed following a complaint from the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance, which says the posters contained false claims. The statements included claims from the eco-activist group Wild First, stating that: “Open-net pen salmon farms are banned in Washington, Oregon, California and Alaska.” The advertisements called on the Canadian capital to “remove all salmon farms from British Columbia waters.” A letter of complaint was filed by the Alliance (CAIA), which it says provides clear evidence that the farming of finfish (including salmon) is not banned in California, Oregon or Washington. In Alaska, net pens are commonly used to raise salmon for commercial purposes, with the fish being released into the ocean to be caught by the Alaskan fishing fleet (pictured is the Wally Noerenberg fish hatchery, Esther Island, Alaska). Tim Kennedy, CAIA President and CEO, said: “In an age of misinformation, we are pleased that the right thing happened – false ads that did not stand up to the truth test were removed. “Activists with deep pockets who don’t live or work where our salmon farmers live and work are trying to drive policy decisions in Ottawa that would cancel people’s livelihoods using a storyline based old data and false information.”

In FEBRUARY:

• Waste Management and the Circular Economy • Sea Lice • Sea Farming • Land based Farming & Hatcheries • he ﬁsh • Seaweed Farming • Processing News For more information on opportunities for advertising with editorial content around these subjects please contact: Janice Johnston 0044 (0) 131 551 7925 jjohnston@ﬁshfarmermagazine.com Copy deadline - Friday 26 January

Fish Farmer

Above: Wally Noerenberg fish hatchery, Esther Island, Alaska

China overtaking Japan in salmon consumption CHINA has taken over from Japan as the leading Asian market for Norwegian salmon, new data shows. So far this year, Norway’s salmon farmers have sold 60% more salmon to China than over the same time before the pandemic. The Norwegian Seafood Council says:“When such things happen, it is important to be on the ball. “We must maintain our market share and get the Chinese to associate Norwegian

COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE...

seafood with quality, safety and good taste. Andreas Thorud, Seafood Council’s envoy in China (who is leaving for a commercial salmon industry post), has, together with several Norwegian e orters roﬁ e orwegian seafood at China Fisheries & Seafood Expo in Qingdao and China International Import Expo in Shanghai. He said:“China is an extremely exciting country at the moment, which is why we have been keen to showcase seafood of Norwegian origin at these large fairs. Thorud believes trade fair participation and PR exposure are important, especially because of China’s focus on the health of its population, which is also part of the government’s “Healthy China 2030” goals.

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08/01/2024 15:16:23

WORLD NEWS

Still no agreement on Nova Austral debt crisis

Above: Nova Austral crew

THE long-running saga over the troubled Chilean salmon farmer Nova Austral is dragging on into the New Year. It had been hoped a rescue package could be reached in December, but the creditors again rejected various proposals in a revised reorganisation agreement ﬁled with a court in Chile. This is the sixth time since the summer that a chance to save the business has been delayed. According to an Oslo Stock Exchange announcement, creditors agreed

to give the company the opportunity to ﬁle a further revised draft. At the time of going to press, it was expected the creditors may get to vote on the proposals on 10 January. Nova Austral is reported to be around US $500m in debt, with the company blaming a “series of factors and exceptional situations” that prevented normal development. The business employs more than 800 people directly and provides more than 2,000 in indirect activities, such as transport and the servicing and support of its sites. Failure to agree a rescue plan would have a huge social impact on the area of southern Chile where the company operates. Earlier, trade unions representing workers at the troubled company sent a message to the Chilean government pleading not to let the business go under. In a letter to the Chilean President Gabriel Boric, the unions pleaded for his government to remove some of the sanctions placed against the company earlier in the year. The workers said that some of the sanctions placed on the company were disproportionate, excessive and unfair, and contradict what some members of the government have said to the company and some of the staff. They told the President it is important not to punish the company, because thousands of people would be affected if it is allowed to go under.

Cooke Seafood appoints new US Public Affairs Director COOKE Seafood has appointed Steven Hedlund from the Global Seafood Alliance as its new Director of Public Affairs in the United States. Mr Hedlund (pictured) is an experienced leader in seafood communications, public affairs, event management and media relations. He joins family-owned Cooke from his most recent role as spokesperson for the Global Seafood Alliance and Best Aquaculture Practices, the world’s largest aquaculture certiﬁcation programme. “We are thrilled to welcome Steven to Cooke Aquaculture USA in Maine,” said Joel Richardson, Vice President of Public Relations at Cooke Inc. “He brings an impressive set of skills from decades of experience in the seafood industry. He is passionate about environmentally sustainable seafood production, promoting the beneﬁts of aquaculture in the local food system and preserving Maine’s heritage of a vibrant

New England at fine grocers. working waterfront.” Mr Hedlund will also work Mr Hedlund will work with the Maine Aquaculture collaboratively with fellow Cooke Association, the lead trade employees, area residents group connecting fishing and stakeholders on various and aquaculture seafood municipal, state and federal communities, which contributes policy and opportunities to more than US $3.2bn (£2.53bn) support the company’s growing a year to the Maine economy. workforce, local marine supply In addition, he will support chain. He also aims to maximise Cooke’s membership in the social and economic benefits of the National Aquaculture Association, Maine salmon aquaculture industry. Above: Steven Hedlund which provides a national voice As the only ocean-raised Atlantic for aquaculture that ensures its sustainability, salmon producer in America, Cooke Aquaculture protects its profitability and encourages USA said it is proud to be a major employer of environmentally responsible development. more than 200 people in Maine. Hedlund said: “I am excited to be joining Cooke Since 2004, the company has operated certified at a time when US fishermen and fish farmers freshwater hatcheries, a processing plant and are working hard to help meet our country’s saltwater farms. Cooke’s Atlantic salmon raised growing seafood demand.” in Maine without antibiotics is available across

Cermaq Canada replies to herring bycatch claims CERMAQ Canada has replied to official reports that thousands of herring were killed in a mechanical delousing operation in British Columbia in 2022. The company said that while incidental catch of wild fish associated with Cermaq salmon farms has typically been low, it did report an unfortunate rise in wild Pacific herring in 2022 at its farms on the west coast of Vancouver Island. “This was identified as an area that required immediate and effective action from our company, led by the oversight and objectives of our indigenous partners,” Cermaq said. The Canadian media carried reports of the incident during December 2023, with conservation groups sounding alarm bells. But it appears that herring numbers rose far higher than expected last year. Cermaq Canada said it has worked collaboratively with the Ahousaht First

Nation to address this incident to great effect. As a result, incidental Paciﬁc herring catch in 2023 has seen a 94.6% reduction over 2022. The company adds: “It has been disappointing to see this incident brought into an unbalanced media spotlight – which omitted the positive results of 2023 – almost two years after it was reported to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which is a requirement under our Conditions of License, as well as immediately reported to the Ahousaht First Nation in whose territory we operate.” Cermaq Canada said it is committed to area-based management, innovation and technology adoption across our operations, both as a part of our business model but more importantly, as a part of their protocol agreement with Ahousaht First Nation. “This agreement includes strict environmental standards,” says Cermaq.

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08/01/2024 15:17:48

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08/01/2024 10:13:30 10/07/2023 10:46:39

Processing news

PROCESSING NEWS

Smoked salmon back on European menus, says Norwegian Seafood Council

Above: Smoked salmon bagels

SMOKED salmon is now making a comeback in many European markets after sales dropped off during the pandemic, says the Norwegian Seafood Council in its analysis for statistics for November 2023. Poland leads the way, as the largest processing market for Norwegian salmon, both fresh and cured. Seafood Council analyst Paul T Aandahl said: “After the pandemic,

we saw a fall in home consumption of smoked salmon in Europe. Now we are again seeing volume growth in several of the major countries in Europe.” November was also a good month for farmed trout exports, with volume sales growing by 31% to 6,397 tonnes. The November value increased by 25% to NOK 561m (£41m), with Ukraine, the United States and Lithuania the main markets.

In fact, war-ravaged Ukraine was the largest single market that month, with an increase in export value of NOK 54m (almost £4m) or 171% compared to a year ago. Aandahl said: “This is the first time since the war started that Ukraine became our biggest market for trout. “Salmon is also popular and together with trout, Ukraine is Norway’s 15th largest salmon fish market in November, with a total export value of NOK 209m (£15m). This is an increase of 44% compared to November last year.” Farmed cod sales, which barely showed up on the export radar a couple of years ago, continue to make progress. Exports in volume terms rose by 93% on November 2022 to 960 tonnes, which was worth NOK 56m (just over £4m). This represents 39% of the value of all fresh cod exports in November, said seafood analyst Eivind Hestvik Brækkan at the Norwegian Seafood Council.

Now we are again seeing “voume growth in several of the major countries ”

Seafood Scotland hires international marketing professional SEAFOOD Scotland, the national trade and marketing body for Scottish seafood, has recruited an experienced, bilingual export marketing professional to further develop its networks in key European markets. French national Marie-Anne Omne has been appointed Head of Trade Marketing (Europe), based in Edinburgh. She joins from the Paris office of the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service, where she was a policy adviser with responsibility for developing exporting opportunities. Previously, Omnes spent almost six years with Scottish Development International, latterly as Food & Drink InMarket Specialist, also based in Paris. She has a Master’s degree in business management. Donna Fordyce, Chief Executive of Seafood Scotland, said: “France, Italy and Spain are three vital export markets for us, with other countries also showing a great deal of interest. Marie-Anne’s in-depth knowledge of continental Europe will be invaluable to us as we continue to seek out new avenues to promote premium Scottish seafood to discerning buyers.

Above: Marie-Anne Omne “Marie-Anne is already planning for events in Europe next year, including a culinary school masterclass and media lunch in Paris in January.”

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Hilton Seafood UK made a loss in 2022/23 UK-based processor and supplier Hilton Food Group’s seafood business has reported a financial loss of just under £16m for the year to 1 January 2023, but the board says the business “is progressing well with strong recovery plans.” It represents a setback for the company, however, which recorded a profit of £5.9m for the previous financial year. Hilton’s seafood arm, which trades as Hilton Seafood UK but is registered at Companies House as Seachill UK Limited, filed accounts for the 2022/23 financial year earlier this month. The report shows that the company’s turnover was down 7% to £306m. Its operating loss was £19.2m.

Above: Hilton Seafood staff The report said 2022 had been “challenging”, with the cost of living crisis, increasing interest

Stop press: Israeli company claims it can print eels

Above: 3D printed eel

ISRAELI food tech business Steakholder Foods has developed the world’s first plant-based, 3D-printed eel. The company says its process accurately replicates the complex texture of eel, achieved through precision layering and a unique combination of materials in its proprietary 3D printing technology. The “printed” eel is currently based on plant materials, and is expected to include cultivated eel cells in the future, as economies of scale allow pricecompetitive cell development. Steakholder Foods’ unique printing process enables it to significantly reduce the amount of ingredients used in its 3D printed product relative to typical plantbased alternatives, potentially positioning Steakholder Foods’ plant-based, 3D-printed eel at the forefront of the industry. The company said it is is exploring collaborations to commercialise its plant-based, printed eel by

offering them partners 3D printers and ink, capable of generating revenues in the short term. Based on Steakholder Foods’ current technology capabilities, it estimates that its partners and customers will be able to mass-produce 3D-printed eel at a competitive price range, enabling them to tackle the cost challenges linked to the global eel prices. Arik Kaufman, CEO of Steakholder Foods, said: “The launch of our printed eel marks a pivotal moment... showcasing the vast potential of our DropJet technology – Steakholder Foods’ solution for fish and seafood printing. This technology is designed to enable partners to generate products on a potential industrial scale of hundreds of tons monthly, not only at lower costs compared to wild eel, but also with the flexibility to create a variety of printed products using the same production line.”

rates and the Russia-Ukraine war to contend with, as well as energy price volatility.

The company paid no dividend for 2022/23. Hilton Seafood UK operates three factories in Grimsby and supplies major retailers, notably Tesco, with a variety of private label fish and seafood related products. The company said it is investing in automation and other efficiency improvements, and also has a new management team in place. In November, the Hilton Food Group, the seafood arm’s parent company, reported in its trading update for Q3 2023 that revenue for the group as a whole was up on the same period for 2022. The group’s trading update for 23 was expected, as this issue went to press, on 11 January.

Spray solution aims to extend salmon shelf life SCIENTISTS in Chile have developed a spray-based solution that they say can extend the safe shelf life of seafood. The technology, named FishExtend, works by coating the seafood in an edible film made entirely out of natural ingredients. This film is grown from the microbes and fungi commonly present on salmon, and keep the fish fresh longer. The film acts as an emulsion and preserves the fish in three ways: eliminating unwanted bacteria; acting as an antioxidant to preserve the pigment and appearance of the fish; and retaining moisture. FishExtend is sprayed directly on the fish. By delaying the growth of microorganisms for at least 22 days while the fish remains in its packaging, FishExtend buys time for product transport and keeps the colour, quality, pH, texture and flavour of the fish intact for several weeks. Trials suggest use of the spray can extend the shelf life of salmon fillets for up to nine days in controlled conditions, and four to six days even in less favourable conditions. The process was developed by a team at the Catholic University of Chile, led by Loreto Valenzuela, UC Professor of Engineering and Bioprocesses and Vice-Dean of UC Engineering, and her colleagues Ricardo Pérez, and Wendy Franco. It is being developed commercially by Chile-based company Innovai, a start-up in Santiago. The initiative, funded by the Fundación Copec UC and the Tech Transfer Office, has been showcased at international venues such as the Seafood Expo in Boston, where it earned the prestigious ICX international fishing industry award.

