Fish Farmer Magazine March 2018

Fish Farmer VOLUME 41

Serving worldwide aquaculture since 1977

NUMBER 03

MARCH 2018

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

TALENT POOL

HOLYROOD HEARINGS

INVESTING IN SCIENCE

STARTING AGAIN

Training aquaculture’s new pioneers

Salmon industry in the spotlight

Scott Landsburgh on the key to success

Nick Joy goes back to the beginning

March Cover.indd 1

08/03/2018 11:07:22

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Contents 4-17 News

What’s happening in aquaculture in the UK and around the world JENNY HJUL – EDITOR

Inquiring minds

I

N this issue we focus on the training and education of the next generation of aquaculture professionals, looking at the current provision of courses and what skills might be needed in the future. What is clear is the high calibre of entrants, either taking their first steps in the industry or embracing cutting edge research in our renowned academic institutions.

Those who remain based in Scotland will be at the forefront of any changes to the way the sector operates here, and therefore it is crucial that today’s leaders safeguard the industry on their behalf.

This should be straightforward, given the value of aquaculture to the Scottish economy and its role as a major rural employer.

But as a second parliamentary inquiry into salmon farming gets underway this month, we are reminded that there is strong opposition not just to the growth but the existence of aquaculture.

There will be no placating the vocal minority who believe fish should not be reared in the sea, but we do urge all politicians now investigating Scotland’s salmon production to do so with open minds.

We ask that they take up invitations to visit farms, find out for themselves how they work, and talk to farmers, instead of relying on second hand propaganda. Hopefully, they will then be suitably informed when making pronouncements that could affect our young people’s prospects.

18-20 News focus

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Meet the team

Contact us

Editorial Advisory Board: Steve Bracken, Scott Landsburgh, Hervé Migaud, Patrick Smith and Jim Treasurer Editor: Jenny Hjul Designer: Andrew Balahura Advertising Manager: William Dowds wdowds@fishupdate.com Advertising Executive: Scott Binnie sbinnie@fishupdate.com Publisher: Alister Bennett

Tel: +44(0) 131 551 1000 Fax: +44(0) 131 551 7901 email: jhjul@fishupdate.com

Cover: Athina Papadopoulou and Sam Houston of the Aquaculture Students Association. Picture: Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture

Head Office: Special Publications, Fettes Park, 496 Ferry Road, Edinburgh, EH5 2DL

Subscriptions

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Welcome - Mar.indd 3

40-42 Training SAIC

Salmon trends

44-46 Training

NAFC Marine Centre

23 BTA

48-49 Training

24-25 Comment

50-51 Training

Doug McLeod

Phil Thomas

26-27 Comment

SAMS

Ferguson Transport

56-61 Seafood Expo Brussels preview

28-29 Shellfish

Janet Brown

30-31 SSPO

Scott Landsburgh

65 Net cleaning Scottish solution

32-33 Training

Introduction

76-77 Research Jellyfish

Media, FREEPOST RTEY YUBG TYUB, Trinity House, Sculpins Lane, Wethersfield, Braintree, Essex CM7 4AY

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22 News extra

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38-39 Training

Parliamentary probe

Martin Jaffa

Fish Farmer is now on Facebook and Twitter

Contents – Editor’s Welcome

80-81 Aqua Source Directory

Find all you need for the industry

34-36 Training

Martyn Haines

82 Opinion

By Nick Joy

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08/03/2018 11:01:59

United Kingdom News

NEWS...

Farming ‘status quo not an option’ say MSPs

A HOLYROOD inquiry has concluded that Scotland’s marine ecosystem faces ‘irrecoverable damage’ from salmon farming if environmental concerns are not addressed.

The Environment, Climate Change and

Land Reform committee (ECCLR), which took evidence last month from environmental campaigners, scientists from the Scottish Association for Marine Science and the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation (SSPO), said

takes this inquiry very seriously and has provided written and oral evidence to the committee to highlight our commitment to long-term sustainability through high standards of fish health, husbandry and environmentally responsible production.

‘With investment of over £50 million in new innovations and around £10 million per year spent on research, it is clear that fish mortality was at the Scottish salmon ‘unacceptable levels’. farming industry is Its report concluded proud of its achievethat there has been ment to become the little progress in UK’s top food export. tackling environmental ‘We are determined problems since 2002. to address any chalThe SSPO insisted lenges to the sector it was committed to maintaining that long-term sustainability, position.’ saying: ‘The industry With the industry

planning to expand over the next decade, the committee said Scotland is at ‘a critical point in considering how salmon farming develops in a sustainable way in relation to the environment’.

The environment committee – which did not take evidence from any salmon farmers - came to 12 conclusions, including: an ‘ecosystem based approach’ is needed for growth which identifies where new farms can be located without impacting on the environment; and the sector is not being regulated sufficiently or effectively.

It said ‘the status quo is not an option’ and called for a ‘precautionary’ approach

to expansion of the industry based on outstanding environmental concerns being resolved.

The report on the environmental impact of salmon farming is being sent to the Scottish parliament’s Rural Economy and Connectivity committee which is conducting a wider inquiry into the sector.

It began taking evidence on March 7, with witnesses including Professor James Bron and Professor Herve Migaud of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture, and Professor Paul Tett, reader in Coastal Ecosystems, from the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS).

News focus: Page18

Salmon thrive in Shetland lice shield trial THE introduction of lice shields at a Scottish salmon farm has resulted in a healthy crop that has outperformed all previous years.

Scottish Sea Farms installed the preventative measure at its farm at Slocka, Ronas Voe, on Shetland in May 2017.

In the nine months since, sea lice levels have remained below the Marine Scotland Code of Good Practice threshold, and the salmon are showing strong growth and biological performance, said the company.

Specially engineered to suit Scottish marine conditions, each shield consists of a permeable fabric that lets water and oxygen move freely into fish pens while keeping natural health threats out.

This fabric fully encases the pen to a depth of 6m, providing a barrier against sea lice which are most commonly found in the first few metres below the water’s surface.

Such has been the effectiveness of the shields that Scottish Sea Farms has now invested over £800,000 with two Scottish suppliers – William Milne Tarpaulins in Aberdeen and W&J Knox in Ayrshire – in order to roll out similar protection to 11 of its other farms.The company is also ELEworking with neighbouring salmon growers to synchronise the

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use of the shields, as part of a farm management agreement for those areas.

Jim Gallagher, managing director of Scottish Sea Farms, said: ‘We strive, wherever possible, to replicate the natural conditions that salmon are known to thrive in. As any farmer will understand, however, this comes with its own risks as the marine environment presents new challenges all the time.We are continually exploring and investing in new ways of dealing with these challenges, and it’s hugely encouraging to see positive early results such as these at our trial project in Shetland.’

This latest advance is part of a wider £11.8 million investment in 2017 by the company to enhance the health and welfare of its salmon – over 85 per cent of which is being spent on non-medicinal approaches.The company said six of its farms required no sea lice interventions at all during 2017.

Scottish Sea Farms has also invested approximately £200,000 in environmental data monitoring equipment, as well as more than £260,000 on underwater camera systems, to combat new planktonic organisms potentially harmful to gill health.

Left: Lice shield has been effective

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08/03/2018 10:57:32

All the latest industry news from the UK

Minister to attend Brussels show FERGUS Ewing, Scotland’s Rural Economy minister, is to address a reception in the Scottish pavilion on the first evening of Seafood Expo Global in Brussels in April.

He will be visiting the exhibition, which runs from April 24-26, to support Scotland’s seafood companies,.

There will be 18 Scottish firms taking space within the national

Above: Fergus Ewing

Scottish salmon exports soar to record £600m

SCOTTISH farmed salmon exports reached a pavilion in hall nine, and record high of £600 million last year, 35 per cent up on the previous year’s total. a further 10 will be New figures released by HMRC in February exhibiting on separate also showed that export tonnage of salmon had stands, in halls five, increased in 2017, by 26 per cent. eight and nine.

The US remains the largest market, with sales All Scotland’s main worth £193 million, followed by France (£188 salmon producers will million), China (£69 million) and the Republic be in Brussels, along of Ireland (£34 million). with representatives Taiwan secured its place in the top five from the Scottish markets with sales worth £16 million, above Salmon Producers Germany, Poland, Canada, Belgium and the Organisation, seafood Netherlands, which make up the top ten export suppliers, and technolodestinations. gy companies.

Scott Landsburgh, Scottish Salmon Producers The Scottish pavilion Organisation chief executive, said: ‘The demand will feature a seafood for Scottish salmon continues to grow in recogbar and lounge, where Scottish seafood will be nition of its taste, quality and provenance and these are key drivers for growth in the USA, EU prepared and served throughout the exhibi- and Asian markets.

‘This record breaking export success of Scottion, which is in its 26th tish salmon is a trail blazer for other Scottish year.

Patrick Hughes, head food overseas and a further reminder of the importance of salmon to the Scottish economy of Seafood Scotland, and food and drink sector. which is coordinat‘Our achievement means that young people, ing the pavilion, will communities and local suppliers also benefit welcome Scottish show from the economic success.’ goers and their guests.

Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said: Preview: Page 56

‘These figures show that demand for Scotland’s world renowned food and drink continues not only to grow, but to soar. Today’s outstanding figures are a result of remarkable products and of sectors working together to create a national brand with a global reputation, underpinned by the Scotland Food and Drink Export Plan.’

The government would do all it could to ‘support and protect’ Scotland’s food and drink sector in the face of threats, such as Brexit.

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UK news.indd 5

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08/03/2018 10:57:50

United Kingdom News

‘Ripple effect’ of £17.9m investment in innovation projects track to deliver THE Scottish our five-year Aquaculture targets.’

Innovation These include Centre (SAIC) 668 industry enhas facilitated gagements, 100 16 collaborative applied research projects with MSc projects, a combined 35 co-funded investment of projects, and 110 £17.9 million industry ready since it was set graduates. up in 2014.

The SAIC This amounts Above: Heather Jones, sponsored to £3.60 geninitiatives undertaken so far erated for every £1 of public include scaling up the use of money, said SAIC CEO Heathcleaner fish; improving cleaner er Jones, unveiling the organisafish vaccination; establishing tion’s progress report - Innovaa sustainable supply of lumption and the Ripple Effect. suckers; enhancing the health SAIC’s role, she said, is to and welfare of lumpsuckers; connect the companies who exploring ultrasound technolofarm Scotland’s seas with the gy for delousing; and developing country’s excellent universifeeds that optimise fish health ties – accelerating innovation, and nutrition. strengthening national food More projects are in the security and supporting envipipeline for 2018, focusing on ronmental stewardship. gill health, improving disease reSAIC, which has an initial fivesistance, and developing better year remit, has recently been modelling to benefit both the preparing its case for a second industry and regulators. term. In its report, SAIC said: The report can be found at ‘With the support of industry www.scottishaquaculture.com and academia, we’re well on

Talks on aquaculture growth in Norway to the economy in remote THE Norwegian fisheries rural, island and coastal minister, Per Sandberg, areas by supporting met his counterhigh-skilled empart in Edinburgh ployment in local earlier this month communities and to discuss Norway’s releasing a series approach to aquaof indirect benefits culture, Brexit and throughout the supply continued cooperation. chain.

Scotland’s rural Above: Per Sandberg ‘We recognise the close economy minister, links of our farmed salmFergus Ewing, and on and seafood producers with environment secretary, Roseanna Norwegian companies.

Cunningham, welcomed Sandberg ‘This meeting will provide a to Scotland, where he also met chance to explore further opfishing industry representatives. portunities, while also considAhead of the meeting, Ewering how we might learn from ing described the talks as ‘an Norway in the area of fish health, opportunity for both myself and sustainable growth and, indeed, Roseanna Cunningham to discuss enabling more home grown busithe Norwegian government’s approach to aquaculture and how nesses to develop.

‘And of course Norway is a that aligns with our own vision to key partner for fisheries and we grow the sector sustainably’. look forward to continuing and ‘Our aquaculture sector now strengthening our cooperation supports more than 12,000 jobs with them in this area.’ and makes a major contribution

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Export honours for Scottish salmon MARINE Harvest and the Scottish Salmon Company have been shortlisted in a number of categories in the Scottish Export Awards.

The two companies are both in the running for the Large Exporter of the Year prize, while Marine Harvest is also up for the High Growth Markets Exporter of the Year, and the Scottish Salmon Company has been shortlisted for the Most Entrepreneurial Exporter of the Year award.

Other Scottish shortlisted firms include Aqualife Services, nominated alongside St James

Smokehouse for the Small Exporter of the Year accolade.

St James Smokehouse is also vying for the Export Team of the Year award, with John Ross Jr Aberdeen.

The winners of the Scottish Export Awards will be announced at a black-tie dinner at the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow on March 22.

Lantra awards postponed due to snow LANTRA Scotland was forced to postpone its learner of the year awards ceremony, due to be held on March 1 in Dunblane.

The ‘red’ weather warning in Scotland’s central belt, the first ever such alert to be issued by the Met Office for Scotland, hit transport services across the country, and much of Scotland faced massive disruption.

The Lantra awards have been rescheduled for Wednesday, March 28, and will still be held at the Doubletree by Hilton

Dunblane Hydro Hotel.

For further information contact Lantra at scotland@lantra. co.uk or on 01738 310164.

Above: Hilton Dunblane Hydro Hotel

Salmon chiefs among top directors TWO salmon farm bosses have been named as finalists in the Scottish Institute of Director awards.

Craig Anderson, of the Scottish Salmon Company, and Loch Duart’s Alban Denton are among four contenders in the Director of the Year – Large Business category.

Anderson is also in the running for the Regional Director of

the Year prize (for Edinburgh, Lothians and Borders), and Denton is in the Highlands and Islands shortlist.

The winners across nine categories, as well as the five regional directors of the year, will be named at a ceremony on March 22 at the Crowne Plaza Glasgow.The shortlist of 37 was selected from150 entries.

‘The Director of the

Above: Salmon bosses are contenders

Year Awards are an excellent opportunity to honour those at the top of Scotland’s businesses,’ said David Watt, executive director of the Institute of Directors in Scotland.

‘They are leaders, and their skills are vital to building Scotland’s future.

‘These leaders are at the top of their game, and have much to share, not only within the confines of their business or sector, but also to society as a whole. The lessons they have learned along the way can contribute to finding solutions to wider social issues.’

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08/03/2018 10:58:17

All the latest industry news from the UK

Industry growth will promote jobs says MP THE importance of aquaculture supply chain companies to Scotland’s west coast economy was highlighted during a visit to the region by Argyll and Bute MP Brendan O’Hara.

The Scottish Nationalist MP saw at first hand the value of the sector when he dropped in to Fusion Marine’s new office premises near Oban.

Employing 18 people locally, Fusion Marine has secured many significant orders in recent years from Scottish salmon companies to supply fish farm pens and associated equipment, which are constructed at its manufacturing base at Barcaldine.

The company recently moved its headquarters to the European Marine Science Park in Dunstaffnage, enabling staff to benefit from being part of the cluster of scientific expertise based there.

Stephen Divers, managing director of Fusion Marine, said: ‘We were delighted to meet with Brendan O’Hara and highlight to him the crucial role played by the supply chain in supporting Scotland’s important aquaculture sector.

‘Salmon farming not only creates many direct jobs, but also supports a vast array of supply companies, providing an additional significant boost to the west coast economy and

Above: (Left to right) Brendan O’Hara, Stephen Divers and John MacGregor, company secretary of Fusion Marine. Picture by Kevin McGlynn

benefiting schools, shops and numerous other local businesses.’

Brendan O’Hara said: ‘I was delighted to meet with Stephen Divers and his staff today to better understand their role in the vitally important aquaculture industry; an industry that plays

a hugely significant part in our economy here in Argyll and Bute.

‘With projected growth in the aquaculture industry, I believe that Fusion Marine has a bright future, and one that will bring even more high value, skilled jobs to the Oban area.’

Celebrating women scientists

THE Scottish salmon farming industry showcased the achievements of some of its female employees to coincide with UN International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which took place on February 11.

A series of short interviews has been posted on the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation (SSPO) website.

Among those featured was Marine

Harvest Scotland vet and head of fish health, Meritxell Diez Padrisa.

Asked what she loved about her job, she said: ‘I love being confronted with problems and having to find solutions to them.

‘Veterinary medicine is always a challenging field, but working with fish is even more challenging as there are still many unknowns.

This is what, from my point of view, makes

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fish so attractive to work with: you need to be very creative.’

Also interviewed for the series was scientist Beth Osborne, of Loch Duart Salmon.

She said she didn’t see the industry as a man’s world but her advice to anyone entering the sector was ‘don’t be afraid to get stuck in’.

See http://scottishsalmon.co.uk/ category/farming/ women-in-science/

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08/03/2018 10:58:38

United Kingdom News

Experimental salmon tank up for sale

Above: Arve Gravdal

THE Norwegian company that attempted to farm salmon in a tank on the west coast of Scotland announced that it is to sell its facility.

Niri had ambitions to produce salmon at its base in Machrihanish, on the Kintyre peninsula, to prove pioneering recirculating aquaculture system technology.

However, water contamination forced the company to close down the farm around September last year.

‘We stopped the project a little bit before we should.

But the big picture is we met

the milestones on the project there,’ Arve Gravdal of Niri told Fish Farmer in November.

In 2016, some 26,000 smolts had been stocked in the 1,600 cubic metre tank, housed in a hangar at the former Nato air base in Machrihanish, near Campbeltown. Niri claimed its system could be rolled out on an industrial scale.

Last month Niri said:‘We are now able to receive interest from industrial investors who wish to develop further the Machrihanish facility using the Niri RAS technology. Niri shareholders wish to remain true to their strategy, focused on being a technology business and not a production company.

‘We strongly believe that a partner who has core competencies in production, supported with Niri RAS technology, together can create a successful future based around the facility established in Machrihanish.

The company said it remained convinced that the facility had ‘an excellent future’.

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UK news.indd 8

MH Scotland welcomes ‘record results’ MARINE Harvest Scotland has thanked its staff for its ‘record results’ after a challenging year for fish health.

Ben Hadfield, managing director of Marine Harvest Scotland, said: ‘Despite a challenging year for fish health, we produced record results in Scotland. My thanks go to our hard working employees across the west coast and Highlands and islands.’