Above: FishExtend

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COMMENT

Fish, feasts and fasting Carp for the table is a niche market in the UK, writes Dr Martin Jaffa, but it has a long history

HE article in the last issue of Fish Farmer about a carp at Christmas brought back a lot of memories for me because I was involved in a major carp farming venture in the 1980s. The business was initially established by a Latvian refugee. Having made some money working in the motor trade, he decided to grow carp for the ex-Latvian community in West Yorkshire so they could follow their Eastern European traditions and eat the fish at Christmas and New Year. Willy Michaels set up Newhay Fisheries near Selby and his success attracted the attention of Warburtons bakery because of the potential of feeding their waste to the fish. I have written before about how this venture eventually failed due to the miners’ strikes of the 1980s, so I won’t repeat it again. The article mentioned that carp has never really become a staple in the UK but that is not actually true. Although not a species native to England, carp was once a fish of major importance, especially to wealthy landowners and eventually to the church. Freshwater fish were important to the Catholic religion. There were many fast days, as well as every Friday, where the eating of red meat was banned but the consumption of cold-blooded fish flesh was allowed. Fish were caught from rivers and held in stewponds (from the French word estui – meaning to store) until they were required and then could be easily caught for the table. These ponds are now mainly associated with monasteries and other large religious

communities but contrary to popular belief they never stocked carp except for a short period before the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII. The distribution of carp had expanded across Europe from their native Danube and Aral Sea with the spread of Christianity. At some point in history, monks in central Europe noticed that carp held in these ponds were breeding and so began a rudimentary form of farming. The fish made good eating and could reproduce, so carp developed a reputation for enhancing fishponds. Word spread and it seems that carp were brought to England, wrapped in wet moss (they are extremely hardy) and stocked in the fishponds belonging to a wealthy landowner in the mid-1400s. The first recorded stocking in England was by the Duke of Norfolk in 1463. Fishponds were already something of a status symbol and the addition of this fish was perceived as elevating this status to the highest possible level. Carp spread slowly through England but by the early seventeenth century, they had become well-established and had heralded a change from storing fish to farming them. In 1605, John Taverner wrote the first book in English on farming fish, titled Certaine Experiments concerning Fish and Fruites. Taverner argued that carp should be given pride of place in any fishpond. Carp was popular in England at that time but it was the onset of the Industrial Revolution that brought an end to carp farming and the consumption of freshwater fish in general. This was because sea fish became more available and could be transported quickly from the coast into the heart of rural England.

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Freshwater fish were important to the Catholic religion

Left: M i r r or ca r p Opposite from top:

M or r i s ons ca r p ; s ee e P ra g u e

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A fish for the season Carp farming in England, as in Europe, is in its basic form extremely seasonal, which is why a tradition of eating the fish at Christmas and New Year developed in Eastern Europe. Unlike modern salmon farming, carp farming has more in common with traditional agriculture. This is because it is the pond bottom that is farmed to produce a protein source on which the fish then feed. Ponds can be emptied of water and the pond bottom cultivated and fertilised with animal manure that is left to rot until spring when the pond is filled with water. Once full, the water supply is diverted away and the static water in the pond allowed to warm. The combination of warmth and nutrients promotes a rich bloom of zooplankton, at which point the young fish are introduced to feed off this nutritious natural feed. Of course, the pond can only support so many fish so higher stocking densities require supplementary feeding. Even with extra food, growth is still seasonal, with harvests occurring at the end of the

Morrisons were selling French carp at £14.99/kg for Christmas. The potential to develop carp farming to meet this demand is, therefore, minimal. This does not mean that there isn’t a market for these fish in the UK. There is a demand from the Chinese community and it is a market without competition as they want the fish live – and it is impossible to import carp live. Back in the 1980s, Newhay Fisheries could not keep up with demand from even just one Chinese wholesaler. Supplying this market requires a different approach to the type of production currently underway. year. This is why carp is associated with This is further complicated because, as the Christmas and New Year in the landlocked article in Fish Farmer points out, for smalland Catholic Eastern Europe. British scale carp farmers, there is a much more consumers, with the availability of fresh lucrative market to be had to supply large sea fish, never followed this tradition. fish for restocking. While many refugees from Eastern Europe Finally, one of the producers quoted in arrived in the UK after the Second World the last issue says that carp is a “bland” War and a second wave of immigrants fish to eat. My experience is that, when arrived with the opening of the EU, prepared properly, it is a meaty fish with demand for carp has never been huge a taste similar to veal. Unlike veal, however, and much of the demand can be met it is quite bony, which is more of an issue with imported fish, mainly from France. than the taste.

Seaeye Falcon

E M POW E R I N G World leading electric underwater robotics for Aquaculture saabseaeye.com

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08/01/2024 14:30:45

SALMON SCOTLAND

The business reset needs to be turbo-charged Salmon Scotland’s Chief Executive Tavish Scott explains the Scottish Government is saying the right things but needs to act faster

FTER replacing Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister, Humza Yousaf promised to reset the Scottish Government’s relationship with business. The wider private sector had grown increasingly frustrated with several policies emerging from St Andrew’s House, in particular the deposit return scheme and a crackdown on alcohol advertising. For our sector and our friends in the commercial fishing industry, the threat to impose Highly Protected Marine Areas also caused widespread consternation – as it did throughout rural Scotland. All three have since been shelved… for now, anyway. The reset also included measures to re-engage with businesspeople, who felt they sometimes struggled to get the ear of the previous leader. Yousaf launched the New Deal for Business Group in April 2023, to – and I quote – “help business and trade to thrive and maximise the opportunity of the green economy, with fairness at its heart”. Four main pillars have since been established, focusing on a shared awareness of the economic and business environment, developing the best environment to do business, enhanced partnership working and contribution to what has been dubbed the wellbeing economy. Of key interest to us were subgroups on regulation and business partnerships. There are some expert business voices in the group and the language from the government has been encouraging. And when I invited the Economy Secretary Neil Gray to visit DFDS Logistics in Larkhall to learn more about the salmon supply chain, he readily agreed. On his visit, Mr Gray asked a lot of good questions – and he listened. But actions matter more than words.

What the budget tells us Shortly before politics shut down for the festive recess, the Scottish Government published its draft budget for 2024/25

– the first since Yousaf won the SNP leadership contest. The scale of the challenges facing Scotland’s economy were made clear by the independent Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC). Economic growth will remain fragile in the near term with living standards not returning to their 2021/22 level until 2026/27, it warned. In news that will alarm many businesses, the SFC forecast that inflation will be higher and more persistent than anticipated last year. Employers are the key to delivering the sustainable economic growth Scotland so desperately needs. So what was the verdict on the budget from Scotland’s business leaders? It was decidedly lukewarm. A new income tax rate band for those earning more than £75,000 was introduced to partially plug the public spending deficit, causing further divergence from the rest of the UK.

This page from top: F i r s t M i ni s t e r H u m z a Y ou s a f ; F i na nce S e cr e t a r y a nd D e p u t y F i r s t M i ni s t e r S hona R ob i s on Opposite: F e r r y cr os s i ng t o H oy, O r k ne y – f e r r y f a r e s f or t he N or t he r n a nd W e s t e r n I s l e s a r e s e t t og ou p s s n ll ne e

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Employers are the key to delivering the sustainable economic growth Scotland so desperately needs

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Scotland now has the highest marginal tax in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. There are concerns that this will make it harder to recruit high-skilled workers from England and overseas. If Scotland isn’t seen as an attractive place to live and do business, that has an impact on our member companies. We also wanted to see measures for our supply chain, which is why Salmon Scotland was among the business bodies who called for a business rates freeze. Finance Secretary Shona Robison did at least listen to us – keeping the non-domestic rates poundage at 49.8p. This is, however, already high. There was also 100% rates relief for hospitality businesses in island communities, which will benefit those who rely on the salmon sector to ensure their rural premises remain open (and have been struggling with the economic disruption caused by problems on the ferries). Ferry fares for the Northern and Western Isles where we farm will rise 9.4% next year. The Glasgow to Edinburgh rail ticket rise is half that – not a consistent approach. The tourism agency and hospitality sector – both of which are important allies for us – expressed widespread disappointment in the overall package of measures. There was no rates relief for hospitality across Scotland, as there is now elsewhere in Britain, at a time when pubs in Scotland are already closing at twice the rate of those in England. And there was anger too at the lack of a long-term growth plan. Bruce Cartwright, Chief Executive at accountancy body ICAS, said: “The Scottish Government’s budget is both short-sighted and fails to drive sustained economic growth. We continue to call for a five-year roadmap for growing the economy, which would also give Scottish businesses some reassurance and stability – something we know they want to see.” Bruce hit the nail on the head: “Reassurance and stability.”

Action needed on housing For our part, we were disappointed that no measures were announced to tackle the country’s rural housing crisis. In fact, the overall budget for housing was significantly reduced, despite the emergency facing many local authorities. We have put forward a simple solution – redirect around £10m of the money our farmers pay in licence fees to Crown Estate Scotland and spend this on rural housing for everyone living in coastal communities. It wouldn’t cost the government a penny, so we will continue to campaign for this as MSPs return from their Christmas break. While the budget isn’t necessarily the place to announce more streamlined regulation, we also remain concerned that this doesn’t seem top of the agenda for ministers. In February, we reach two years since Professor Russel Griggs made his recommendations for better aquaculture regulation (accepted in full by the government) – which he said should be addressed within 12 months. As I have written before in this column, we are fortunate to have such strong support from the Scottish Government for Scottish salmon. I am extremely grateful to ministers who repeatedly stand up to promote the UK’s most popular fish and our number one export. But – just like any part of the private sector – we also need to see a business environment that encourages sustainable growth. As we enter 2024, I will continue to engage with ministers in the hope that we can make the leap from warm words to concrete action. We are also, of course, facing an election year, so it is important to engage with all political parties. Scotland’s opposition parties are working up their own economic growth strategies. I urge politicians, whatever rosette they wear, to listen to the voice of industry in the months ahead – and make Scotland a more attractive place for all our businesses.

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08/01/2024 15:31:06

SHELLFISH

Aquaculture for a thriving future

Fishmongers’ Hall in London was the venue for an event focused on low-trophic aquaculture, as Nicki Holmyard reports

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Left: C onf e r e nce s p e a k e r s , i ncl u d i ng E l e a nor Ad a m s on ( ce nt r e ) Opposite from top: Au d i e nce a t F i s hm ong e r s ’ H a l l ; S t e f á n J ó n H a f s t e i n; Al e x Ad r i a n, C r ow n E s t a t e S cot l a nd ; S a nd i e - G e ne M u i r a nd R ya n J u d e , G r e e n in n e ns e

HE Fishmongers’ Company held a highly successful conference on 30 November, which looked at how the UK can grow nature positive and economically sustainable shellfish and seaweed. The event brought together policymakers, scientists, researchers, NGOs, farmers and industry experts, with the aim of understanding how to kickstart the acceleration of the low-trophic aquaculture (LTA) industry. The event, opened by Eleanor Adamson from The Fishmongers’ Company, covered the UK’s vision for aquaculture, marine policy and blue investment, the prospects for ecological enhancement and environmental gain, market innovation and frontier thinking. It concluded with an expert panel discussion, which drew together the opportunities and challenges facing the UK’s LTA sector, and looked at how collaboration could deliver benefits for shellfish farmers, fishermen and the environment, as well as tackling

some of the structural barriers currently restricting growth in the sector. It is widely acknowledged that shellfish and seaweeds are nutritious food sources that support food security and combat malnutrition, as well as providing an impressive range of ecosystem benefits, such as nutrient uptake and carbon sequestration. However, funding is

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A high-priority action is to de-risk the industry to attract new investors

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Blue growth, green goals Caroline Price, The Crown Estate (TCE) Interim Head of Nature & Environment (Marine), explained that her organisation is committed to helping unlock the potential for blue growth in the UK. In support of this goal, work is underway to map and assess the natural capital value of the different areas of TCE seabed and foreshore, and also to understand the whole-life carbon and other social and environmental impacts associated with marine sectors. This work will inform a roadmap to guide a wholesystems approach to sustainable marine management, including delivery of the UK’s net zero and nature recovery goals. The need for a UK Green Taxonomy was explained by Ryan Jude of the Green Finance Institute. Currently, there is no official definition of which economic activities count as environmentally sustainable and there are significant data gaps related to the environmental impacts of economic activities. A Green Taxonomy would provide a dictionary of sustainable activities and support informed investment decisions, which in turn would help support the UK’s transition to a net zero and naturepositive economy. Work will start this year to develop criteria for regenerative aquaculture, with the final version submitted as advice to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Paying the farmers to protect the seas Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) is understood in the world of agriculture but has yet to be initiated for the LTA sector. Anton Immink of ThinkAqua argued that payments for ecosystem services could attract new investors and producers into the sector and encourage shellfish industry

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(Defra) for the UK Government to consult on before bringing into legislation. Five excellent presentations allowed delegates to understand the considerable potential of seaweed and shellfish to produce food, whilst enhancing the environment. These presentations covered regenerative ocean farming; ecological interactions of an offshore longline mussel farm and its conservation potential as a de facto marine protected area; biodiversity monitoring at seaweed farms; the role of oysters as ecosystem engineers; and how to optimise seaweed farming for climate change mitigation. The prospect of using Pacific oyster (Magallana gigas) as a foundation species to create soft-engineered living reefs for the protection of eroding coastlines along the coast of East Anglia was covered by Dr Michael Steinke of Essex University. Similar successful initiatives in the USA have encouraged a group of oyster farmers to apply for field trials in the UK. However, Defra currently classes Pacific oysters as invasive and has declared that there should be no expansion of or new Pacific oyster aquaculture north of 52°, which is anywhere north of a line drawn between Fishguard in Wales and Felixstowe on the east coast. Instead, Defra says the focus should be on native oyster (Ostrea edulis) regeneration, despite the fact that this species takes far longer and is more difficult to grow. Steinke argues that Magallana gigas has already naturalised in many places in the southern North Sea and beyond, and could provide a nature-based solution to protect the coastline from future erosion.