Scotland’s workforce benefited from staff bonuses paid relative to the company’s performance and targets, and the firm’s salary bill for 2017 reached £47 million.

Marine Harvest Group posted record profits in its Q4 financial results, achieving an operational EBIT of €181 million in the fourth quarter of 2017.

In Scotland, the Q4 operating profit dropped 29 per cent, to €15.4 million (€21.7 million in Q4 2016), as the cost level per kilogram harvested increased, amounting to €1.19 per kg (€1.83 in Q4 2016).

‘While the

general fish health situation improved for our Scottish operations during the three first quarters of 2017, the biological performance has been more challenging in the fourth quarter,’ the company report said.

‘This situation is not expected to improve significantly in the next quarter. Combined with low volumes, costs are expected to remain at the current high level also in the first quarter of 2018.’

Incident based mortality was €5.4 million, compared to €900,000 in Q4 of 2016, due to increased anemia, bacterial infection and cardiomyopathy syndrome, the company said.

But sea lice levels at the end of the quarter were lower than at the end of 2016.

The introduction of wrasse and lumpsuckers has helped reduce sea lice levels.

Left: Ben Hadfield

Salmon sector drives Gael Force growth AQUACULTURE supply company Gael Force Group is to invest more than £1 million in an expansion and innovation programme this year following record growth in 2017.

Last year, the Inverness based firm increased turnover by almost 45 per cent and added 50 new staff to its now 200-strong team – growth driven mostly by orders from Scottish salmon producers.

Now, the company wants to increase capacity and develop new products and services to meet customer demand.

Gael Force founder and managing director Stewart Graham said: ‘The growth of farmed Scottish salmon has

been instrumental to the ongoing success of Gael Force.

‘As farming practices become increasingly sophisticated, so too we have become increasingly innovative, resulting in new products such as the SeaFeed Offshore Feeding System.

‘We look forward to developing even more added value products and services over the

course of this year, and our planned investment of over £1 million in new capacity and R&D will enable us to grow our partnership with producers.’

Salmon farming as a whole contributes an estimated £558 million towards the national economy.

And it generates spending of £390 million on local suppliers and services.

Above: Gael Force Group’s Stewart Graham

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08/03/2018 13:49:16

All the latest industry news from the UK

Loch Duart appoints luxury goods boss fashion brands such as Ralph Lauren and Vivienne Westwood among its clients, in addition to retailers such as Berdorf Goodman in New York and Wako in Tokyo.

Alban Denton, Loch Duart’s managing director, said: ‘Ian Laird joining the board is a real coup for Loch Duart as he brings with him the understanding of managing the prestigious, global luxury brand, Alex Begg.

‘We’re especially pleased that he will contribute his experience of managing a company which has not only doubled in size, but now exports most of what it produces.

‘Loch Duart’s focus is on producing extraordinary tasting salmon. Having Ian as part of our team will help us continue to deliver this Above: Ian Laird to customers across the world.’

Laird said: ‘I’m very excited to be joining the LOCH Duart has made a new appointment to its board from the world of Scottish luxury board of Loch Duart at a time when this premium brand is growing in popularity, particugoods. larly overseas. It is one of the great Scottish Ian Laird, managing director of Ayrshire business success stories. based Alex Begg, will be a non-executive ‘I look forward to bringing my experience director of the Sutherland and Hebrides based into the mix of the board of Loch Duart and salmon company. being a champion for a quality product which Alex Begg specialises in the design and manufacture of woven accessories and counts is asked for by name worldwide.’

By-products could add more value

THE Scottish salmon farming industry could make better use of by-products, adding 5.5 per cent value to the sector, researchers have found.

Though generally well utilised, total by-product value output could be improved by 803 per cent (£23.7 million), based on 2015 figures, according to a recent study.

Led by Julien Stevens, re-

processing stage, looking at the Scottish salmon farming industry as a case study.

By exploiting all high value by-product types (heads, frames, trimmings and belly flaps) for existing domestic and export food markets, the authors demonstratsearchers from ed the potential to the University of add 5.5 per cent Stirling’s Institute value to the salmof Aquaculture and on industry.

University of MasDirecting 77 per sachusetts, Boston, cent of the annual have published whole fish producresearch funded by tion towards huIFFO, the Marine man consumption Ingredients Organ- results in 132,171 isation. tonnes of food.

The research The remaining investigated how by-products can value could be then be utilised in added to aquathe production of culture through fishmeal and fish better utilisation oil, and subseof by-products, by quently used in maximising edible aquafeed for farm yields and better raised marine separation at the species.

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UK news.indd 9

AquaGen increases Scotland team THE Scottish branch of AquaGen has just added a third person to its team. Robert Murray has been appointed technical advisor. Based at the Stirling University Innovation Park, he will help proAbove: Robert Murray vide technical advice and assistance to AquaGen’s customers and be the main collaborator on industry research projects.

The Norwegian owned firm is a specialist in genomic selection and is the world’s leading supplier of fertilised salmon and rainbow trout eggs to the global salmonid aquaculture sector. It announced in November 2017 its plans for egg production in Scotland for the 2018/19 season.

‘I am very pleased to join the AquaGen team at such an exciting time in the company’s development in Scotland and the wider UK,’ said Murray.

With a degree in zoology and 37 years’ experience in the industry, Murray brings a wealth of knowledge and know-how to AquaGen.

Fusion manager brings subsea experience FUSION Marine has appointed Iain Macdonald as operations manager in a move that will enable the Argyll based company to further develop and service its busy order book.

A former merchant navy deck officer, Macdonald brings a wealth of experience to Fusion Marine, having most recently worked in Thailand, where Above: Iain Macdonald he was involved in oil and gas subsea construction work.

Based at Fusion Marine’s manufacturing facility at Barcaldine, he is overseeing the fabrication of fish farm pens and a range of other equipment for the aquaculture and marine sectors.

Stephen Divers, the company’s managing director, said: ‘We are delighted to welcome Iain to the team and he has already made a positive impact in the short time he has been here.’

Salmon farmer sponsors shinty fund

Above: Lochaber Area Primary 5 and under shinty players pictured as Marine Harvest announced its new Children and Young Persons Development Fund, with (right) the company’s Jayne MacKay and Willie MacDonald, youth director of the Camanachd Association.

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08/03/2018 10:59:21

European News

NEWS...

Danes see market in Scottish growth REPRESENTATIVES from the Scottish aquaculture industry were invited to Denmark recently to give an insight into how their sector is working to unlock future growth.

An industry led initiative to double production by 2030 will provide suppliers with huge opportunities, and Danish innovators are keen to exploit these.

Martin Winkel, head of the Danish Fish Tech Group, the largest Danish export network for suppliers to the global fishing, aquaculture and seafood processing industries, said: ‘At the network meeting, the Danish companies got an understanding of how the aquaculture industry can implement changes by working together, because players from the entire supply chain of the industry are backing up the strategy plan and taking ownership of the plan to support the required developments.’

The Danish Fish Tech Group plans to attend Aquaculture UK in Aviemore in May where, said Winkel, companies will be able to ‘showcase their innovative products, proven solutions and services to the Scottish aquaculture industry’.

One of the initiators of Scotland’s plan to grow the aquaculture

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Above: Elaine Jamieson and Stewart Graham address Danish suppliers

sector, Stewart Graham, group managing director of Gael Force, spoke at the meeting held in Silkeborg in January.

‘Our key recommendations are to address the biological challenges like sea lice, to rationalise the regulations we are working within and, thirdly, to innovate the supply chain with new product technologies,’ he said.

‘In Scotland, we have massively under exploited the supply chain. Thus, we are interested in how networks of suppliers like Danish Fish Tech Group and their member companies work, what we can learn from them to help the Scottish supply chain and how we continue to form

partnerships that can lead to benefits in export or investments.’

Also at the meeting was Elaine Jamieson, head of food and drink at Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

She said: ‘Denmark is an innovative country with a number of key strengths within aquaculture - for example, recirculation systems.

‘Accordingly, we were pleased to accept the invitation to share our story with the Danish companies and in return to learn about the Danish supply chain and their approach to exporting, and explore international opportunities which could be to our mutual benefit.’

The Danish Fish Tech Group aims to show how Danish expertise

could support the Scottish aquaculture industry in its ambitions.

‘The Danish suppliers to the aquaculture

industry cover the entire value chain, from solutions, services and equipment for the fish farms, land based or offshore, as well as ef-

ficient, cost reducing, highly hygienic and sustainable solutions and machinery for processing of the fish and seafood,’ said Winkel.

Energy world first for new wellboat THE Norwegian company Nordlaks is building the world’s first wellboat powered by liquid natural gas (LNG) propulsion and a battery pack.

It says the development will provide significant environmental and climate benefits. Emissions of Co2 are reduced by 30 per cent and by 90 per cent for NoX (nitrogen oxide).

The wellboat will carry live salmon and trout for Nordlaks. The project is being developed by NSK Ship Design in Harstad, and delivery is expected in February 2020.

In another development, Nordlaks has signed an agreement with the Chinese yard CIMC Raffles to build the first of its Havfarm (Ocean Farm) concept. The Havfarm, designed by NSK Ship Design for exposed areas with stronger currents and wave heights of 10m, will be located south-west of Hadseløya in Nordland, an area that has been considered unsuitable for farming until now.

The Chinese shipyard, in Yantai, Shandong Province, specialises in offshore constructions and has one of the world’s largest dry docks, 400m long and 120m wide. Nordlaks has won 10 development licences for Havfarm, with a total biomass of 7,800 tonnes. The measurements are reportedly 430m long by 54m wide and it will lay at anchor, fixed to the seafloor.

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08/03/2018 10:54:22

All the latest industry news from Europe

Lerøy 2017 earnings and profits hit new record THE Lerøy Seafood Group reported an eight per cent rise in revenues last year to a record high of NOK 18,624 million (£1.7 billion) in what it describes as a demanding and exciting year.

And the operating profit also hit record levels, rising to NOK 3,317 million (£303.5 million) from NOK 2,843 million in 2016.

The profit before tax and fair value adjustment related to biological assets in 2017 was NOK 3,805 million compared with NOK 2,926 million in 2016.

This, said the company, represents the highest revenue, highest operating profit before fair value adjustment related to biological assets and highest profit before tax and fair value adjustment related to biological assets in any year in the group’s history.

The Lerøy Seafood Group (which part owns Scottish Sea Farms) is not only a Norwegian fish farming giant, but it also operates a large conventional white fish trawler fleet (formerly Havfisk) and associated processing facilities through the Norway Seafoods Group, which it acquired in October 2016.

CEO Henning Beltestad said: ‘We can look back on one of the most exciting and demanding years in the group’s history. 2017 saw the proper implementation of our strategy to integrate white fish into the group’s well established value chain for red fish.

Bakkafrost hails ‘excellent’ Q4 results

THE Faroese salmon farming company Bakkafrost Group announced a total operating profit (EBIT) of 331.2 million Danish kroners in the final quarter of 2017 – down from the corresponding 2016 quarter of DKK 349.6 million, mainly due to the fall in salmon prices.

The Q4 harvested volumes totalled 11,5000 tonnes (12,900 tonnes in Q4 2016) gutted weight, while combined farming and VAP segments made an operational EBIT of DKK 265.4 million (Q4 2016 DKK 340.9 million). The group said the farming segment made an operational EBIT of DKK 228.8 million. The salmon spot prices decreased in the final part of last year, compared Above: Henning Beltestad to the previous quarter and this had a negative effect on the operational EBIT in the farming ‘We are experiencing positive development in segment. our downstream operations and we can report Bakkafrost CEO Regin successful operations within fish farming.’

Jacobsen was upbeat: In Q4 2017, revenues totalled NOK 4,567 ‘Bakkafrost had an million, compared with NOK 4,924 million in Q4 excellent per2016. The harvest volume in Q4 2017 totalled formance in the 42,000 tonnes gutted weight of salmon and quarter, considertrout, up eight per cent on Q4 a year earlier. ing that the salmon Beltestad added: ‘Improvements in biological spot price has deperformance for the entire Norwegian fish creased by over 25 farming industry in 2017 resulted in a higher per cent compared harvest volume in Norway, which in turn put to the same pressure on salmon prices towards the end of quarter 2017. Lerøy has close links with the end market, last year.’ and we continue to experience very strong Above: GoXxxx demand for seafood and salmon.’

Above: Bakkafrost CEO Regin Jacobsen

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08/03/2018 10:54:37

European News

SalMar ends 2017 with Q4 high SALMAR, one of the world’s largest salmon farming companies, announced impressive results for the fourth quarter of 2017, with a group operating profit (EBIT) of NOK 707.2 million, up from NOK 557 million for the same period in 2016.

The announcement follows an equally strong performance for the third quarter of last year when the EBIT was NOK 801.3 million.

SalMar, which partly owns Scottish Sea Farms, said the improvement is largely attributable to a higher harvested volume, combined with improved underlying operations and enhanced biological control. It has also reduced its costs for the fourth quarter in a row.

CEO Trond Williksen said: ‘A higher harvested volume, an improved biological situation and efficient operations have helped SalMar to post yet another strong financial result.

‘The improvement in underlying operations for the fourth quarter in a row is the result of investments in competence and capacity over time.

And these investments will continue. Our ambition to be the lowest cost producer remains in place.

‘SalMar remains determined to increase its production volume, and is therefore working actively along several lines to realise this objective.’I The company generated gross operating revenues of NOK 2.8 billion in the fourth quarter 2017, up from NOK 2.5 billion in the corresponding period in 2016. The group harvested 39,900 tonnes in the quarter, compared with 26,500 tonnes in the same quarter the year before.

EBIT per kg came to NOK 17.70, down from NOK 20.98 per kg in the fourth quarter 2016. The average spot price in the same period fell by NOK 17.74 per kg.

The increased delousing treatments needed will push up costs in the coming quarters. SalMar says it is well equipped to deal with the segment’s lice situation in the future.

In 2018 as a whole, SalMar expects to harvest around 143,000 tonnes in Norway (96,000 tonnes in Central Norway and 47,000 tonnes in Northern Norway).

Scottish Sea Farms expects to harvest approximately 26,000 tonnes, while Arnarlax in Iceland expects to harvest some 11,000 tonnes.

Above: SalMar CEO Trond Williksen

Grieg bullish despite profits fall

THE Grieg Seafood Group saw its 2017 fourth quarter operating income decline by 16 per cent to NOK 1,731 million, largely due to lower market prices and reduced harvest volumes.

And the operating profit showed an even sharper fall. But the company does expect an upsurge in demand this year.

Grieg harvested 18,667 tonnes of salmon in Q4 2017, compared with 20,917 tonnes in Q4 2016, corresponding to an 11 per cent decline.

During the period, the group’s total operating costs increased by NOK 0.50 per kg, and the group’s EBIT before fair value adjustment of biomass was NOK 151 million, compared with NOK 456 million in Q4 2016. EBIT per kg amounted to NOK

Cermaq reports high survival rates NORWEGIAN salmon farmer Cermaq said the survival rate for its fish in 2017 was between 94 and 96 per cent.

In Norway, none of the fish harvested in the last quarter of 2017 had received antibiotic treatment. The company said challenges to fish health are managed primarily by preventive measures. Furthermore, there were no escapes in the last quarter of 2017, or so far in 2018.

Cermaq, owned by the Mitsubishi Corporation with its headquarters in Oslo, also has farms in Chile and Canada, where it said the need for antibiotic treatment for fish harvested in the fourth quarter was reduced from the same quarter last year.

Cermaq has published quarterly sustainability results on key indicators related to fish health, environmental and social topics in its operations

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since the beginning of 2016.

The OHS (occupational health and safety) performance remains strong, with a global absence rate of 2.2 per cent, spanning from 1.8 per cent in Chile to 4.9 per cent in Norway. For Norway as a whole, this is lower than the general level of absentees of 6.5 per cent in the last quarter.

Above: Preventative measures deployed

8.1 for the quarter, compared with NOK 21.8 in Q4 2016.

The company pointed out that the average spot price (Nasdaq Salmon Index) for the period was NOK 49.42 per kg, down NOK 17.70 from the same period in 2016.

Outlining its strategic priorities, the company said its overall goal is to increase production by a minimum 10 per cent per year up until 2020.

Furthermore, the company’s ambition is for production costs to be on a level with or lower than the industry average. One of the most important initiatives to boost production is to increase smolt capacity and to release larger

smolt.As part of this initiative, Grieg Seafood said it has entered into cooperation agreements with Norway Royal Salmon (NRS) and Bremnes Seashore, to increase the companies’ smolt capacity in Finnmark and Rogaland.

‘GSF’s own hatcheries in Norway will be expanded by several separate lines.

Together, this will disperse the biological risk related to smolt production between several onshore facilities.

‘Secure access to smolt is critical to ensure future growth.

Releasing larger smolt means shorter sea production time, thus contributing to reduced biological risk and increased survival.’

Ban Ki-moon keynote speaker for AquaVision THE former secretary-general of the United Nations, Ban Kimoon, will be keynote speaker at AquaVision 2018, to be held in Stavanger in June. He will address the food security challenges of the coming decades.

The theme for the Above: Ban Ki-moon biennial conference is ‘Meeting tomorrow today’ and the two-day programme will focus on two main topics: ‘The blue revolution’ and ‘Beyond tomorrow’.

AquaVision, organised by Skretting, has established itself as an important meeting place for some 400 participants from around 40 countries. This twelfth AquaVision conference, which runs from June 11-13.

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08/03/2018 10:55:01

All the latest industry news from Europe

Marine Harvest unveils £44.5m cost cuts MARINE Harvest has announced a cost cutting programme totalling 50 million euros (£44.5 million) despite reporting strong fourth quarter earnings and the best annual profits yet for the group.

The world’s largest fish farmer achieved an EBIT (pre-tax profit) of €181 million for the fourth quarter of 2017.

But for 2017 as a whole the operational EBIT was €792 million, a record high. Turnover for the year totalled €3,654 million, another record.

The fourth quarter turnover or operational revenue was €1,010 million (€1,018 million in Q4 2016).

The total fourth quarter harvest volume was 112,628 tonnes (99,634

tonnes in 2016). The harvest guidance for 2018 is 410,000 tonnes.

CEO Alf-Helge Aarskog said: ‘Global harvest growth in the industry put pressure on the salmon prices in all markets in the quarter.