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required to explore the potential for new products derived from the base materials, alongside financial incentives and technical aid to help increase production. An international perspective was provided by the keynote speaker Stefán Jón Hafstein, Chair of the Aquatic Blue Food Coalition and Special Envoy for Ocean Affairs, Iceland. He quoted the FAO’s Blue Transformation Strategy, which estimates that a 35% growth in aquaculture is possible until 2030. However, Sustainable Development Goal 14, “Life below water”, is the least funded of the Sustainable Development Goals. Globally, aquatic blue foods are underappreciated in dialogues on nutrition, undervalued by funding agencies, governments and investors, and underrepresented among decision takers and policymakers in relation to the climate-biodiversityfood systems transformation process. He also emphasised that natural capital has become an essential part of any serious economic exercise, alongside produced capital and human capital.

growth. A higher per kilo value for bivalves could be obtained by combining PES and new markets for shell and bioproduction, alongside the basic raw product. A PES system would need to be data-driven and markets for the services identified to be successful. Lewis Le Vay from Bangor University looked at the potential for innovating with low-carbon food ingredients. He explained that the greatest benefit of mussels is not in direct carbon sequestration but in replacement of higher impact foods. He is currently involved in a project to transform mussels into a food ingredient for inclusion in more widely accepted foods. This is part of a strategy to redirect consumers away from red meat toward aquatic foods with lower environmental impacts and better health profiles. To overcome bottlenecks and reverse stagnation of the shellfish industry, as well as helping the fledgling seaweed sector to flourish, the conference called on government to confirm their commitment by creating a designated body to act as an official liaison with industry. In addition, the site/business application process should be streamlined and support provided for both new and expanding businesses. Development of ports and harbours to take aquaculture into account should also be supported, he said. The prioritisation of ecosystems and industry development rather than a focus on restoration of degraded environments would help to shift the focus to production. A high-priority action is to de-risk the industry to attract new investors. This includes the need to find an urgent solution to overcome the ongoing issue of getting shellfish from class B waters into Europe. Importantly, greater advocacy is needed to drive change in policy and regulation, which currently hinders rather than enables a flourishing aquaculture industry. In addition, low-trophic aquaculture foods need to be included in national food and drink strategies as a matter of urgency. I have touched on just a few of the informative presentations here. They can all be found online at fishmongers.org.uk/ fish-fisheries/aquaculture-for-a-thrivingfuture

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08/01/2024 15:57:34

SEA FARMING

Mapping out the lice threat Consultation is over and SEPA is getting ready to start enforcing Wild Salmon Protection Zones, reports Robert Outram

HE Scottish Government is to press forward with the roll-out of Wild Salmon Protection Zones, which will restrict fish farming in areas seen as high risk for wild salmon. The proposed regulatory framework has not, however, been welcomed by Scotland’s salmon industry. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has been consulting on its plans for a sea lice framework, which will mean salmon migration bottlenecks in coastal waters designated as protection zones. The aim is to reduce the risk to young migrating salmon posed by sea lice numbers in and around salmon farms. In the designated areas, proposals for new or expanded fish farms will not be approved unless the operators can show that sufficient mitigating factors are in place to prevent the growth of sea lice populations.

SEPA said it has adopted a “proportionate, evidence-based regulatory approach” and added “the framework will help to support the sustainable development of fish farming in Scotland by guiding development to the least sensitive locations, as well as providing an effective and efficient framework to assess risk and apply appropriate management measures, where necessary, to protect wild fish.” Peter Pollard, Head of Ecology at SEPA, said: “We know wild salmon populations are in crisis. Safeguarding their future requires coordinated action and a range of interests working together. “As part of an international community working to address this shared challenge, we’re one of the first countries to take action to manage the risk posed by sea lice from fish farms to wild salmon. “Scotland is emerging as a pioneer in sustainable aquaculture and we’re confident in the industry’s ability to adapt to the changing regulatory landscape, as it has done successfully before now.” Mairi Gougeon, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, said: “Salmon is one of Scotland’s most iconic species and I am grateful for SEPA’s support in developing this framework. “Our Vision for Sustainable Aquaculture values the role of aquaculture in producing world-renowned healthy and quality seafood, whilst recognising that its delivery and development must be sustainable. “The framework will support sustainable development of fish farming worth more than £1 billion to our economy, ensuring our communities continue to realise the benefits of aquaculture by guiding development to the least-sensitive locations and protecting the environment, whilst making the development process more efficient and effective.” SEPA said that its framework had been developed on the basis of cutting-edge scientific models, in collaboration with leading scientists in Scotland and Norway, other regulators, finfish producers, environmental NGOs, coastal community groups and wild fishery interests.

Timetable for action SEPA said the framework will be implemented in phases and will sit alongside the wider set of regulations introduced in 2019, which already controls all discharges from marine finfish farms to the water environment. The framework for protection of wild salmon will be applied when determining applications for proposed new farms and for increases in the number of fish at existing farms on the West Coast and Western Isles from 1 February 2024. The obligation for existing farms to report lice counts and

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fish numbers starts from March 2024. Farmers will be required to report the number of adult female sea lice per farmed fish between mid-March and 30 October each year. Later this spring, pilot monitoring programmes in prioritised Wild Salmon Protection Zones will begin. From March 2025, sea lice limit conditions reflecting current performance (standstill conditions) will apply to existing, higher relative-risk farms. Next year, protective measures for sea trout, including in the Northern Isles (Orkney and Shetland), will be implemented. As there are deemed to be no salmon rivers in the Northern Isles, they have not been assigned Wild Salmon Protection Zones. SEPA says that it will assess farm development proposals with the help of screening models. This will identify proposals unlikely to pose a significant risk to wild salmon populations and which do not require further assessment. This, it says, means that developers will not need to carry out their own sea lice risk assessment when making an application. The organisation made an initial assessment of the seven relevant applications or preapplications for new or expanded farms that were in process on 30 November 2023. Its initial assessment concluded that none of these development proposals are likely to require further assessment. SEPA has also assessed 164 existing farms on the West Coast and around the Western Isles using the models. This assessment placed 103 (63%) of them in the lowest risk category. When granting authorisation for farm developments, SEPA will require the farms to report the average number of adult female sea lice per fish, as well as the total number of fish on their farms each week between mid-March and 30 October. Except for farms in the lowest relative-risk category, this includes risk-proportionate permit conditions limiting the average and maximum number of adult female lice on the farms. The limit conditions will apply between mid-March and 31 May each year, the sea lice management period for protecting wild salmon. SEPA has extended the reporting period for weekly counts of sea lice and fish numbers compared with that proposed in the consultation – this is to take account of the fact the young sea trout remain in coastal waters for longer than is the case with migrating salmon. SEPA will ensure compliance with permit conditions by running checks on reported data; carrying out farm inspections; taking appropriate action in line with its enforcement policy where it has identified non-compliance; and publicising whether farms’ performances are good, acceptable or unacceptable when the new performance assessment scheme comes into effect.

Industry isn’t convinced Industry body Salmon Scotland is sceptical regarding the basis of SEPA’s models, however. Salmon Scotland Chief Executive Tavish Scott said: “We support regulation based on fact, evidence and sound science. “The Scottish Government commissioned Professor Russel Griggs to conduct an independent regulatory assessment; his recommendations were all accepted by ministers and were for better, more streamlined regulation. “Now the sector faces not that but more regulation. Additionally for a new regulation, SEPA cannot explain how it will measure success. “We support measures to address the decline in the population of wild salmon in Scottish waters. The Scottish Government has previously identified more than 40 pressures on wild salmon stocks, of which sea lice is just one. We are still waiting to see what government and its many agencies are going to do on the other identified pressures.”

In its response to the May consultation, Mowi Scotland expressed some concerns over the delivery timetable, while Scottish Sea Farms said the online platform on which it was planned to publish sea lice data needs to be improved or replaced. In contrast, some fisheries bodies and environmental organisations called for the timetable not to slip or even to be brought forward. Coastal Communities Network Scotland, which has long campaigned against salmon farming, also argued that the “precautionary principle” should mean that SEPA should be able to take decisive action on existing farms over lice levels, even before SEPA’s lice modelling exercise is completed. Now, however, the consultation is over. The coming year will show what the new regulations will mean for the industry.

Opposite from top: S e a l ou s e ; P e t e r P ol l a r d , S E P A; f a r m s cha r a ct e r i s e d b y S E P A a s p os i ng t he hi g he s t el ve is Above: M a p s how i ng l n i i se il l n e n Z one s Left: M a i r i G ou g e on

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08/01/2024 15:42:39

SEA FARMING

Northern lights Orkney and Shetland are key to hopes for expansion for the Scottish salmon sector, reports Robert Outram

OME of the most exciting developments in Scottish fish farming are taking place in the Northern Isles – Orkney and Shetland – where operators are investing in expansion, new sites and improved processing facilities. Back in December 2021, speculation over the future of Grieg’s assets in Shetland ended when they were acquired by Scottish Sea Farms. Since then, Scottish Sea Farms has embarked on a programme of investment, growth and consolidation. Following the acquisition, processing in Shetland was transferred from Grieg’s centre at Lerwick to the Scottish Sea Farms facility in Scalloway, on the west coast of Shetland’s mainland, to allow for a complete refit of the Lerwick site. By the end of last year, the £2.5m refit of Lerwick was complete. Processing capacity at the plant has doubled, from 25,000 tonnes annually to 50,000 tonnes. Head of Processing Operations Donald Buchanan told The Source, the company’s in-house newsletter, that the aim was to streamline processing into one centre, maximising efficiencies. He said: “We were looking to create a ‘facility of the future’, capable of receiving all fish from our expanded Northern Isles estate. “With a larger footprint and proximity to the ferry network, Lerwick made the obvious choice. “We stripped back the existing processing facility to its very core, right down to adding new floors, drains and internal fabrication. Then we reconfigured the layout to create self-contained areas for the key activities of harvesting, gutting and packing, each of which was fitted out with a mix of existing and all-new equipment.” As well as being larger, the new plant is also more geared to animal welfare, with a humane stunner from Ace Aquatec installed

to render the fish unconscious before they even leave the water. A smaller, secondary stunner ensures that any bycatch or cleaner fish are also humanely despatched. In the gutting area, there are six highspeed BAADER machines capable of handling fish of 2kg to 7kg, with a dedicated handline to manually gut any fish outside of this specification. The gutted fish are then kept chilled in new refrigerated containers ahead of grading and packing. The new-look facility is also more automated, with robotic pallet handling. The new centre has also now received the necessary certifications, including RSPCA Assured, Global GAP, Label Rouge and retailers’ own schemes. Scottish Sea Farms Head of Technical Andy Gourlay said: “Ensuring the facility complies with our many different certifications and standards has required a colossal amount of work from each of the teams involved: processing, engineering, IT and technical. “However, by working together towards a shared goal, we’ve achieved it.” Buchanan added: “Not only have we doubled capacity in the here and now, but there’s scope to increase that further to process up to 70,000 tonnes annually, over years to come, should we wish to.”

Investing for growth Scottish Sea Farms has also been investing in its Shetland farm sites. For example, at Billy Baa it has been consulting on plans to consolidate several farm licences into one.

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Not only have we doubled capacity in the here and now, but there’s scope to increase that further

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As reported in the December issue of Fish Farmer, the trial will involve a preapplication process, with the two main consenting regimes – local authority planners and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency – working together to consider the application. Scottish Sea Farms hopes the process means its planning application will be granted by late autumn this year.

Cooke plans expansion

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a t M u ck l e F l u g g a , he l n sh S e a F a r m s ’ H e a d of essing e ns D ona l d B u cha na n; C ook e b oa t , S he t l a nd ; C ook e f a r m , V e s t ne s s , O r k ne y Right: sh e ss e i p r oce s s i ng ce nt r e

Meanwhile, Cooke is pressing ahead with the development of the farm site at East Moclett on the island of Papa Westray, Orkney, which received planning permission in a unanimous decision by Orkney Islands Council Planning Committee in September 2022. Stocking is planned for early this year. Despite organised opposition to the development, no appeal has been lodged against the planning decision. As we reported in December, Cooke is also planning to relocate and expand its farms at three sites in Orkney: Vestness, Skelwick Skerry and Cleat North. Consultation events took place in November to explain the plans to the local community. Cooke told Fish Farmer: “Both events held in Westray and The company says extensive hydrodynamic Papa Westray were well attended. The public in both areas are modelling indicates that the location is idea supportive of our approach to stakeholder engagement, with for growing salmon. informal preapplication in spring 2023 leading to and informing Consolidation, Scottish Sea Farms says, will formal preapplication in November 2023. The preapplication make it possible to: consultation period closed on 27 December 2023.” • Increase the space between pens. In Vementry, Shetland, Cooke is proposing the development of a • Maximise water exchange and oxygen new Atlantic salmon farm to the north of the island of Vementry, in levels in and around pens. St Magnus Bay, Shetland. The aim is to apply the lessons learned in • Improve operational efficiencies. Cooke’s offshore farms in Orkney to develop a new farm in a more • Boost fish health, welfare and survival. exposed location in Shetland. • Grow harvest volumes. The proposed site is a high-energy environment, which Cooke says will have optimal conditions for rearing strong and healthy fish, Scottish Sea Farms’ vision for Billy Baa is whilst minimising the potential impact on the local environment. to have nine 160m salmon pens and one Comments by the local community on the proposal were invited 120m pen, secured by a 125m mooring grid prior to beginning the official planning and consenting process for 2 and with a surface area of 19,480m . Each the development. The formal preapplication consultation period pen would be stocked to RSPCA Assured closed on 30 November 2023 and the company is currently collating densities of just 1.5% fish to 98.5% water, and interpreting stakeholder feedback. with a combined maximum permitted Murray Spooner, Communications Manager with Cooke biomass of 4,091 tonnes. Aquaculture Scotland, added: “Our salmon are farm-raised with To help keep these fish safely separate care in Orkney and Shetland to ensure long-term social, economic from other marine life, pens would be and environmental sustainability of the Northern Isles.” equipped with predator defence netting systems and pole-mounted top nets. Adjacent to the pens would be a 400 to 500 tonne capacity feed barge. This would house the farm’s camera-monitored feeding system, office and welfare facilities for the team, and a store for fish feed. Shetland is also the location for a trial of a new double-netting strategy to protect the fish against predation by seals. During the pilot study at Setterness South, the site was upgraded, with eight new 120m pens fitted with new 75mm mesh outer netting and standard 18mm mesh for the inner netting – both of a depth enabling the system to remain in place throughout the crop. And another exciting development is due to take place this year, with the trial of a new, streamlined consenting system, putting into practice the reforms set out in the Griggs Report in 2022. Details of the new process have been developed by the Consenting Task Group set up by the Scottish Government.