It is encouraging to see that the supply is growing, but the market needs time to adapt to the recovery after the significant global supply contraction in 2016.’

He added: ‘2017 was a great year for Marine Harvest financially, and I am proud of the work all Marine Harvest staff have put in to accomplish this. However, I am concerned about the rising cost and the challenging biology. Hence, we have initiated a global cost savings programme with a target of €50 million savings.’

Norwegian salmon achieved €1.77 (2.70) per kg, while salmon of Scottish and Canadian origin reported €1.19 and €0.98 (€1.83 and €3.33) and Chile reported €1.03 (€2.61).

Oslo approves major salmon growth plans A TOTAL of 47 fish farming companies, including many of the big names in the business, have been given permits to increase production using the environmentally friendly ‘traffic light’ scheme, says the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries.

The value of the applications when the deadline for new licences expired, and based on 449 permits, is worth 947 million kroners (£87 million) and is expected to lead to a growth in ‘green’ biomass of 7,897 tonnes.

The move is expected to bring huge economic benefits to many coastal communities because two years ago the Norwegian Parliament (Storting) decided to set up an Aquaculture Fund allowing 80 per cent of revenues from growth to be distributed among urban and rural municipalities.

The deadline for new applications ended on January 31 and, says the directorate, comes after several years of only relatively modest expansion. It is also the first of two rounds of expansion, a fixed price sale this time and an auction sale in the spring. The ultimate goal is growth of six per cent.

Fisheries minister Per Sandberg said: ‘This shows our faith and commitment to the industry, which itself has great ambition.

‘It will also provide a great deal of income for the local communities where the growth will take place. And they will receive even more money after the auction sales.’

Norway push to process more Maltese firm ‘one to watch’ fish at home before export DEMAND is growing in Norway for more of the fish it exports to be processed at home before leaving for overseas markets.

The country, say critics, is giving away jobs and money by sending out whole fish. For example, more than 85 per cent of the salmon produced by the aquaculture industry is exported in this way.

By halting this trend almost 8,000 processing jobs could be created, particularly in the remoter coastal communities where work is at a premium.

The figure for all varieties of fish is 69 per cent because more white fish is processed before it leaves the country.

Renate Larsen, chief executive of the Norwegian Seafood Council, said: ‘In 2010, the proportion of unprocessed fish for exports from the white fish, pelagic and aquaculture industry was 66 per cent. By 2017, the proportion of unprocessed fish had increased to 69 per cent.’

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MALTESE aquaculture technology firm AquaBioTech Group has been named as ‘One to Watch’ in a list of business excellence published by the European Business Awards.

The company was chosen as it demonstrates exceptional achievement in one of the 12 European Business Awards’ categories.

It has been nominated for the Award for Innovation and, if successful, will then take part in the grand final in May 2018, where 12 European winners will be announced.

Over the past two years, AquaBioTech

ISA hits Norway Royal Salmon Q4

AN outbreak of infectious salmon anaemia in November has proved costly for Norway Royal Salmon, denting its final quarter results for Group has doubled its 2017. revenues, increased Figures show that Q4 operational EBIT was its staff by 40 per 95million kroners compared with NOK 101 milcent, expanded its lion a year ago. The earnings per kg were NOK research capabilities 15.51 compared with NOK 26.83 in the final and penetrated new quarter of 2016. markets.

The extra costs Pierre Otto, CFO, said: involved in dealing ‘What makes all of with the ISA outbreak this special is that it totalled NOK 55 milwas achieved by orlion, but it is thought ganic growth, driven to have led to a loss by a team of highly of at least NOK 80 motivated people. We million and possibly believe that our jour- as high as NOK 100 million. ney has just begun CEO Charles Høstlund said: ‘In the quarter, and we are looking the fish disease ISA was detected at three NRS forward to years of sites in an operational area in Region North. The exciting growth.’ extraction of fish from these sites started immeAdrian Tripp, CEO of diately after the detection, and this has had a the European Busisignificant impact on the result for the quarter.’ ness Awards, said: ‘We Taking 2017 as a whole, the results were wanted to recognise better. Norway Royal Salmon’s total operating more widely the many income was almost NOK 5 billion compared with incredible business NOK 4,224 million in 2016 and the company success stories from achieved an operational EBIT of NOK 628 million across Europe.’

(NOK 641 million in 2016).

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08/03/2018 10:55:18

World News

NEWS...

Scientists defend Cooke over salmon ban SOME of the leading marine scientists in the US have written to Washington state officials opposing legislation to ban salmon farming in the region.

A bill passed both the Washington State Senate and House of Representatives to phase out and then ban Atlantic salmon farming in the state by the time that leases on salmon net pens run out by 2025.

The legislation, which is awaiting the signature of Governor Jay Inslee, follows a mass escape of Atlantic salmon last August from a farm owned by Cooke Aquaculture.

The scientists said: ‘We call on our esteemed elected representatives to delay any

Last month, the CEO of Cooke travelled to the state capital, Olympia, in an eleventh hour bid to lobby legislators.

Glenn B. Cooke, founder and boss of Above: Glenn B. Cooke the New Brunswick, Canada, based firm, said his company had decisions regarding taken responsibility for the future of salmon farming in Washington the escape from one of its Puget Sound farms until the scientific last summer, estimated community, represented in this state by as high as 250,000, fish. some of the world’s Cooke called the leading aquaculture and fisheries scientists legislation an ‘overreand researchers in the action’ and compared the proposed ban to fields of fish culture, ‘something you would genetics, nutrition, and fish behaviour, has hear in the Soviet Union’. had an opportunity In an interview with a to present science in local news station, he a clear and objective light – rather than in a said that were the ban climate fuelled by fear to go through, ‘good working people [would and propaganda.’

be] out of jobs’.

Drawing attention to the fact that most fishing quotas are decreasing, he highlighted the role he believed aquaculture should play in the US, which he noted is a net importer of fish.

He also cast doubt on a report by state investigators, which concluded that the collapse of the company’s net pen farm was most likely caused by biofouling.

Nonetheless, he said his company had agreed to pay for more inspections and infrastructure improvements, if it is given a second chance to raise Atlantic salmon in Washington.

Cooke also offered to raise only female

salmon in Washington so that in the event of another escape, the fish would not be able to reproduce.

Cooke spokesman Joel Richardson said the company will pursue mandatory arbitration under the North American Free Trade Agreement if the Washington leg-

islature tries to phase out Atlantic salmon farming.

‘There’s a trade agreement that provides for relief in exactly this type of situation where a foreign company is treated worse than, and is disadvantaged against, its domestic counterparts,’ Richardson said.

Tilapia experts gather in Egypt A TILAPIA forum was held in Egypt recently to bring together the world’s leading producers and share insights into the industry.

Organised by feed group Skretting, the meeting began in Cairo before moving south to Aswan, and was by invitation only.

Skretting’s top 50 tilapia farming customers from around the world joined leading authorities from areas such as genet-

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ics, farming, health, raw materials, feed, nutrition, processing and retail.

Arjen Roem, marketing director, Skretting Africa, said: ‘We brought these companies and experts together for the first time; partly to enable important networking opportunities, but also to share technical and informative presentations from across the value chain.

As one of the world’s leading tilapia producing countries, Egypt provided the ideal setting to

show the aquaculture sector and the broader supply chain that as well as salmon and shrimp, Skretting is also leading the way when it comes to tilapia farming on a global scale.’

It is estimated that the global tilapia harvest has now reached a level of around six million tonnes, considerably more than the annual production of salmonids and shrimp.

Today, more tilapia is produced in Asia than in the species’ native Africa, and its production has grown at a significant rate in many regions around the world.

However, it is widely recognised that the potential exists to increase production dramatically. To facilitate this growth, bring great-

er market credibility and improve margins, the tilapia sector has put strong emphasis on advancing its production systems.

‘In addition to looking at the market developments in recent years, discussions at the forum focused on the challenges and opportunities facing the tilapia sector today and in the future,’ said Roem.

‘For example, with soya bean being a key ingredient in tilapia feeds, there were sessions on the situation and outlook for raw materials, as well as for the application of novel feed ingredients.’

Skretting has opened tilapia feed plants in key markets in Africa, including Egypt, Nigeria and, most recently, Zambia.

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08/03/2018 14:14:09

All the latest industry news from around the world

New Global role for IFFO director Cargill opens aqua tech

centre in India

Above: Andrew Mallison

ANDREW Mallison, director general of IFFO, the Marine Ingredients Organisation, has been appointed executive director of the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), He replaces Wally Stevens, who has been in the role since 2007 and is believed to be staying on the GAA board.

Mallison joined IFFO in 2011, before which he was director of Standards and Licensing at the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

He has also worked for Marks & Spencer as a global seafood sourcing manager.

Last year, IFFO and the GAA joined forces in a project to improve the understanding of the fisheries of South East Asia supplying raw material for fishmeal production.

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AFTER the launch of its first dedicated fish feed plant in Andhra Pradesh in January, Cargill opened its technology application centre at Kaikaluru in the state last month.

The centre is designed to help aquaculture farmers access new innovations.

It covers 3.6 hectares of land that hosts 20 fish and shrimp ponds and features a training

facility and research station.