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08/01/2024 15:33:40

NORWAY

Smash and grab Farmed salmon are facing a new threat in the form of hungry bluefin tuna, reports Vince McDonagh

ORWAY’S salmon farmers are facing a new threat from a powerful predator. Large tuna fish are breaking into fish farm facilities, allowing thousands of salmon the opportunity to escape. It is no longer an isolated problem. Salmon companies are reporting an increasing number of incidents. The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries says a record number of mackerel sturgeon – an alternative name for the Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) – have been detected along its country’s coastline in recent months, which suggests their numbers are growing. Mackerel sturgeon are not to be confused with the various sturgeon species from the Acipenseridae family, which can live

in both freshwater and coastal saltwater environments. They are large predators and also highly prized for their pink meat. Salmon escapes are not only costly and can lead to heavy penalties; they can also create cross-breeding problems with their wild cousins. Such attacks were relatively rare not so long ago; however, 2023 looked like a record year for such incidents and in general, for bluefin tuna sightings along the coast. Most of the major farming companies and more than a few smaller producers have suffered in recent years – and the bluefin tuna also seem to be getting bigger. Three months ago, a whopping 375kg fish bored into a net at a Lerøy Seafood facility. They are probably after food but at the moment, the directorate is not entirely

certain whether they are after the salmon inside the cage or the salmon’s feed. Another suggestion is that these assailants think the salmon are a school of mackerel, a species they hunt on a daily basis. Based on incidents so far reported to the directorate, this assumption now appears to be incorrect. Whatever the reason, such attacks are creating additional problems for Norway’s salmon farmers, who are already battling a raft of biological issues. Øyvind Grøner Moe, Senior Adviser at the environment section of the Directorate of Fisheries, says: “The reason why the mackerel sturgeon enters the cage is most likely linked to food intake. “But it is still uncertain whether it is the fish inside the cage or fish on the outside they are looking for.”

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This is because the sturgeon (tuna) are often around the cages when the salmon are being fed, he maintains. It might also be down to poor appetite and changed behaviour, which has been observed on feed cameras in the cage on a number of occasions, he adds. The directorate says there is no indication that the size of the farmed fish have any bearing on why the sturgeon get into the nets. The range extends from freshly released fish to ready for slaughter and everything in between.

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Experience shows it is What can the farmers do? not always easy to spot the tuna in the cage

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Despite its size (an individual has been recorded as weighing as much as 680kg), the bluefin tuna leaves a relatively small hole in the net when it enters. In almost all incidents, the breach is reported to be around 60cm in diameter. This corresponds to physical measurements carried out on sturgeon, which show that the height (the widest point of the fish) is approximately 60cm. Where the hole is located seems to be somewhat random. Reported incidents show a depth of anywhere from 3m to 31m. Experience shows it is not always easy to spot the tuna in the cage. In several cases, it is the hole that is discovered first. The East Atlantic bluefin tuna population spawns in spring in the Mediterranean. After spawning, the sturgeon embark on a feeding migration to, among other places, Norwegian waters, where they usually appear from August to November, the period when the majority of attacks are reported. Based on previous experiences, the directorate has now prepared a guide for handling such incidents.

The advice includes: • Pay extra-close attention to the behaviour of the farmed fish in the August to December period. • Vestland and Trøndelag are the regions most at risk but this may change. • A hole of approximately 60cm in the August to December period may indicate mackerel sturgeon in the net. • Follow the Directorate of Fisheries’ guide for handling bluefin tuna in nets in the event of an incident. Incorporate this into the company’s emergency plan well in advance of the start of the season. The Directorate of Fisheries expects that businesses in exposed areas have assessed the risk of incidents involving bluefin tuna in nets and that suitable measures have been put in place. Measures can take the form of training personnel to be able to detect incidents early or holding emergency drills. Salmon companies also have to be careful how they treat the surgeon as killing them is, in most cases, illegal. The bluefin tuna population is regulated by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). In October 2009, ICCAT stated that Atlantic bluefin tuna stocks had declined dramatically over the last 40 years – by 72% in the Eastern Atlantic and by 82% in the Western Atlantic. In 2021, however, Atlantic bluefin tuna moved from the endangered category to the least concern category on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. ICCAT has strict regulatory requirements for its member states and with this comes requirements for reporting, which aquaculture businesses must follow. Among other things, in Norway a permit must be issued from the Directorate of Fisheries before the bluefin tuna can be killed. It is recommend the fish be caught using an a special orkast seine net.

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08/01/2024 14:10:05

LAND-BASED FARMING AND HATCHERIES

Grow your own The coastal town of Grimsby has processed salmon for many years but now it will be producing them too, as Vince McDonagh reports

RIMSBY used to pride itself on being hailed the seafood capital of Europe. But that crown slipped some time ago, partly as the result of Brexit but mainly because the town lost too many seafood businesses. However, the nucleus of a once-powerful industry is still there and some companies are now doing extraordinarily well. There are plans to revive the old fish dock area with a modern 160-room hotel and turn the former Edwardian ice house into a visitor centre.

But what looks like a real turning point in the town’s fortunes came last February when AquaCultured Seafood, a new company few people had heard of until then, unveiled plans to build a modern salmon farm on the port estate, next to Grimsby Town Football Club’s home ground. Not only was it going to be the UK’s first full-scale recirculating aquaculture systems

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(RAS) farm, but it would also be the largest single fish farm in the country. The company could have gone to Scotland, where there is a wealth of aquaculture expertise, but it chose instead a Lincolnshire coastal town, which has clearly seen better days. Some sceptics thought it a joke at first – but the company, which looked closely at several probable locations, was incredibly serious. Grimsby still has the highest concentration of seafood processing expertise anywhere in Britain (and probably Europe as well), ranging from filleting and processing to refrigeration and transport.

It is why Young’s, the UK’s largest seafood business, is still there and why go-ahead companies such as Surrey-based New England Seafood International has invested heavily in the town. Last month, the local North East Lincolnshire planning committee gave the £80m project its seal of approval. The council has since confirmed the decision. There were a few opponents, mainly from people who have homes near the site, but also from groups who are against salmon farming in whatever shape it happens to come. Abigail Penny, Executive Director of Animal Equality UK, an international NGO that fought against the proposed Grimsby farm, said at the planning meeting: “The accidental flick of a switch or the turning of a dial can be catastrophic for the animals trapped in the system. They simply have nowhere to escape.” But an officers’ report to councillors found the scheme would not generate “any significant noise” and effluent from the site would be treated to a high standard. The site is also part of a long-standing seafood development area.

Approval was a major milestone in the company’s journey

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LAND-BASED FARMING AND HATCHERIES

The report ruled it would not cause harm to residential or business properties, or impact the visual character of the area. The application is being managed by ASL New Clee Ltd – a subsidiary of AquaCultured Seafood Ltd. The project will include a 50 tank, 40,000m2 facility built close to cold stores and several seafood processing factories, including one devoted to salmon and trout. The farm will cover 10 acres and produce 5,000 tonnes of salmon a year, exclusively for the UK market. Construction work could start this year. Mike Berthet, founding member of ASL and a former director with a then Grimsby-based seafood business, said: “Approval was a major milestone in the company’s journey to establishing a

new, responsible and sustainable form of fish farming in the UK. “As someone who has worked in the local fishing industry for 40 years, I am delighted that Grimsby continues to be a leader in this sector. “It is a groundbreaking development in the heartland of UK seafood processing. We will now take the good news back to our financial house in the City [of London] and to our existing shareholders, and put our shoulders to the wheel to raise the funds as quickly as possible, so we can get on-site and start the build.” The Mayor of North East Lincolnshire, Councillor Ian Lindley, said: “This is creating local jobs and we have got to bear in mind schemes like this don’t come along often in areas like North East Lincolnshire. We need to grasp the

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opportunity, providing it is right. I think it is right. “It is a huge opportunity for the area; to throw it out would be foolhardy. This will be a massive boost to the local economy.” As stated at a public consultation last summer, the project should take around four years to reach completion and produce the first salmon. Does this mean that Grimsby will now become the salmon capital of the UK? Probably not as the north and west of Scotland is likely to retain that title for many years to come. But if AquaCultured Seafood is successful, it is likely to attract similar aquaculture projects. This is the direction salmon farming of the future appears to be heading. The investment in the Grimsby plant is considerable and is expected to reach around £120m, creating 80 to 100 locally trained direct jobs and probably another 70 or 80 indirect jobs. Berthet said he was grateful for the support his company had received from existing local seafood businesses and the wider business community. “I really do hope that once we are up and running, the community will feel proud of what we have been able to bring to the Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes community,” he added. Quite simply, it was a project Grimsby, with its long history of seafood innovation, could not afford to pass up.

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08/01/2024 14:26:19

SEAWEED

Gimme shelter

Kelp forests are a cornerstone environmental resource. One seaweed farmer in the west of Scotland is doing its bit to restore them, reports Sandy Neil

IGHLAND coastal kelp forests are among seven major environmental projects being supported by Scotland’s salmon farmers to help save iconic wild salmon and sea trout. More than £118,000 has been granted to organisations this year through Salmon Scotland’s Wild Fisheries Fund to address long-term species decline. The fund is part of a £1.5m commitment from Scotland’s salmon farmers to support the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of wild fish numbers. Atlantic Mariculture, a seaweed farmer based at Ardtoe on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula, has been awarded £43,102 to deploy specially designed kelp shelters for wild salmon and sea trout. This will mean five inshore forests are created with seaweed grown on ropes along the west coast near the Rivers Shiel and Moidart – both key ecosystems. Kelp forests are known to provide food and security for many fish species. It’s hoped that Atlantic Mariculture’s planned shelters will offer crucial rest stops for migrating sea trout, benefitting the wider marine ecosystem. They will deploy five 100m-long shelters, growing sustainable brown kelp species native to the area, providing a dense environment for sea trout and repurposing historical salmon netting stations where possible.

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The sites will be closely monitored throughout the two-year project using underwater drones, divers, cameras and specialist sensor equipment. “Wild kelp forests are a known habitat for salmonid species but there has been little research into how kelp farm systems may offer these same habitat benefits,” the company explained. “This project intends to improve understanding of how small, managed seaweed farm units can supply ecosystem services specific to wild sea trout, assessing how this understanding can be extrapolated and incorporated on a commercial scale seaweed farm. “The project will observe the behaviour of wild sea trout, migrating to and from known spawning areas, within a small-scale kelp farm environment.” Five observation lines will be deployed at sea in proximity to the Shiel and Moidart river catchment area. The project is observational and will record the behaviour of sea trout using underwater cameras, drone imaging and dive surveys. In addition to the observation of sea trout behaviour, the project will test and assess the viability of using natural-fibre wool ropes in comparison with synthetic fibre ropes to grow native Scottish kelp. The project will take place

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over 24 months to evaluate the relationship between seaweed farms and sea trout over two spawning cycles. The observation lines will be subject to the same discipline and management rigours of a seaweed farm. Amabel Hamilton, Chief Executive of Atlantic Mariculture, says: “Atlantic Mariculture is delighted to have been awarded a research grant to examine how kelp shelters can enhance habitats for sea trout in the coastal waters around Moidart. “Sea trout have endured a difficult few decades and thanks to the Salmon Scotland Wild Fisheries Fund, we can now explore how to support this native and sensitive indicator species using cultivated Scottish kelp.” Amabel and her husband Douglas founded the business in 2018, and have been farming kelp at their 15-hectare seaweed farm in Loch Sunart since 2021, they told the Highlands and Islands Enterprise magazine. “We also run a kelp processing facility at Ardtoe Marine Laboratory. In 2021, we started testing what species grew best on the farm and experimented with supplying to different markets but have since settled on a combination of fresh food and biostimulant production. “Our biostimulant processing is relatively simple; we let the seaweed ferment with fresh water in tanks before passing the liquid through our unique filtration system, all of which requires low energy input. “In January 2023, we overhauled our farm structure and expect to produce up to 40 tonnes this season, which we hope to scale to 100 tonnes by 2025 to 2026. “Most of our seaweed biomass is sold to the agriculture market as our liquid biostimulant Liquid Kelp™ or our SeaBiome™ slow-release mulch pellets.

We also sell small-scale fresh seaweed to the food market during the early harvest season. In the spring, we deliver fresh seaweed twice-weekly to London restaurants. “We also offer to buy bulk seaweed biomass from seaweed farmers to process into our plant and soil product ranges. Finally, we are launching consultancy services to help potential farmers get set up, from farm design through to licensing and processing. “Farming kelp is beneficial to the marine environment as it cleans the water, reduces ocean acidification and can act as a carbon sink, although only if done sustainably and correctly.” Plant and soil health products made from kelp can also play a role in regenerative agriculture, the company says. Atlantic Mariculture is working with farmers and industry members to understand how the team can support the transition from traditional practices to more sustainable farming practices. Hamilton says: “We want the seaweed industry to grow and hope there will be space for a mix of small- and large-scale farmers to coexist. Seaweed farming is an exciting opportunity for coastal communities. The more kelp is grown, the more sustainable products can be made using this incredible natural resource.”

Helping wild salmonids Habitat loss and rising river temperatures, primarily due to climate change, have impacted wild salmon and sea trout populations across the UK, including the Scottish coastline. Salmon farming companies, which only operate on the west coast, launched the Wild Fisheries Fund to play their part finding solutions, engaging constructively with the wild fish sector and taking meaningful action to save wild salmon. Previously called the Wild Salmonid Fund, more than £190,000 has already been invested since 2021, including a £35,000 grant to save the leaking Fincastle Dam on West Harris, helping preserve an important salmon fishery. Among the six projects awarded funds in 2023 were Ayrshire Rivers Trust, which was granted £15,543 to undertake a restoration project to address riverbank erosion at the Netherton Burn. Obbe Fishery won £3,000 to repair an ageing

sea dam wall, introduce an underwater camera for monitoring fish runs and add and clean feeder streams spawning gravel. Further south, the Loch Lomond Angling Improvement Association was awarded £23,000 to fund habitat improvement at 12 sites along the River Fruin, aiming to remove fish migration barriers, plant trees and stabilise banks. Loch Lomond Fishery Trust also received £12,381 to engage with young people in Garelochhead, providing practical workshops on fisheries management, bankside strengthening and tree planting. On the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll, the River Ruel Improvement Association received £10,000 to tackle erosion and minimise the entry of fine sediment into the river through tree planting and fencing to mitigate livestock trampling, while the River Eachaig Fishery Syndicate was granted £11,084 for ecological improvements to the riverbed at the Lamont pool. The fund is co-ordinated by Fishery Manager Jon Gibb, who has championed a constructive relationship between the farm-raised salmon sector and fisheries and angling groups. Gibb said: “It’s fantastic to support a variety of innovative projects dedicated to conserving and enhancing the habitat, particularly for a species facing extinction in certain areas. “Wild salmon are facing a deep and dire crisis, and the aquaculture sector can play a vital role in mitigating their decline.”