By mid-2018, the company will open new technology application centres for aquaculture in four countries, including Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and India.

‘India is an important and fast growing aquaculture market,’ said Chad Gauger, managing director of Cargill’s aquaculture nutrition business in South Asia.

Golden opportunity for one prize scientist

Above: Award for best tilapia project

NEW sponsorship for tilapia research has been announced by MSD Animal Health, with the winner being given the chance to present their project to an international conference in Brazil.

The 2018 High Quality Tilapia Science Award in support of research in tilapia health, production and welfare will be given to a recent graduate in veterinary or animal science.

They will then have the opportunity to make a presentation before industry specialists at the MSD Animal Health High Quality Tilapia meeting to be held in June 2018 in São Paulo, Brazil.

Applications (to HQAquaAward@merck.com) must be submitted by April 20. The winner will be notified by May 25 and must be available for the conference in São Paulo from June 19-21.

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08/03/2018 10:49:53

World News

Maine plan for second land based farm NZ seafood ‘facing best future yet’ A SECOND company has unveiled plans to build a huge indoor land based salmon farm in the US east coast state of Maine.

The company is Whole Oceans, which has signed an agreement to purchase a redundant paper mill site in the coastal community of Bucksport (population 4,924).

Just over a month ago the Norwegian aquaculture company Nordic Aquafarms said it was investing $500 million to build one of the world’s largest land based

salmon farms in Belfast, Maine.

Whole Oceans CEO Rob Piasio, who grew up in Maine, has promised that his facility will be a state-of-the-art recirculating aquaculture system.

‘When in full production, Whole Oceans will create hundreds of direct jobs and invest more than $250 million in Bucksport.

‘Over time, Whole Oceans’ mission is to capture 10 per cent of the US Atlantic salmon market using only earth friendly

technologies.

‘We will cement Maine’s leadership in the future of land based aquaculture.

‘We have assembled a team of global leaders in land based technology, including Billund Aquaculture based in Denmark and the Conservation Fund’s Freshwater Institute in West Virginia.

‘The time for RAS has arrived and Whole Oceans will make Bucksport a global leader in sustainable Atlantic salmon production,’ said Piasio.

Above: Land based salmon plan

Above: Barracouta

THE New Zealand seafood industry – both farmed and wild caught – is facing its brightest prospects for many years, a government report has said.

The report, released by the Ministry for Primary Industries, paints a positive picture on nearly all fronts.

The ministry says it expects a 4.4 per cent increase in seafood exports to NZ $1.8 billion this year and says that will rise to $2.3 billion by 2025.

Commenting on the forecast, Seafood New Zealand chief executive Tim Pankhurst said it reflected the industry’s own assessment – that the future of commercial seafood, both wild capture and aquaculture, was in good heart.

‘The report confirmed that export prices for wild capture fisheries such as hoki, jack mackerel, and barracouta are expected to continue to grow, driven by increased overseas demand and sustainability constraints on volume.

‘The report was also confident around aquaculture and forecast that expanding aquaculture production will drive increased export

volumes of mussels, oysters, and salmon.’

He said the findings echoed the optimism in a recent Business and Economic Research Ltd (BERL) report which showed commercial fishing was worth $4.1 billion to the country and aquaculture, although not included in the report, was worth at least $500 million.

Meanwhile, the World Wildlife Fund is urging the New Zealand government to adopt a new technology system that traces seafood from the sea to the plate.

The WWF says the new device has had a successful trial in Fiji and will help make New Zealand fisheries more sustainable.

The system, called the Blockchain Project, uses a radio frequency device to track fish from catch to the supermarket, with GPS precision.

Above: Hoki

Tassal joins global salmon group AUSTRALIAN salmon farmer Tassal has joined the Global Salmon Initiative, a collective of 17 producers from around the world.

The GSI, established in 2013 to improve industry sustainability, has expanded by more than 40 per cent in seven months and includes eight associate members.

It represents 55 per cent of the global salmon production industry, with companies such as Marine Harvest, Grieg Seafood and Bakkafrost among its members, and BioMar, Skretting, Cargill and Pharmaq on its list of associates.

Mark Ryan, managing director and CEO of Tassal, said: ‘We have been watching the GSI for some time now, and have been impressed by the progress the group has been making in uniting the industry.

‘We at Tassal want to be a part of this global movement as we share the same level of ambition and passion for working with other like-minded companies, and while some of our local challenges may differ from those of other

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members, we see a great opportunity in being part of a group like the GSI and working collaboratively towards a more sustainable future for the sector.’

Per Grieg, GSI co-chair and chairman of Grieg Seafoods, said: ‘We are pleased to be able to welcome Tassal to the growing GSI family and expand our presence in Oceania, in addition to our long standing members Huon and New Zealand King Salmon.

‘It’s a clear indication that the GSI is on the right track, and as more companies and people get involved, our collective efforts will have even greater impact.’

In joining the GSI, Tassal has made a commitment to embrace its core principles of sustainability, transparency and cooperation and — when it comes to making sustainable improvements to the environment — to put collaboration before competition.

Additionally, as a member, Tassal will be contributing to the GSI’s core areas of focus,

which include improving the management of biosecurity challenges, ensuring sustainable sources of feed, and working with companies to reach 100 per cent farm certification by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) standard by 2020.

Above: Mark Ryan, Tassal boss

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08/03/2018 10:50:17

All the latest industry news from around the world

Canadian fish farmers welcome review

Chinese feed group buys Nutriad

CANADA’S seafood farmers have openly welcomed a new federal government review of science based decision making in aquaculture.

Timothy Kennedy, executive director of the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA), said: ‘Aquaculture in Canada today is leading the way with science and the very highest environmental, food safety and social standards.

‘Working in partnership with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, coastal communities and Canada’s indigenous peoples, we have built a responsible and sustainable farmed seafood sector that we can all be very proud of.

‘Any efforts to increase engagement with Canadians and to develop trust and understanding of the science are welcomed.’

Fisheries minister Dominic LeBlanc has asked chief science advisor, Dr Mona Nemer, to lead an independent expert panel to provide recommendations on the appropriate use, consideration and communication of scientific evidence in protecting the marine environment Above: Dominic LeBlanc in decision making on aquaculture.

THE global feed additives producer Nutriad has been acquired

by Chinese feed additives giant Adisseo, it was announced last month.

The move is part of Adisseo’s strategy to become one of the worldwide leaders of specialty additives in animal nutrition, the company said.

Adisseo CEO Jean-Marc Dublanc said: ‘We are pleased to have quickly brought the Nutriad acquisition to completion and excited to welcome Nutriad talents in the Adisseo team.

‘This complementary combination supports our strategy for accelerating growth of our specialty products business.

‘Together, we will set up an efficient organisation which should allow us to strengthen our global

Drones may be used to move seafood A MAJOR Chinese company is looking at a plan to use drones to ferry seafood from some of Canada’s production plants on the east coast to the airport, reducing the need for long overland journeys.

The company jd.com has been holding talks with the federal government in Ottawa to allow it to test such a drone fleet.

China is a large purchaser of Canadian lobster, prawns, farmed salmon and clams.

Based in Beijing, jd.com is al-

product portfolio’s competitiveness and its overall efficiency.’

Nutriad’s product range, the species addressed (including farmed fish) and its customers are complementary to Adisseo’s and will allow the combined business to offer even more value to customers, said Adisseo.

Nutriad CEO Erik Visser added: ‘The announcement of the acquisition of Nutriad by Adisseo has been met with overwhelming enthusiasm by our customers, suppliers, distribution partners and employees across the world.

‘Now that we have confirmed the completion of the transaction, the Adisseo and Nutriad teams will jointly work with full energy and passion on the integration, committed to bringing further value adding solutions to the market.’

ready the world’s leading company in high-tech delivery using drones and other forms of automated technology, such as robots and driverless vehicles.

CEO Richard Liu met Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau in Beijing to seek a licence to operate the drones. The company’s interest in drone flights has been sparked by the cost of domestic road transport and shipping and the small number of airports which Above: Adisseo CEO Jean-Marc Dublance and Nutriad’s Erik Visser have direct links with China.

Peace theme in World Aquaculture Society’s Bogota show AQUACULTURE for Peace will be the theme of the World Aquaculture Society (WAS) conference in Bogota, Colombia, later this year.

Latin American and Caribbean Aquaculture 2018 (LACQUA18) - organised by the National University of Colombia, the Colombian Federation of Aquaculture (FEDEACUA) and the Latin American and Caribbean Chapter of WAS – will be held at the Ágora Convention Centre in Bogotá, from October 23 to 26, 2018.

This year is auspicious for aquaculture activity in a new Colombia, said the organisers. The country faces challenges, and aquaculture is one of the activities ‘providing opportunities to weave peace networks, as well as to improve the quality of life and resilience of its population’.

In the past year, Colombia has increased its exports of fresh tilapia fillet, with the US as its main market.

The Colombian Federation of Aquaculture has played an essential role in the growth of the sector, empowering fish farmers to produce in a sustainable and competitive way.

As well as tilapia, farmers grow trout, and native species such as cachama, yamú and bocachico. The aquaculture sector grew six per cent in 2016 compared to the previous year, and 9.01 per cent over the last decade.

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Some 20 per cent of national production was exported in 2016, with around 7,722 tonnes of fresh fillets exported, 88 per cent of which went to the US and Canada. The conference in October will run alongside a trade fair, which has capacity for 72 stands.

Above: Bogota

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08/03/2018 10:50:38

News focus – Parliamentary inquiry

Shaping the

future

New Scottish salmon probe to hear from fish farmers

M

ARINE Harvest is to appear before the Rural Economy and Connectivity (REC) committee’s investigation into salmon farming.

The company’s managing director in Scotland, Ben Hadfield, is expected to defend fish farmers’ interests, alongside the managing directors of two other salmon businesses, believed to be Grieg Seafood and the Scottish Salmon Company.

The committee, which will be taking evidence from the industry, academics, regulators and conservation organisations over three months, was due to launch its inquiry at the Scottish parliament on March 7, as Fish Farmer was going to press. A deadline of April 27 has been given for written submissions.

First to give evidence was Professor James Bron and Professor Herve Migaud of the University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture, Professor Paul Tett, reader in Coastal Ecosystems, from the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), and economist Steve Westbrook A week later, the committee, convened by Conservative MSP Edward Mountain, was due to hear from Scottish Environment LINK, Salmon & Trout Conservation (the angling lobbyist which prompted the inquiry), Fisheries Management Scotland, and the Lochaber District Salmon Fishery Board.

Regulatory bodies are to appear on April 18, and on April 25 it will be

the turn of Scotland Food and Drink, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Marine Harvest and the other salmon companies will give evidence on May 2, followed a week later by Fergus Ewing, Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Connectivity.

The REC committee’s investigation will be more wide ranging than that of the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform (ECCLR) committee, which published its conclusions of the industry’s environmental performance at the beginning of this month.

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Left: Marine Harvest’s Ben Hadfield, Donald Cameron MSP (top), Fergus Ewing. Opposite: Salmon fillets

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

08/03/2018 10:46:10

Shaping the future

The environment committee heard from environmental groups, the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation, regulators and the Scottish Association for Marine Science.

Its findings will feed into the REC inquiry, whose remit is to consider the current state of the salmon industry in Scotland, identify opportunities for its future development and explore how the various fish health and environmental challenges it currently faces can be addressed.

The clerk of the ECCLR committee told Fish Farmer that no vote had been taken over its final report, which suggests there was agreement among the 11 MSPs. One of them, Highlands and Islands MSP Donald Cameron, represents many fish farmers in his constituency.

Speaking for himself and not the committee, he later told Fish Farmer: ‘Representing the Highlands and Islands, I’m acutely aware of the vital role fish farming plays in the local economy and how it is a major employer in some of our most remote and fragile areas, from Lochaber to Lewis and Campbeltown to Lerwick.’

He said that from being a local in Fort William and from his own personal experience, he knew of the work that companies such as Marine Harvest did ‘with the community, not just as an

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Parliamentary Inquiry.indd 19

employer but more widely’ and that its contribution to the local economy was huge.

‘The industry has my full support. I am sure it will take on board the concerns of the committee so that it adheres to the highest standards of environmental protection, and so that any expansion of salmon production is done in a sensitive and sustainable manner, in order that both fish farming and our natural environment can thrive together.

‘I don’t think it’s impossible for the industry to thrive while also operating to high environmental standards.’

Cameron is to represent the ECCLR committee on the REC committee. A delegation from the REC committee is planning to visit a salmon farm on Scotland’s west coast this month so MSPs can see first hand the way the industry operates.

REC convenor Edward Mountain, also an MSP for the Highlands and Islands, has encouraged individuals and organisations to share their views.

‘The inquiry is an opportunity for people to voice their views and opinions on the current state of the salmon industry, opportunities for its future development, and its environmental impact.

aware “ofI’mtheacutely vital role fish

farming plays in the local economy

”

‘In the coming months we will gather evidence from producers, processors and others directly involved in the salmon industry; environmental organisations and Scotland’s food and drink sector.

‘It’s crucial that we access the valuable knowledge, experience and expertise of everyone in Scotland with an interest in the future of the salmon industry to help shape our work in this area.’

The committee will produce a report detailing its findings once it has concluded its anticipated evidence. The ECCLR committee’s report will feed into the broader Rural Economy review. FF

19

08/03/2018 10:46:29

News focus – Parliamentary inquiry

Scotland promises farm by farm sea lice data

S

COTTISH salmon farmers are to publish all data associated with sea lice counts on a farm by farm basis, the SSPO (Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation) confirmed last month.

The SSPO’s general manager, David Sandison, said the move follows a decision taken by the organisation’s board – which includes all but one of Scotland’s salmon farming companies – in November last year.

Sandison, giving evidence in Holyrood’s Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform (ECCLR) Committee’s inquiry into salmon farming, insisted health was ‘the core’ of the salmon business.

‘We acknowledge there are gaps in the data and we could definitely enhance that further. In that regard, I’d like to confirm today that from here on forthwith we will be publishing all data associated with sea lice counts on a farm by farm basis.’

The SSPO has made such data available in a regional format for the past five or six years, said Sandison, and Scotland’s biggest salmon farmer, Marine Harvest, publishes its sea lice counts on the company website, with a three-month time lag.

Asked by the committee convenor, Graeme Dey, the SNP MSP for Angus South, whether the data could be published in real time, Sandison said inevitably there has to be some time lag as it takes time to collect data from farms and ‘collectivise’ it.

But the industry’s new Strategic Farmed Fish Health Framework Working Group, developing a 10-year heath strategy with Marine Scotland, would consider the time frame for releasing sea lice data.

Asked why the SSPO had decided to make more data public now, Sandison said: ‘We believe we need to move the debate forward – we hear all the arguments, we hear all the background noise but we want to have a proper, honest dialogue about the actual status of farm sites in Scotland.’

If people feel that the data can be of use and help move the industry

20

Parliamentary Inquiry.indd 20

forward, the sector has no problem in being ‘completely open and transparent about that data’.

The SSPO will also make available historical data relating to mortalities: ‘We will provide mortality data at farm level, and give a commentary on any disease issues that may be associated with that mortality from time to time.’

As to whether sea lice data should be released on a statutory or voluntary basis, Sandison said he had no particular view.

The two other panel members during the session, John Aitchison, of the Friends of the Sound of Jura, and Sam Collin, marine planning officer at the Scottish Wildlife Trust and convener of the LINK Aquaculture subgroup, welcomed the SSPO move towards greater transparency.

But Aitchison expressed concern over what he said was a lack of a precautionary principle in the siting of salmon farms.

Sandison disputed this, saying there is a limit on farm biomass, and there is ‘significant precaution built into the consenting process’.

Above: David Sandison.

Aitchison also asked why Scotland wasn’t Left: Salmon farm investing in land based projects - such as a pilot programme to farm salmon in a tank in Machrihanish, run by a Norwegian company, ‘that has concluded, I think successfully’, he said.

The only scheme fitting that description was the Niri enterprise that stocked 26,000 juvenile salmon in a 1,600 cubic metre tank in 2016.

No fish ever came to market and last autumn the company confirmed the death of the entire stock.

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08/03/2018 10:44:48

News extra

Open approach to closed containment Future shifts in farming will focus more on public opinion, says international salmon leader

T

HE focus of salmon farming has shifted from building markets to building new technologies and placating public opinion, according to Trond Davidsen, president of the International Salmon Farmers Association (ISFA).

Davidsen said traditional farming in open cages faced challenges both above and below water, with the industry losing the struggle for its reputation in Norway.

While demand for salmon globally is still high and the future of the industry is ‘bright and shiny’, the question now is about how and where it will be farmed in the future, said Davidsen, addressing delegates at the Marel Salmon Showhow in Copenhagen last month.

The industry in Norway has grown from 98 tonnes in 1971 to 1.2 million tonnes in 2017. But since 2012 there has been little increase in production.

The reasons for this include biological challenges, but also ‘a lack of public support, and opposition is growing’, said Davidsen.

As a result, there has been a shift in strategy. Between 1980 and 2000 the focus was on building and expanding markets, while there was also strong support for the industry from governments and the public.

‘However, from 2000 to today there has been more of a focus on being accepted and being allowed to expand, amid increased criticism from NGOs, the media, governments and the public,’ he said.

As to the future direction of farming, he said ‘it will become different and smaller players may not be able to take part – just big companies able to make big investments.’

This includes the evolution of land based salmon farming. He referred to ambitious plans for land based facilities – for example, the Nordic Seafarms project in Maine, Atlantic Sapphire in Florida and Dragon in Shanghai.

But, he said, ‘to my knowledge, there are no examples of successful land based salmon farms yet’.

‘I am not arguing against it, just stating facts, but it will happen, maybe not tomorrow or 10 years or 15 years from now, but it will happen eventually.’

Land based farms need to achieve a cost level in line or above market price – ‘if not bankruptcy will happen’.

However, once built, land based systems can offer a continued running production.

‘We can’t stop the ongoing development in technology and know-how in land based operations.

‘What we can influence is the substantial pressure against open cage salmon farming from NGOs, the public, and also from some politicians and government.’

Davidsen said biological challenges and costs can be reduced when open cage farming is combined with land based RAS production of post-smolt – ‘we will see more use of post-smolt production’.