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08/01/2024 15:47:00

SHRIMP

A tricky spot

A new report appears to have found a dangerous gap in shrimp disease testing

HE standard test applied to detect a devastating disease in farmed shrimp falls dangerously short of what is required, according to a study carried out by researchers in Australia. White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is a pathogen that can cause huge damage to shrimp populations. The point of care (POC) test commonly used to detect it is intended to allow farmers to stop the spread of the disease. Latest research, however, suggests that it is only effective in detecting high levels of WSSV infection. “In 2019, Australia’s CSIRO [the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation] undertook a scientific investigation into the effectiveness of shrimp point of care test kits in detecting white spot syndrome virus for possible use in disease management,” says Dr Melony Sellars, shrimp disease expert and CEO of Genics. “At the time of the study, point of care tests had become a go-to method of disease detection for farmers, a situation that persists to this day. But, with the release of CSIRO’s findings, it’s time for an urgent reassessment of testing practices.” WSSV is one of the global shrimp industry’s most concerning pathogens. In 2016, severe outbreaks of WSSV in Queensland, Australia, snapped WSSV to the forefront of the national shrimp industry’s attention. With the WSSV emergency response destroying farm

populations and costing producers millions of dollars, farmers urgently needed a way to monitor their animals for early-stage WSSV infection. Global uptake of POC test kits, including for WSSV, had become second nature in the shrimp industry, being used for various purposes, including early-stage WSSV detection. With WSSV devastation at their doorstep in 2016, the Australian industry requested access to such kits, which first required government approval. In 2019, at the request of a battered shrimp industry, the CSIRO commenced a laboratory-based evaluation of WSSV tests, funded by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, to determine the efficacy and fitness for purpose of POC test kits compared to laboratory PCR testing.

CSIRO examines WSSV POC testing Commencing in 2019, Australia’s CSIRO collaborated with shrimp industry stakeholders on a comprehensive study of WSSV testing methods. The study report – Evaluation of point of care (POC) tests for white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) – compares commercially available tests designed to detect WSSV on commercial shrimp farms with lab-run PCR WSSV tests. Responding to the POC testing study, Dr Sellars said, “The CSIRO’s research compares and assesses five WSSV tests, comprising three rapid antigen-style tests and two PCR-based tests. The study clearly shows that the assessed POC test kits yield

inferior limits of detection (also known as sensitivity) when compared with PCR laboratory testing.” The CSIRO research group found that the assessed POC tests were a suboptimal defence against WSSV because “POC tests had lower sensitivity than validated laboratory reference WSSV qPCR tests.” “The lack of sensitivity of these POC testing systems is such that it actually creates a false sense of security for farmers,” says Dr Sellars. “The CSIRO study’s findings are crucially significant for the global industry because the current expectation among farmers is that POC tests can detect WSSV in the early stages of infection, providing early warning of disease. However, CSIRO’s study identifies vital issues with the evaluated POC testing kits, which means that they are not, in fact, a solution for WSSV early warning and prevention.”

The red flag raised by CSIRO’s POC testing study CSIRO’s study reveals substantial issues with POC test kits, including a gap between user expectations and actual test kit sensitivity in the field. Dr Sellars explains: “Farmers’ confidence in POC test kits is supported by the perception that they can detect WSSV early enough to prevent large-scale stock losses. However, CSIRO’s research reveals that the studies used to prove POC kit capability were conducted in laboratory conditions,

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Protecting against WSSV requires a strategic change

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where the infection speed and transmission pathways did not reflect the commercial reality on farms.” Careful reading of manufacturers’ guidelines on some kits also reveals that validation occurs on synthetic templates, providing unrealistic guidelines for realworld use on shrimp samples. The CSIRO team writes in the report that “in existing literature, all POC tests were reported to be able to detect WSSV in the early stages of infection.” However, they continue: “...the live prawn experiments conducted in this study demonstrate that white spot disease progresses much faster when prawns are injected with WSSV compared to when they are cohabitated with WSSV-infected cohorts. Thus, the predicted timeframe from WSSV exposure to WSSV detection by POC testing in the field may be overestimated.” Dr Sellars comments: “This finding underlines the crucial problem with POC tests as a means of WSSV control. “The virus develops more rapidly in shrimp that are deliberately infected for the purposes of POC kit test validation. However, when used in commercial settings, where disease develops more slowly in individual animals, POC test kits fail to find the virus early enough to prevent infection from spreading throughout farm populations. This fatal flaw in POC kit sensitivity means that if farmers continue to use them for WSSV detection, they will miss the virus in its early stages, leading to continued disease outbreaks.”

WSSV is now endemic in most shrimp-growing regions of the world, so vigilant preventative monitoring is essential. WSSV can destroy entire shrimp farm populations in mere days, underlining the need for an effective early detection regime. One of the key findings of CSIRO’s recent study is that when it comes to reliable testing for WSSV, current POC test kits cannot match the sensitivity and accuracy of validated laboratory-based PCR testing. For all three WSSV strains assessed, the lab reference qPCRs were tenfold more sensitive than the most sensitive POC test, the study found. Indeed, PCR tests are a hundredfold more sensitive than one of the most commonly used POC test kits on the market. CSIRO states in its findings that “for weak positive samples” – typical of early stage WSSV infection – sensitivity of POC tests is “inadequate, with only 56% to 78% of replicate weak positive samples testing positive, in contrast to the 100% concordance demonstrated by the laboratory reference qPCRs.” Dr Sellars says: “For farmers, the conclusion to be drawn from CSIRO’s research is emphatically clear: to avoid destructive outbreaks of WSSV, the shrimp industry urgently needs to pivot toward using lab-based PCR tests for routine testing instead of relying on POC kits and testing systems. Notably, such lab-based PCR tests must also be properly validated by the laboratory personnel, with all assays varying in performance based on equipment, chemistry, people and operating conditions.” She adds that turnaround times on laboratory testing is as short as 24 hours.

The research takeaways for farmers The CSIRO report indicates that lab-based PCR tests are more sensitive and reliable than the currently ubiquitous POC kits. It should also be noted that such lab-based PCR tests must be properly validated – and that validation and performance testing are ongoing requirements. The early warning aspect of lab-based PCR testing delivers a vital advantage to farmers, Genics says, since knowing about WSSV infection on their farm a few days early can prevent catastrophic stock losses. CSIRO’s research sends a strong signal to the shrimp industry to stop relying on POC kits, Genics argues. The company stresses that lab-based PCR testing, with its superior sensitivity and reliability, is the only way to effectively manage the threat of WSSV. More details on the study Evaluation of point of care (POC) tests for white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) can be found at www.frdc. com.au/project/2019-089

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08/01/2024 13:56:04

THE NETHERLANDS

Steady as she goes The Netherlands’ fish farming sector is steadily growing, reports Eugene Gerden

HE Netherlands’ fish farming sector has been steadily growing, thanks to continuing stable domestic demand for farmed fish and improving economics in the country. That was the message presented at a recent symposium as part of the 40th anniversary of the Dutch Society for Aquaculture (NGvA), conducted in the middle of October. This is backed up by local aquaculture analysts. The Netherlands has a mature, well-developed fish farming sector, for which growth rates have been generally stable over the past few years, despite the pandemic and energy crisis. In 2022, the Netherlands produced about 0.5 million tonnes of fish (including molluscs and crustaceans), with a value of about US $630m (£497m). Of this, 17% came from aquaculture and 83% from fisheries. Historically, the Dutch farmed fish sector focused on the production of various fish species, among which are eel, catfish, yellowtail, turbot, pike-perch, sturgeon and trout. Fish farming has been relatively small-scale, both in terms of volume and value. According to data from the NGvA, mussels and oysters are the most important species of shellfish in Dutch aquaculture, while European eel and two species of catfish are the dominant fish species. The Dutch aquaculture sector is relatively small (in 2021, there were about 50 registered fish farmers), although the range of fish farmed in the country is rather diverse. Producers of fish, shellfish and seaweed are mostly small- and medium-sized enterprises, but there are also international

companies active in the production chain (breeding, nutrition and system development). At the same time, there are leading educational and research institutions that deal with all aspects of aquaculture. Of the wild variants of the species used in aquaculture, only shellfish (mussel and oyster), eel, turbot and pike-perch live in the wild in the Netherlands. However, there are also wild Dutch species produced in aquaculture in other European countries, such as carp. Traditionally, Dutch fish farmers pay a lot of attention to the environment and fish welfare, and are committed to sustainable production. The agreements about this are fixed in a Code of Conduct, which is mandatory for all fish farmers in the country. Based on the results of the latest symposium of the NGvA, representatives of the society spoke about the need for making the fish farming sector in the Netherlands more sustainable, as well as to pay more attention to cellular cultivation of fish. At the same time, according to experts and members of the NGvA, reducing the ecological footprint of fish farming is the next hurdle to overcome, while many Dutch fish farmers plan to take serious actions this year. Part of these plans is using the experience of Norwegian fish farmers, some of whom already produce CO2 neutral fish. An example is Salmon Zero – the Norwegian fish farm, which in recent years has launched the production of carbon-neutral salmon.

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According to participants of the NGvA’s symposium, in recent years the Dutch fish farming sector has been faced with a change of market structure. More and more companies are focusing on launching the entire cycle of production from fry growing to producing finished fish, taking steps towards sustainability by reducing mortality, improved feed conversion, water savings, energy savings etc.

In 2022, approximately 80% of the total export value of fish farmed products was sold by Dutch companies in the EU market. Germany, France and Belgium are the most important sales markets for Dutch fish farmers. At the same time, the United Kingdom has disappeared from the top 10 most important countries for the export of fish products from Netherlands. Trade with the UK has been declining for years and this has been reinforced since Brexit by increased administrative barriers. Due to high costs and small profit margins, it is difficult for Dutch fish farmers to compete even in the domestic market. About 70% of the costs incurred in the Netherlands account for aquaculture feed, prices for which have significantly increased in recent years. At the same, according to analysts, there are opportunities for Dutch fish famers to strengthen their position in the global market, as the demand for responsible fish products as a sustainable alternative to meat is expected to increase. Dutch companies can distinguish themselves from low(er) wage countries by placing maximum emphasis on added value.

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Traditionally, Dutch fish farmers pay a lot of attention to the environment

Cost pressures In recent years the industry, however, has faced some external pressures. Changes in the market caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Brexit and the war in Ukraine have caused production costs to rise as a result of sharply increased energy prices. In fact, according to the farmers, production costs have risen sharply. These additional costs will be passed on to buyers, increasing the price of fish for consumers. Still, according to representatives of fish farmers, a further rise of prices can be ruled out, as this may ultimately make supermarkets and consumers decide to opt for cheaper protein sources such as chicken. At present, a significant proportion of fish, farmed in the Netherlands, is destined for the EU market. According to data produced by the NGvA, the share by turnover of Dutch farmed fish that goes to other EU countries has been between 70% and 80% for some years. The remaining exports are sold in Africa. Currently, the Netherlands functions as a fishing hub in Europe, due to its favourable location in relation to the European hinterland and its good infrastructure. In addition, the Netherlands is an important player in supplying fish products to the catering industry via wholesale and chain stores in Europe.

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N e t he r l a nd s

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08/01/2024 14:37:27

OPINION

Together against AMR Antimicrobial resistance is not stopped by national borders, argue Henrik Duesund and Dr Patrik Henriksson

Y 2050, 10 million people could die from bacteria and other microorganisms resistant to antibiotics. Even countries and regions that make limited use of antibiotics will be affected. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat to human and animal health and welfare. In last year’s World AMR Awareness Week, held in November, the World Health Organization had chosen “Preventing antimicrobial resistance together” as the theme.

Norwegian salmon farming can be the best in not needing antibiotics Norwegian animal husbandry has minimal need for antibiotics. When salmon is included, Norwegian livestock production is among the best globally because Norwegian salmon farming uses the least amount of antibiotics. In Norway, there is a culture of restrictive and responsible use of antibiotics for both animals and humans, which has resulted in low rates of antibiotic resistance. Thus, learnings from Norway could be translated to other countries and other farming systems.

its business, beyond applying preventive measures such as vaccines and screening of smolts, which are always used. Sick fish require follow-up and sometimes treatment with antibiotics is necessary to ensure animal welfare. Before sick fish are given antibiotics, we check there is no resistance to identify the smallest effective dose. The types of antibiotics used are also important from a human health perspective. In the production of food for humans, Cermaq only uses antibiotics that are not critical for human health. We also collaborate with other companies, including through the Global Salmon Initiative and SeaBOS, to share experiences, research and test results. This means neighbours and competitors can also be the best possible.

Responsibility for other species

Salmon dominates farming in a few countries but it is a small part of global aquaculture at volumes less than both shrimp and tilapia (source: SOFIA 2022). In some regions, there is significant use of antibiotics (source: global trends in antimicrobial use in aquaculture, Scientific Reports), including types of antibiotics that are also used to treat humans. Through SeaBOS, a collaboration Responsibility across borders between the largest seafood companies With salmon farming in several countries and parts of the world, Cermaq has special globally, as well as internationally leading follow-up practices to ensure restrictive and research institutions, Cermaq is engaged in strengthening sustainability in the seafood responsible use of antibiotics throughout

sector globally. Responsible and restrictive use of antibiotics is one of several areas SeaBOS works on. Based on best practice, we have created simple and clear guidelines for the restrictive and responsible use of antibiotics. These are guidelines that can be used in all types of farming and which will have a collective gain as more seafood producers adopt them. Only collective actions to reduce antibiotic use will reduce antibiotic resistance in our food system, so we encourage our codes of conduct and demand restrictive and responsible practices. The codes of conduct can be found at www.seabos.org.

Transmission from animals to humans? The risk of emergence and flows of antibiotic-resistant genes is something that SeaBOS will map, together with researchers at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, SAAFE CRC and Chulalongkorn University. The research will look at shrimp farming in Thailand and aims to identify methods to determine the sources of AMR genes in shrimp (for example, water, feed, additives, process water and the surrounding ecosystem). The ambition is that such knowledge will allow for more restrictive and effective use of antibiotics in ordinary operations.

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Can resistant genes in bacteria in seafood be transferred to humans? There is always a risk of zoonotic disease that can affect both animals and humans, and through resistant gene transfer between bacteria. Thus, the best way to reduce risk to humans is to minimise antibiotic use in animal husbandry, as it is the only way to avoid selection for resistant genes. “There is little risk of transfer of resistant genes to humans from salmon. Salmon lives in cold water – and salmon and humans do not have overlap of bacteria that can infect,” says Henrik Duesund, R&D Manager at Cermaq.

Together, we can prevent AMR We may not understand the value of antibiotics until we risk losing their effectiveness. Together, we can avoid AMR: everything from hand washing and better biosecurity to improved farming practices and taking vaccines. We are not giving in; the seafood industry and all animal production must improve. Everyone can and must contribute. Henrik Duesund is Head of Cermaq’s R&D fish health team. Dr Patrik Henriksson is a researcher with the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, Stockholm University and a science member of SeaBOS. About SeaBOS The SeaBOS initiative is unique because of the cross-sector collaboration within the global seafood industry. It involves nine of the world’s largest seafood companies representing more than 19% of the world’s seafood production and operating in more than 465 subsidiaries. Together with leading scientists across disciplines and universities, they explore transformative risks and opportunities for the global seafood industry and key impact areas.

SeaBOS science partners Stockholm Resilience Centre, Beijer Institute of Ecological Economies at The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Lancaster University, Center for Ocean Solutions at Stanford University and the University of Tokyo.

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Learnings from Norway could be translated to other countries

Fish Farmer WEBINAR AQUA AGENDA

FISH HEALTH & WELFARE Last year, 2022, Scotland’s salmon farming industry saw a high level of mortalities that took a heavy toll on harvest numbers, profits and the reputation of the sector. In January, Fish Farmer magazine will be bringing a panel of experts together online for a webinar to discuss the lessons that have been learned, what the outcomes looked like in 2023 and what the prospects are for better fish health and survival rates in future.

DATE:

If you are interested in joining the webinar online – or if you would like to find out more about webinar sponsorship opportunities – please contact Fiona Robertson - frobertson@fishfarmermagazine.com

SCAN HERE

WEDNESDAY 24 JANUARY 2024

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TECHNOLOGY

Inside job

A tiny sensor implant could tell us far more about fish health

ESEARCHER Eirik Svendsen, at Norwegian research institute SINTEF Ocean, has developed an implant capable of measuring data, which can be associated with disease and ailments in farmed fish at an early stage. The tiny device may be the most advanced implant ever made for use in fish and is considered groundbreaking in its field. The aquaculture industry faces welfare challenges that must be addressed to ensure sustainable growth and development. But how do you measure fish welfare while the fish are still alive? Caring for animals that are mute and generally hard to inspect visually while in water presents different challenges compared with land-based animal husbandry. “In many cases, the aquaculture industry relies on technology to assess the welfare of the animals they are responsible for – before it deteriorates to unacceptable levels,” says Svendsen, who has developed the new implant as part of his PhD work at NTNU’s Department of Engineering Cybernetics and SINTEF Ocean. The research community discusses fish welfare in terms of, for instance, the five freedoms: freedom from hunger and thirst; freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury or disease; freedom to express normal behaviour; and freedom from fear and distress. The question remains: how do they know whether fish are experiencing these five freedoms?

A tiny cylinder packed with technology “The industry has limited opportunities to determine this at an individual level. We need to collect data on how individual fish in a pen behave – in contrast to behaviour at the population and group level, which is more easily obtainable using cameras, for instance. Using measured baselines over time for comparison with current data, we can identify deviations from the norm,” explains Svendsen.

Behaviour can be measured in various ways, such as with Svendsen’s newly developed implant. The 47mmlong cylinder with a diameter of 13mm contains a battery, memory card, microcontroller and a sensor for blood oxygen levels, heart rate, activity, swimming direction and temperature in the fish. “This research is groundbreaking. It has never before been possible to capture all these data simultaneously. The implant paves the way for entirely new possibilities, for example to help meet the requirements that new methods must be tested with reference to fish welfare considerations before being put into practical use,” Svendsen says. But before use, the implant must be placed in the fish’s abdominal cavity. “The fish is anesthetised when its abdomen is opened and the implant inserted. Then we stitch it back up before it undergoes a controlled awakening and data are collected,” he explains.

A granular welfare assessment scale Fish with implants can help establish clearer criteria for assessing welfare. “We need a more granular scale for assessing fish welfare, which provides reliable measurements that go beyond

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We need to collect data on how individual fish in a pen behave

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‘poor welfare – death’ and ‘good welfare – alive’,” says Svendsen. He envisages a future solution where a selection of fish in each pen are equipped with implants that can provide a welfare score based on specific parameters.

“It will not necessarily be practical to focus on the exact score, but based on our current knowledge, we can set an acceptable range and have the microcontroller in the implant analyse the data and notify us if the overall score falls outside this range. This would tell farmers that they need to investigate the cause and take action to improve the welfare of the pen where the alarm has sounded,” he says.

Real-world applications required

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Research is ongoing and this future scenario is still some way off. First of all, the researchers will use SINTEF Ocean’s sea-based aquaculture research facilities to further develop the design of the implant, conduct trials using fish in swim tunnels and capture data from the sea cages in full scale. “It is essential that the new assessment methods can be used in full-scale operations out at sea. We can do a lot of clever things in a laboratory but we really want to make the connection between physiological and behavioural responses, and stress of the fish in their real-life environment,” says Svendsen.

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Fish Farmer NEWSLETTER Stay in touch with the latest developments from Fish Farmer and subscribe to our online updates. Sent out daily - Monday to Friday. • All the latest aquaculture news • Industry comment and opinion • New products and services • All the latest job vacancies JUST CLICK THE QR CODE TO SIGN UP www.fishfarmermagazine.com

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08/01/2024 16:02:46

FISH HEALTH AND WELFARE

Welfare roundup

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This month, we focus on the European producers’ statement on welfare and a study that suggests delayed spawning has a downside

ARMED salmon that spawn at the natural time produce the best egg quality, according to a study carried out at Norway’s Institute of Marine Research. The natural spawning time for salmon is December but in the farming industry, the spawning time is often shifted so you are guaranteed eggs throughout the year. But how does the shift in spawning affect the egg quality of the salmon? And can broodstock feeding improve the quality of the eggs? Marine researcher Kristin Hamre has been working on these questions in recent years and the results of her study have now been published in the scientific journal Aquaculture. Hamre says: “We have had little knowledge of the nutritional needs of breeding fish, where the feed must supply both the fish itself and the offspring with nutrients. It takes a lot of resources to research the nutritional needs of breeding fish, because the experiments take a long time and are done on large fish.” That is the reason why there have been few attempts to do this in the past, she adds. Hamre and her research colleagues divided the 1,600 fish into three groups with different spawning times. One group had the spawning postponed by one month – until November. Another group had spawning postponed until two months later – until February. The last group was allowed to spawn at the natural time – in December. The researchers saw big differences between the three groups. The group with delayed spawning in February had poorer egg

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quality, poorer fertilisation and poorer survival, says Hamre. The normal group had the best egg quality, while the group with earlier spawning was slightly worse than the normal group. Hamre says: “We saw that the nutrient content of eggs and fry was affected by the time of spawning, and that this is linked to egg quality.” The researchers also wondered whether different ways of feeding the fish could affect growth, the number of eggs each fish spawns and the quality of eggs and fry. In addition, they measured the content of nutrients in both the feed, the fish and the offspring. The researchers fed broodstock feed, a more nutritious type of feed, to the fish. One group received broodstock feed for 17 months, while the other group received

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The nutrient content of eggs and fry was affected by the time of spawning

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growth feed for eight months and broodstock feed for nine months. The study found little difference between the two feeding regimes. The researchers saw almost no effect on the fish that had been fed broodstock feed for 17 months, indicating that nine months is enough. The researchers will now take a closer look at the nutritional status of the fish, eggs and fry, and assess whether the feeds contained sufficient amounts of each individual nutrient. Spawning manipulation, broodfish diet feeding and egg production in farmed Atlantic salmon (Fjelldal, Per Gunnar, AC Adam, GM Berge, I Lein, EM Hevrøy, I Næve, RR Seim, M Mommens, KH Skjærven, T Hansen and K Hamre) was published in Aquaculture in 2023.

uro ea fish far ers issue state e t o e fare THE Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP) has issued a statement on fish welfare, in response to what it calls “negative communication campaigns that undermine the significant efforts made by European fish farmers”. FEAP says: “As fish farmers, we not only care for our fish but strive to best communicate our efforts to prove it in front of society, public administrations and non-governmental organisations. While isolated cases of poor welfare practices might be observed in a sector that comprises tens of thousands of fish farming undertakings and a complex value chain, these do not reflect in any way the general practice, nor the overall commitment of European fish farmers to the wellbeing of their fish.” FEAP has set out its position on welfare in nine points, as detailed below. 1.Fish are not a single species but many and with considerable biological differences between them, including on welfare needs. Furthermore, fish farming in Europe is a diverse activity taking place both in marine and fresh waters, using different production systems such as tanks, ponds and sea pens. 2. FEAP promotes an holistic approach to fish welfare, in which specific welfare issues must be considered alongside the limitations of the physical farming environment, workers’ safety, environmental protection, product quality and economic viability.

3. European fish farmers strictly follow rules and regulations on health and animal welfare that apply to fish. 4. FEAP understands that good practices at the farm level are key to ensuring the adequate welfare of fish and, for this reason, promotes their uptake within the sector. 5. The farming of most fish species is a young activity when compared to other livestock production. For this reason, even today important gaps exist in scientific knowledge on this matter. FEAP acknowledges that the recent creation of the EU Fish Welfare Reference Centre is a positive step and recalls that its establishment has been a long-standing request of the sector. In particular, this federation recommends the centre to work on scientific validation, on the applicability of its recommendations to different farming conditions and on fish welfare operational indicators. FEAP

highlights that in the past the sector has proactively contributed to advancements in fish welfare by participating in, and even leading, EU and national fish welfare scientific projects. 6. FEAP considers that when addressing fish welfare, the whole production cycle of the fish has to be addressed. 7. FEAP recognises the importance of adequate training for fish farm workers on this issue. 8. FEAP wishes to highlight that fish welfare should not contribute towards the unlevel market playing field with respect to other fish products, both imported into Europe or caught by fishing fleets. 9. FEAP understands the relevance of communication to make society aware of how European farmed fish are treated. However, FEAP expresses concern with the misleading nature of several communication actions on fish welfare that have recently appeared in the media and remains open and available to inform the press and the general public about the reality and efforts of fish farmers in Europe. FEAP, which represents 24 national member associations in 23 countries, has invited stakeholders to engage with the organisation in “an honest and constructive dialogue” to address any concerns and collectively work towards even higher standards in fish welfare.

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FISH HEALTH AND WELFARE

Norway’s salmon giants facing welfare crackdown

NORWAY’S “big six” fish farming companies are set to come under close scrutiny from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (FSA) this year. Particular attention will be paid to how well they handle fish welfare and health issues. It is hoped the move will lead to more effective welfare measures. The companies have not been named but it is clear from recent reports on welfare issues who they are. The FSA, along with the Norwegian government, is reported to be worried about an increasing number of mortalities and disease issues in recent months. It hopes to adopt new methods when auditing the companies during 2024. The examinations will be carried out to identify many of the major challenges linked to animal welfare, which have been

documented by groups such as the National Audit Office. Ingunn Midttun Godal, Managing Director of the FSA, said: “The largest farming companies own the most fish. We believe that an improvement at system level at these companies will lead to increased welfare for most fish. Any deviations or points requiring improvement must be followed up at all levels within the companies. “Good health and welfare of the fish is a prerequisite for further development of the farming industry.” The aim of the audits, which will be carried out by the FSA, is to put in place new and more effective inspection methods. The reports will be published on the FSA’s website after each individual audit, it says.

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As fish farmers, we not only care for our fish but strive to best communicate our efforts to prove it

Researching complex gill disease in Atlantic salmon Moredun is helping to find ways to improve salmon gill health

In addition to state-of-the-art laboratories, it has access to a diverse range of aquatic facilities, including GLP-compliant testing facilities, biocontainment level 3 pathogen challenge facilities, and freshwater and seawater farms. It undertakes proof of concept and licencing regulatory studies of vaccines, therapeutics and feed additives for farmed fish. Moredun Scientific operates a Quality Management System which complies with the UK Good Laboratory Practice Regulations and VICH Good Clinical Practice Guidelines. For more information contact info@moredun-scientific.com

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he gills of Atlantic salmon play a key role in physiological processes. Their structure enables efficient transfer between blood and the water environment, but the gills may be exposed to physical, chemical and biological insults which can impair function, and impact health and welfare and economic performance. The term Complex Gill Disease (CGD) describes gross and microstructural changes that may be associated with a range of causes. Case studies have demonstrated gill disease associated with several species of jellyfish, phytoplankton, amoeba, bacteria and viruses. Moredun Scientific uses experimental models of infectious and non-infectious gill disease to support research and commercial projects. Research projects include the EU funded “NeoGIANT” project (www.neogiant.eu) to evaluate novel antimicrobials for the control of Amoebic Gill Disease and the “Zooplankton Challenge” project, a collaboration with Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), funded by the UK Seafood Innovation Fund and supported by others such as the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC), to develop a cnidarian jellyfish model to understand hostpathogen responses for diagnostic tests and mitigation measures. www.seafoodinnovation.fund/projects/further-developing-azooplankton-challenge-model-for-atlantic-salmon-rd149/ Moredun Scientific provides aquaculture contract research services.

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Flying high

WINGS ICT SOLUTIONS – CLIENT CONTENT

Contact details: T: +30 215 50 11 555 www.wings-ict-solutions.eu email: sales@wings-ict-solutions.eu

AQUAWINGS is promoting productivity and environmental sustainability of aquaculture sites through IoT and artificial intelligence

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he human population is constantly growing, reaching tremendous numbers and creating a relatively huge demand for food. Aquaculture, among the world’s fastest-growing food production systems, is critical in meeting such demands. However, this ongoing demand for fish protein comes together with two main challenges: • High feed costs – amounting to 60% of total production cost; and • Extensive manual operations that restrict the sustainability and profitability of the industry. Nowadays, aquaculture lacks advanced tools that can potentially assist with the optimisation, profitability and environmental awareness of the industry. AQUAWINGS has been developed as a smart aquaculture solution to compete with the aforementioned challenges. It provides real time measurement and transmission of data over NB-IoT and 4G/5G and also leverages several capabilities offered by communication gateways and new developments based on artificial intelligence and data analytics. Eventually, innovative tools and added value services can be included within operational procedures.

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The AQUAWINGS solution offers: • Production monitoring; • Weight estimation through WINGS video analytic algorithms; • Feeding optimization; and • Behaviour (mobility) analysis and disease prevention. AQUAWINGS’ competitive advantages include: • Feed waste reduction 10-12% • Feeding optimisation by:  Real time fish behaviour monitoring  Average weight estimation by WINGS AI  Real time environmental parameters monitoring • Reduce labor costs by up to 20%.  Fish sampling is a very stressful, labour-intensive and timeconsuming process.  Relocation of Human Resources to other needs and significant reduction in fuel cost.  24/7 real time monitoring.

The solution comprises the following: • Multi-variable sensors (temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, salinity, turbidity, chlorophyll, P redox etc.) installed in aquaculture infrastructure, that will automatically collect and transmit data, in contrast to the manual process. • Cameras (underwater) that continuously record and store image and video data of farmed species. • WINGS smart Gateway: a smart data transmission unit that retrieves and sends data from sensors, cameras over any available network (NB-IoT, 3G/4G/5G, WiFi, GPRS, LoRa) and provides remote configuration, management and adjustment of measurement and transmission profiles and eventually allowing added value functionalities offered by WINGS Aquaculture Platform (see below). • WINGS Aquaculture Platform combining artificial intelligence, and custom-made dashboards, that enable full control of farm performance and decision-support capabilities for the user.

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AQUAWINGS advanced technology has been developed to enhance the daily routine of the fish farmer. However, it is up to the aquaculture producers to adapt such innovative tools, connect it with their experience and eventually trust this technology and make it worth it.

Innovative tools and added value services can be included within operational procedures

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MASTERFLEX SE – CLIENT CONTENT

Master-PUR H FishTec, represents the future of fish transportation in the fishing industry

Safety and efficiency in fish transport The Master-PUR H FishTec is made of high-

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he seafood industry faces unique challenges, especially when it comes to transporting fish and seafood. Efficient and safe solutions are paramount to ensure the quality and integrity of your cargo. Masterflex SE has worked hard to develop an innovative solution specifically tailored to the needs of the seafood industry. The engineering service team from Gelsenkirchen, Germany, is proud to present the new Master-PUR H FishTec hose - a technological masterpiece specially developed for the transport of fish such as salmon. Masterflex, the German and internationally renowned world market leader for hose and connection systems, says: “Welcome on board for customized plastic hoses for the fishing industry. Join us in the future of fish transportation, where safety, efficiency and quality are paramount”.

quality polyurethane and is characterised by its robustness and durability. Its smooth inner surface ensures optimum flow speed and prevents the formation of deposits. The hose is also resistant to UV radiation, ozone and many chemicals. This special transport hose has been certified according to the strict Norwegian standard NS 9416:2013 to ensure that no fish are lost during transport. What’s more, the hose is food-compliant and certified for the fishing segment. The importance of choosing the right hose for the fishing industry should not

be underestimated. Hoses are often seen as secondary components, but their manoeuvrability makes the operation of machines and systems really flexible. And in many places, only hose lines can be used. However, not every hose is suitable for transporting food or fish under difficult operating conditions. So those who also rely on certified quality for components are playing it safe. There are different requirements for hose systems for the specific handling of fish and seafood.The fish itself is firm and a very sensitive material to transport. The salt water is tough and the environment is harsh. In addition to the right material, therefore, a food-grade hose must have a smooth, easy-to-clean inner surface to prevent the spread of microorganisms. Not only is the material important, but also the hose geometry, pressure resistance, robustness, aging resistance, and abrasion resistance. A food-grade hose must also be easy to clean, sometimes with highly alkaline detergents, so the material selected must be inert.

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Outstanding material properties certified under real conditions

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ish e file e x t r u d e d P U t r a ns p or t h ses in i e en i ees ih e l s i l n fish n i h nne ng ele en fishe n w i t h t he M a s t e r - P U R H F i s hT e c hos e s on hi s sh l e s hi h h ve een evel e n e fie se in he fishing in s Above right: ee ng si n in he ee ng ih se e l l e n n ge Internal smoothness and flexibility F ood & P ha r m a for higher productivity le n e e n ge en Master-PUR H FishTec not only impresses n s i l l ns with its excellent internal material T or s t e n G e b ha r d t properties, but also with its flexibility. en e s e Different sizes are available to meet the n he igh individual requirements of systems or Below: M a s t e r - P U R designs. Even sprues are optional. ish e file In addition to its absolutely remarkable e x t r u d e d P U t r a ns p or t inner smoothness, the special Masterflex h ses in i e en coating should be mentioned here. i ees ih e l Masterflex manufactures the hoses in this s i l e i g e i ili way without reducing the actual inner diameter. In addition, the production system m i cr ob e - r e s i s t a nt a nd h l sis esis n does not create any impact edges that e fie could injure fish, such as salmon, during ve transport. This increases productivity for ie n the end user and ensures that your cargo i n a ccor d a nce w i t h E U reaches its destination in the best possible i e ve condition. n is l es en ing Fishing for the perfect hose i e ves ei l lies i h he connector eg l n When abrasive media, powders, liquids e fie or even marine animals and fish are fed ing through food hoses, the right connection 9 4 1 6 : 2 0 1 3 a nd w i t h technology is also important. In particular, nne ng ele en screwable and flexible connectors support the production and cleaning process. If the connection to a pipe or hose is not a perfect fit, the result is an uneven transition. If the clamp connections are not optimised, these edges can not only injure the fish and reduce its value as mentioned above, but they can also be a reason for material residues to accumulate and become so stubborn that they can lead to bacterial contamination. In order to meet the very demanding Norwegian standard NS 9416:2013, the Master-PUR H FishTec was subjected to real conditions as part of the hose certification at the Masterflex Quality Assurance Center in Gelsenkirchen with Olve Vangdal (Lead Auditor/DNV) from Norway. The hose was filled with water up to the working pressure, then the hose wall was struck with a sharp object to create a hole or tear. This live simulation confirmed the excellent material properties of the hose and its high resistance to stress cracking, which in real -world operations ensures that no fish can escape or get injured on sharp edges.

Master-PUR H FishTec makes waves in the industry Don’t miss the opportunity to optimise your transport processes and improve the quality of your cargo. Order your Master-PUR H FishTec hose today and experience the future of transportation in the seafood industry. For more information and expert advice, visit our website or make an appointment with our team of experts. Our Key Account Manager, Food and Pharma Marc-Julian Ott, will be happy to answer all your questions and concerns. Your success in the fishing industry is important to us. The Masterflex Group is the listed specialist for the development and manufacture of sophisticated connector and hose systems made of high-performance plastics and fabrics. Six strong corporate brands and 14 operating subsidiaries worldwide make up the Masterflex Group. Our products and solutions ensure demanding and essential functions in high-tech sectors such as aerospace, medical technology, mechanical and plant engineering, the chemical industry, food and pharmaceutical technology and other important industries. In addition, the Masterflex Group also offers consulting and order-related development services for hoses and connector systems as part of its engineering services. www.masterflex.de/en/

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Join us in the future of fish transportation

Hose systems support the sustainability of the fish farming industry

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Masterflex uses the patented and wearwarning AMPIUS® hose management system at the customer’s request to promote sustainability in the fish farming industry. Our hoses and hose systems enable efficient fish farming that prevents overfishing of the oceans. Early warnings about the condition of the hoses protect the fish, safeguard your process, and help conserve natural fishing grounds.

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08/01/2024 10:30:40

FEED AND FEED SYSTEMS

Feeding frenzy

High feed prices could be set to continue in 2024, experts say. Fiona Nicolson reports

T the end of 2022, Rabobank’s Global Animal Protein Outlook for 2023 revealed that global grain and oilseed prices had almost doubled between May 2020 and May 2022, due to increased demand, concerns about supply and increased geopolitical uncertainty. Above: F i s h f e e d Some of the contributing factors included drought caused by Right: F i s hm e a l b i n La Niña (the cool phase of the Pacific Ocean climate cycle, Opposite: S a l m on f e e d i ng El Niño) and the war in Ukraine. This caused a rise in the cost of plant-based aquafeed, presenting a challenge for aquaculture operators. And now, at the start of 2024, aquafeed costs could be set to rise again. Dr Enrico Bachis, Market Research Director at IFFO, an international trade organisation for the marine-ingredients industry, says: “Based on historical patterns, we have observed that feed trends reflect political, market and environmental turbulence. During 2022 to 2023, geopolitical issues, energy price increases and limited raw materials led to an increase in feed prices of 30%. This suggests that the prices of key commodities are likely to further increase in 2024.” In its outlook for 2024, Rabobank also pointed to some continuing challenges. When reflecting on aquafeed, its key takeaways focused on the impact of weather and on volumes of fish caught, stating: “El Niño is likely to persist through H1 2024 and price normalisation of fishmeal depends on catch rates.”

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According to IFFO data, as much as 20% of the world’s fishmeal and fish-oil production comes from Peru. But the first anchoveta fishing season of 2023 in the north-central zone was cancelled due to sea conditions. Louise Buttle, Global Key Account

Feed trends reflect political, market and environmental turbulence

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COMPLETE, TAILORED FEED BLOCK DIETS FOR LUMPFISH & WRASSE

Alternative feeds There are alternative options for feeding fish effectively, however. For instance, the possibilities of hemp – also known as the cannabis plant – are being investigated as a potential source of protein. In August 2023, the University of Stirling reported that the first live trials into using hemp to feed farmed salmon in Scotland had been

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Manager at dsm-firmenich, anticipates that high aquafeed prices could therefore continue: “Market prices for aquafeed will continue to be relatively high in 2024, especially for those species relying heavily on marine protein and oil, due to El Niño. “The outlook for H1 2024 will be a continuation of relatively high prices for fishmeal and especially fish oil globally, driven by lower fishing quotas and yields in the anchoveta fishery of Peru. “Much of the aquafeed sector remains exposed to raw-material price volatility.” Chief Executive of STIM Carl-Erik Arnesen takes a similar view: “Aquafeed prices will be driven by fluctuations in prices of different raw materials. The availability of European vegetable feedstuff sources will be affected by the drought seen in many areas. Effects of this will probably be seen in the first two to three quarters of 2024. The status of El Ninõ in South America will in turn affect global fish oil and fishmeal prices. And as China is increasing its use of fossil fuels, it can push processed raw materials into the market at a higher rate, probably also contributing to fluctuations in raw-material prices. If the different raw-material groups follow the same trend in the same periods, it will be a bumpy ride for feed prices in 2024.” There are signs of improvement, however. Reflecting on Peru’s anchoveta fishing, Bachis says: “The second season is continuing slowly but steadily. In theory, this will go on until the quota is fulfilled, unless signs of spawning are detected in the anchovy.” He adds: “The second half of 2024 will hopefully see a classical post-El Niño rebound in catches and production of marine ingredients, and therefore some relative normalisation of fishmeal prices.”

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FEED AND FEED SYSTEMS

Delivery matters AS well as ensuring the raw materials for aquafeed are sustainable and affordable, another issue is how efficiently the feed is delivered to the fish. Feeding technology has moved on a long way from the days of hand feeding. The series of Fish Farm Feeder solutions from Spanish-based Feeding Systems SL, for example, permit remote online assistance and remote monitoring of the feeder operation, controlled by an app and in a way that is compatible with a range of different software. The feeding systems cover all stages of growth for fish and shrimp, from the hatchery stage to grow-out at sea or in a land-based farm. Finland’s Arvo-Tec offers smart technology for aquaculture with the aim of making the feeding process more efficient, while keeping the environmental load sustainable. The company’s main focus lies in providing solutions for the constantly developing recirculating aquaculture systems sector. Arvo-Tec’s range of products is focused around the fish feeding process that is essential during the whole lifecycle from start to finish, for trout, shrimp or other species. Remote monitoring to ensure that the right amount of feed is being delivered to the fish is already being deployed by the big salmon farmers. A number of solutions are in development using artificial intelligence to further reduce the need for constant human monitoring. Meanwhile, pellets are not the only way to deliver feed, especially for cleaner fish who prefer to nibble their food rather than compete with the much bigger salmon. World Feeds’ feed blocks, developed from those used for diverse species in aquariums, ensure that cleaner fish can feed in the way they prefer.

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successful. The next stage of the project, which has received more than £260,000 in funding from the UK Seafood Innovation Fund, will involve monitoring fish fed on hemp-seed protein as part of their diet. Also, in February last year, a study by SalmoSim, a spin-out firm based at the University of Glasgow, found that waxworms fed on plastic waste are as suitable for feeding farmed salmon as other commercially available insect meals. The company said that further testing would be undertaken to ensure that salmon fed on plastic would be safe for humans to eat. Other insects have been emerging as alternative protein sources for fish too, particularly fly larvae, which at the present time look like the best option for producing insect-based protein at scale. In December 2023, the Enorm biofactory, said to be northern Europe’s largest insect factory, opened in Denmark. The factory reported that it is set to produce more than 10,000 tonnes of insect meal annually, which it said could be used in place of fishmeal in the fishing industry. Enorm is producing insect meal and insect oil from the black soldier fly, whose larvae are fed primarily with byproducts from the food industry. Around 12 days later, the

larvae are processed into oil and protein. The factory expects to produce 100 tonnes of larvae per day. Michel van Spankeren, Business Development Manager at insectingredients company Protix, says: “The use of insects, specifically the black soldier fly, as a sustainable source of protein and other nutrients, is a relatively new, yet natural and logical step in creating a positive footprint while maintaining high palatability and performance. “The larvae are a rich source of protein and lipids. They quickly convert low-grade food waste into body mass. They need little room to grow and use less land than alternative sources of protein and lipids. They can be farmed close to where they are needed, thus reducing transport. “There are clear indications that insect ingredients may be better for the health and welfare of aquatic animals, compared to ingredients such as soy – plant-based nutrients that carnivorous farmed species, such as salmon, are not designed to digest. These advantages have already been hinted at in a number of early studies and there is scope for these results to be reinforced in the near future, strengthening the possibility of fetching a price premium across the value chain.” Buttle says that while the outlook is positive, it may take a

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Your fish feed specialist

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Find out more at: alltechcoppens.com/sustainability

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FEED AND FEED SYSTEMS

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A spokesperson for Mowi said the firm is always looking to widen its raw-materials basket, adding: “We are continuously testing emerging raw materials and will start using them if or when they tick all or most of the right boxes, which include: the required nutritional value; availability in sufficient volumes; a step forward in carbon-footprint terms; and cost-competitiveness.” while for some alternative protein sources to make their mark. However, there may be a few issues to “The landscape for alternative protein sources in aquacultures overcome for alternative protein sources, holds promise, with multiple options on the horizon,” she says. observes Henrik T Halken, Group Vice “Currently, insect meals have been the star in terms of capital President at Aller Aqua: “The challenge investment in recent years, but there is not yet a clear indication can be the price. It’s often way above that they will be used in bulk in standard fish feeds routinely in 2024. market price in the first years before “Single-cell proteins are another candidate and we have a product production is scaled up.” in development in this category, with the right nutritional properties and potential for scale.” Sustainability Arnesen says he hopes to see more alternative protein sources Sustainability also looks set to remain coming through more significantly in 2024. He explains: “We high on the aquafeed industry agenda for are not currently using the full spectrum of available high-quality 2024. Van Spankeren says: “CO2 emissions protein sources. from feed are an eye-opening 57% of the “Fish farmers in Norway are being hesitant to use approved aquaculture total, according to a 2020 study byproducts from land animal production, which is a stance they on quantifying greenhouse-gas (GHG) should reconsider. There are also some high-quality fermented emissions from global aquaculture. vegetable protein products on the way, which we believe will be “As the demand on worldwide resources important new sources of protein.” increases, the aquafeed industry increasingly

Feed producers will be getting closer to the deadlines they’ve set for their sustainability targets

Clockwise from top: M ow i

ee gs es ﬁsh f e e d ; M ow i K yl e a k i n f e e d p l a nt Opposite: S u p p l y ve s s e l a nd f e e d b a r g e

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recognises that ensuring sustainable sourcing is essential for its long-term survival. The challenge facing feed manufacturers is to reduce the environmental footprint of their feed while maintaining feed palatability and health benefits.” And much effort towards this is already underway, as Dr Brett Glencross, Technical Director at IFFO, observes: “The main feed producers have announced ambitious targets in terms of reducing their products’ environmental impacts by 30% or more, covering not only carbon footprint but other categories as well, such as biodiversity impacts, land-use change and water use. “In 2024, feed producers will be getting closer to the deadlines they’ve set for their sustainability targets, which are between 2023 and 2025. Marine ingredients contribute positively to feed producers’ strategies on environmental sustainability: according to GFLI’s [Global Feed LCA Institute’s] 2023 data, the carbon footprint of soybean meal and soy protein concentrate is respectively two and three times that of fishmeal. “70% to 90% of the feed’s footprint is linked to the raw materials. Their sourcing is a key parameter and certification programmes assure that marine ingredients come from responsibly managed fisheries, which helps provide a level of independence in the use of sustainability claims. Furthermore, an increasing share of the raw materials used in the production of fishmeal and fish oil comes from byproducts, which have a lower carbon footprint than most of the other feed ingredients and make the most of materials already available, which have no food market.” Dsm-firmenich’s Buttle also envisages that sustainability will become a higher priority. As she explains: “It will become increasingly important and sustainability KPIs [key performance indicators] will sit firmly within C-suite commitments, along with financial frameworks. At the end of the value chain, consumer and retailer attention on sustainable food is also set to intensify, through the use of eco-labelling and certifications for example. “For aquaculture, there are many metrics that contribute to sustainability across the ESG framework. Notably, addressing GHG emissions has become a pivotal focus for industry leaders. Beyond GHG emissions, other critical environmental parameters such as water use, water scarcity, land use and biodiversity metrics are emerging as key indicators in evaluating the sustainability of the aquaculture industry. “In addition, ESG credentials are poised to play an increasingly significant role when it comes to finance and the development of taxonomy, with a focus on seafood and aquaculture operations. Key drivers of sustainable aquaculture also include food loss and waste; fish health and welfare; and sustainable raw materials. In 2024, we will see a continued emphasis on the raw-material basket of aquaculture feeds and

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FEED AND FEED SYSTEMS very well and is delivering hundreds of thousands of tonnes. “Insect meals are still to make their way into the recipes for aquaculture. The delay in scaling is continuing and as with all ingredients, it is the market that will decide where the volumes will go. Looking at developments within the fishmeal and fish oil sector, the role of byproducts in marine-ingredient production seems to be outpacing everyone’s expectations. With 2.5 million tonnes of fishmeal and fish oil currently being made from byproducts, those low-CO2 materials are now quite mainstream and growing faster than insects, single-cell protein and algal materials combined.” Thomas D’Alfonso, Director, animal and aquaculture at the US Soybean Export Council, notes that new versions of current products are also underway: “It’s important to consider that existing ingredients are undergoing enhancements, such as new soy products and corn concentrates.” Any continuing uncertainty could drive further developments, as he concludes: Above left: Anchovy “In times of unstable ingredient supply ﬁshing vessels chains or when specific requirements, like those for aquaculture certifications, need to be met, the industry is likely to explore options to safeguard their operations.”

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the development of alternatives or novel raw materials.” Arnesen adds: “Sustainability has an ever-growing importance in aquaculture, as it should. Even though farmed salmon already boasts a low carbon footprint compared to land-based animal protein, we can still do significantly better. Choosing feeds with better sustainability profiles are among the most efficient measures. Our sister company Polarfeed has formulated feeds using low-carbon raw materials. Today the carbon footprint of its products is an estimated 52% lower than the industry average.”

Next developments and new products Looking ahead over 2024, at potential new developments and products, Glencross says: “We expect to see some additional capacity added into the algal oil space, but this probably won’t impact until beyond 2024. The fermented-grains production, building on the back of bioethanol byproducts, is scaling

The larvae are a rich source of protein and lipids

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PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

What’s NEW Monthly update on industry innovation and solutions from around the world Gael Force Group signs exclusive agreement with Nauplius Workboats

GAEL Force, the aquaculture equipment and technology supplier, has signed an exclusive agreement to partner with the Dutch shipyard Nauplius Workboats for the building of its range of SeaFeed steel feed barges. It says partnering with Nauplius will enable Gael Force to strengthen and increase its barge-building capacity while offering its customers favourable delivery times and a competitive package. The structural build of the steel barge hulls, surface treatments and painting will take place at Groningen in the Netherlands, before being towed across to Inverness for a mechanical and electrical full fit-out and installation of the SeaFeed system by Gael Force.

Nofima chooses Nuvonic for water treatment

Billund to build RAS farm for striped bass in Mexico

The Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (Nofima) has been working with supplier Øwre-Johnsen to integrate Nuvonic UV solutions into its water treatment system. The UV units have been placed on pipelines supplying seawater to Nofima’s facilities as a disinfection measure. A study by the Norwegian Veterinary Institute to validate the efficacy of Nuvonic’s UV technology in water treatment at Nofima, with a particular focus on inactivating vibrio bacteria, validated the system’s effectiveness. Per Brunsvik, Research Station Manager at Nofima, said: “Nofima sees UV technology as standard equipment within the aquaculture sector. Such technologies can provide better control of the production process.”

Mexican company Pacifico Aquaculture has commissioned Billund Aquaculture to design and implement a recirculation aquaculture system (RAS) project for its new land-based hatchery and nursery, which will be the first in the world to produce striped bass (Morone saxatilis) at scale. The facility will be built in the Ensenada Bay area of Baja California, Mexico and produce 80g juveniles, which will subsequently be transferred to the company’s grow-out sites, located nearby – about 20km from the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Although there have been several experiences worldwide of farming hybrid striped bass (Morone chrysops + M. saxatilis) in freshwater RAS, this will be a first for striped bass, as well as Billund Aquaculture’s first RAS project in Mexico. Pictured: Per-Roar Gjerde, CEO, Pacifico Aquaculture and Bjarne Hald Olsen, CSO, Billund Aquaculture

OTAQ reports revenues ‘better than expected’

Marine technology business OTAQ plc said it expects to report better than expected revenues of around £4.4m for 2023, up from £4m in the previous year. Revenues in the second half of last year are expected to be not less than £2.5m, up 93% on the same period last year (FY22: £1.3m) and up by more than 40% on the first half of FY23. The company expects to report a reduced adjusted EBITDA loss for the year of approximately £245k. Both the offshore and aquaculture divisions performed well. The company also announced that it is deploying 16 Live Plankton Analysis Systems (LPAS) with fish farmers, as well as 42 LPAS already in place.

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INDUSTRY DIARY

Industry DIARY The latest aquaculture events, conferences and courses JUNE 24

FEBRUARY 24 AQUAFARM 2024 www.aquafarmexpo.it

Pordenone, Italy February 14-15, 2024

Focused on climate, research and innovation

SEAWORK www.seawork.com

Southampton, United Kingdom June 11-13, 2024

Europe’s largest on-water commercial marine and workboat exhibition.

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Ketchikan, Alaska September 11-12, 2024

Leading conference for the seaweed sector in the US.

LATIN AMERICAN & CARIBBEAN AQUACULTURE 2024 www.was.org

Medellin, Colombia September 24-27, 2024

AQUACULTURE AMERICA www.was.org

San Antonio,Texas, USA February 18-21, 2024

SUBSEA EXPO 2024

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Tórshavn, Faroe Islands June 18-20, 2024 Venue:The Nordic House

Leading conference for the seaweed sector in Europe.

www.subseaexpo.com

Aberdeen, United Kingdom February 20-22, 2024 Venue: P&J Live

The World’s Largest Subsea Exhibition and Conference

MAY 24 AQUACULTURE UK 2024

JULY 24 ASIAN PACIFIC AQUACULTURE 2024 www.was.org

Surabaya, Indonesia NEW DATES July 2-5, 2024

Aquaculture – Driving the Blue Economy is the theme of the conference at the Grand City next year.

AUGUST 24 AQUA 2024

DECEMBER 24 ALGAEUROPE 2024

www.algaeurope.org

Athens, Greece December 10-12, 2024 Venue: Grandior Hotel Prague

Conference about science, technology and business in the Algae Biomass sector.

MARCH 25 AQUACULTURE 2025

www.was.org

New Orleans, Louisiana USA March 6-10, 2025

www.aquaeas.org - www.was.org

Copenhagen, Denmark August 26-30, 2024

Aquaculture Conference and Exhibition organised by the European and World Aquaculture Society.

www.aquacultureuk.com Aviemore will once again be the venue for this biennial trade fair and conference. It is undoubtedly the most important aquaculture exhibition held in the British Isles. The show has a tremendous following and with increased investment for 2024 it promises to reach even further across the broader aquaculture markets in both the UK and Europe.

Aviemore, United Kingdom May 14-15, 2024

MAY 25 AQUAFUTURE SPAIN 2025 Website coming soon

Vigo, Spain May 20-22, 2025 Venue: Ifevi Fairgrounds

An international meeting space for the Spanish aquaculture industry.

SEPTEMBER 25 AQUACULTURE EUROPE 2025 www.aquaeas.org

Valencia, Spain September 22-25 2025

www.fishfarmermagazine.com

Industry Diary.indd 65

08/01/2024 11:02:03

OPINION – INSIDE TRACK

The nation’s favourite fish By Nick Joy

MAY be suffering a little bit, not as you may think from overindulgence for a change but because I went for a long hill walk with friends on New Year’s Day (suffering from the effects of overindulgence). So today my old bones are feeling rather sore from reminding myself just how beautiful Scotland is. The outcome is that when I sat down to write my article, my brain refused to kick into its normal gear. In a moment of madness, I decided that I would Google “farmed salmon” to see if it gave me any inspiration. If there is anything more maddening than seeing a bunch of well-meaning knownothings lecturing everyone on the standards they perceive in the world, I don’t know what it is. Of course, the first two pages of the search were full of: “Is farmed salmon, ethical or sustainable?” Which would have been interesting if they had the slightest interest in actually discussing those issues or even understanding what they are talking about. Instead, every page is full of lectures on the perceived poor behaviour of salmon farmers. I should mention that the Global Salmon Initiative does get a look-in but its gentle headline doesn’t butt in amongst the screamers. Maybe they should try some of these headlines: • Do all mainstream media journalists lie about salmon farming? • Can the world actually do without salmon farming? • Would we be better plundering the seas than farming fish? • Are most marine biology departments in universities full of idiots? Now before all the marine biologists in the industry start writing to me to protest, let me say that I would answer “no” to that question – but I would want to debate it. Trust me, no journalist will ever come back at me on the first one, not in the mainstream media. Truth has long gone from that industry if it was ever there. The point, of course, is that I really enjoy debating with people who have the opposite view to me. I don’t think it’s a bad idea to disagree, as long as we start by agreeing that we are all human and we have a right to our views. A friend of mine, who spent New Year with us, is rather high up in a quango in Scotland. This organisation claims to be reasonable and has a clear view of the countryside. On many occasions, my friend has asked me about salmon farming and how I would answer this or that criticism. He has always maintained a reasonable and open view, and I have enjoyed explaining and pointing out anomalies in his arguments. He has on several occasions asked me if I would come and talk with this organisation but each time when he discusses it in the office, they will not countenance the idea that someone should disabuse them of their prejudice. This is all too prevalent in our civil service as well, partly because of the likes of the campaigning organisation Common Purpose, but also from a general feeling of superiority, which has become prevalent. We can no longer influence thinking in our civil service because “they know better”. Neither the quango nor the civil service want to be challenged in any way. Having vented my spleen sufficiently at our industry’s perennial

”

I really enjoy debating with people who have the opposite view to me

problem, perhaps it would be better to spend a little time on the future. New Year is a time of hope and dreams so I will look forward and hope for better times. The Marine Conservation Society, with whom I have worked on many occasions, start their piece on salmon with: “There’s a saying in the seafood industry: the West eats cod, the East eats mackerel and everyone eats salmon.” The article continues: “Did you know that farmed salmon produces a fraction of the carbon generated by the beef industry? The carbon footprint for farmed salmon is 2.9 carbon equivalents per kilogram of edible product, compared to as much as 30 for cattle.“ So it is possible for an environmental organisation to actually have a reasoned view and make balanced comments. It’s just so rare but it gives me hope. Maybe we could try to find as many environmental organisations that are openminded and work with them to get a more balanced view. I certainly tried in my time but I also worked with the wild lobby and that didn’t work out too well! Anyway, I wish you all a prosperous and successful 2024. The world will never be worse for having dreamers who hope for more sensible and reasonable times.

www.fishfarmermagazine.com

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08/01/2024 15:21:22

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