While continued opposition to open cage farming can be expected, research and innovation in both open cage and closed containment ‘must continue’.

The ISFA published a report in 2016, titled the ‘Evolution of Land Based

22

Trond Davidson.indd 22

Farms for Atlantic Salmon’, reviewing ‘available reports from around the world, the current state of knowledge, technology and the challenges that would have to be overcome before Atlantic salmon could be grown for their entire life cycle in land based facilities’.

In a foreword, Davidsen said: ‘There have been many conversations about the future of salmon farming, farming technologies and the role that land based facilities could and should play in that future.

‘Some, the NGO community in particular, have been promoting a theory that all salmon farms could be taken out of the ocean and moved to land based tank farms.

‘To help facilitate the dialogue, the International Salmon Farmers Association has produced this document…we have also incorporated international industry experience from salmon farmers, who are the experts in land based freshwater farming systems and are successfully using these systems for smolt production and a variety of broodstock programmes.’

Davidsen believes the industry has a huge future but first it has to deal with various pressures, such as the operating costs on traditional open cage farms, particularly related to sea lice and disease.

The prices for licences for existing production methods are rocketing in Norway, but this is to get local communities behind the projects.

As part of the new licensing system, some of the costs – around 50 per cent – will go to the communities. FF

To my “ knowledge

there are no examples of successful land based salmon farms yet

”

Above: Trond Davidsen

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

08/03/2018 10:43:40

Trade Associations – British Trout Association

Hovering on the horizon How drone technology will feature in aquaculture’s future

BY DOUG MCLEOD

I

FIRMLY believe that the future of success in fish farming lies in the application of technology, whether it’s on the macro scale in the marine environment, with movement to more violent offshore locations - with the associated major physical challenges, or the micro level of improvements to operational equipment, ranging from pen design, net quality and veterinary medicine applications.

The same belief applies to freshwater/land based aquaculture operations and while the macro scale developments may take longer to work through – there are the constraints of the terrestrial environment, including traditional approaches, competition for resources and established cultivation techniques and beliefs – my expectation is that technology will in time radically recast the parameters of the sector.

I don’t expect to witness any rapid short-term changes from the established freshwater trout farming options of flow through raceways, ponds and loch pens.

However, there will be many operational improvements utilising technological innovations.

The positive aspects of the Danish experience of moving to recirculation technology may in time prove attractive (if not irresistible).

There are certainly opportunities for land based aquaculture operations to integrate evolving technology into site management and environmental monitoring activities.

The first requirement for raising productivity and reducing costs is for more extensive and comprehensive measurement of all the operational parameters involved in the site operations – knowledge enables management!

This can include ‘smart’ meters for monitoring electrical systems, remote monitoring of flow rates and the recording of temperature throughout the production process, for optimisation of growth and feed utilisation.

The introduction of illumination and temperature control to implement seasonality influences in fish growth would also represent a positive use of modern technology, where integrated into the comprehensive measurement of relevant criteria, as noted above.

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BTA.indd 23

Insulation of all pipework, although conceptually not a technological innovation, would contribute to energy saving and more stable temperature in water supply.

However, the most novel and exciting innovative equipment which I expect will be increasingly used in our industry is the introduction of drones.

These flying platforms will increasingly be used for observation and monitoring, which can range from assessment of fish behaviour in cages and ponds, chlorophyll levels and algal blooms, pollution plumes, perhaps associated with weather events including heavy rainfall and so on, as well as delivery of high value small-scale components (which could include veterinary medicines) to remote locations.

Drones are perfectly suited to contribute to our industry which is, at the minimum, located in isolated rural areas, or in significantly remote sites where there are currently limited logistical options.

Conceptually, I believe there is the potential for drones to create a revolution for aquaculture which will be equivalent to the profound changes resulting from the introduction of quad bikes to terrestrial ranching, such as extensive cattle farms and highland sheep farms (and snowmobiles in more northern environments).

The rapid reduction in the purchase cost of drones – coupled with the expansion of payload capacities – make this equipment one of the most attractive investments for companies seeking to improve productivity.

The implications for personnel and skills training are profound: monitoring and control centres can be located in central areas, with the need for qualified and skilled operatives able to control the drones while recognising the signs of operational difficulties, whether that is poor feeding responses or pollution events upstream from the farm.

I see this as yet another positive development in one of the most dynamic industries in the world, again leading technological innovation. FF

This equip“ment is one of the most attractive investments for companies seeking to improve productivity’

”

23

08/03/2018 10:43:05

Trade Associations – SSPO Comment

BY

BY PROFESSOR PROFESSOR PHIL PHIL THOMAS THOMAS

Underpinning Call for clarity provenance

Time is becoming tight to get Brexit right

I I

intrigued by theabout results ofwhat the Ipsos MORI Veracity DoAM wealways think enough gives the Index survey. This poll, which is undertaken on a regular basis, samples just under its 1,000edge peoplein in the with the question: Which of the industry keyUKmarkets? following do you generally trust to tell the truth?

The fact that the UK political debate is focused on whether ‘the existing EU customs union’, ‘a different customs union’ or ‘no customs union but a comprehensive trading agreement’ is the preferred way forward The survey routinely shows that about two thirds of the population depend on the their products may not be to say seems largely to provenance reflect party of political urges to she quickly sensed an auaret prepared to politi trust cally theircorrect fellow man in so theatstreet, while members of diencea response moved to safer comedic material: there are some present but farmed Atlanti c salmon define distinctiveand position. certain professions score much higher. would things you just joke about! of counnot have become leading food Since there aredon’t already examples Doctors and nursesScotland’s typically score about 90 per cent, while teachers However, left me asking without the Crown Estate’s positi ve hairdressers (yes, you tries outside her the remark EU customs union but myself within whether we think enough andexport scientists are more than 80 per cent, and about the underpinning of the engagement with aquaculture the European Economic Area andprovenance European of Scottish farmed fish – and read it here) score about 70 perdevelopment cent. for me that’s farmed salmon. back in the at 1980s.

Free Trade Association, the idea that there is However, the other end of the scale, journalists and politicians doubt that Scotti shthan provenance Now,20-25 aquaculture is indicating a significant part theprofessions on which we no There scope is fornoarrangements other through is important to our indusscore per cent, that theoftwo – it gives us does the edge in all our key markets. agency’s marine leasing portfinformation olio and is regua try customs union not stand up to scrutiny. rely for our insights into and about national and internaProvenance canfarming be defined in various ways but most people will agree larly celebrated the Crown Estate’s Those in the fish sector know only tional affairs are by among the people we Scotti trust sh least! Go figure, as our that it goes beyond the appearance and sensory qualities of the final Marine Aquaculture Awards too well that Norway benefits substantially American cousins would say. event. This year’s product: flavour, texture, visual in presentati on and product consistency event in Edinburgh on the June was the from its ability to be light-footed negotiating For most of the time, this11 idiosyncratic misalignment between public are always key factors in consumer appeal usual highly for Scotti sh much impact; presuma- trade agreements with third countries, inde-but provenance is about function andsuccessful public trustshowcase doesn’t seem to have much more. pendent of the EU. bly we adjustand andalearn to live with it.for indusaquaculture rare opportunity AtItthe February, theof former UK quality assurance, including: However, there aretotimes it serves to distort or confuse public reflclose ects aofwider concept consumer try to join together markwhen its success. prime minister, Sirthe John Major, madeand a processed; the professional understanding and begins to affect things that matter. the place where fish is grown The Crown Estate is presently at the centre andproducti very worthwhile speech onmethods; and the quality, brings me toon Brexit, and particularly integrity of the on and processing ofThis further devoluti discussions betweenthe thepolitical positioning and wide-ranging the Brexit negotiations Indus- – the professional skills, negotiation processes thatsh relate to the future commitment and caretoofthe theCreative people involved UK government and Scotti government.

The trading relationships tries Federation andand Techdedicati LondononAdvocates, between UK and EU Scotti member states. experti se, passion of the producers themselves. long-termthe future of key sh functi ons rein London.

Judged from what politicians and political journalists keep telling In Scotland our ‘place of production’ gives us a huge natural advanmains unclear and professional experti se could The media reported thefish speech bycoastal waters of some of us, these negotiations appear to a complexity well beyond the tage because we grow in themainly pristine be squandered in the process of have organisati onal emphasising its blue-on-blue of Thebounds the most beauti ful and wild criticisms scenic areas of the world, and our brand is change.of normal human understanding. resa May’s negotiating red lines, which were Moreover, politicians endlessly profess views on the best protected by its PGI status.

Both the Crown Estate’s core experti sedifferent and described asadopti ‘grandon folly’ andScotti ‘bad sh politics’. way forward.Aquaculture Commonly, Awards these reflect their political purpose or their Likewise, of the Finfish Code of Good Practice the Marine are imporHowever, alsodeep set out a broad to a range of independent narrowly defined party than providing a considered allied withthe thespeech industry’s commitment tant in maintaining the interests, distinctiverather coherence critique of theassurance UK’s negotiation policies,including as overview in the best interests the nation. farm quality programmes, the RSPCA fish welfare of Scotland’s aquaculture andof it would be a Major sawbuilds them.on the underlying strength of our statutory regulatory However, excepting those few es politicians who have never accepted scheme, tragedy if they became casualti of political His call for policies to serve the outcome of the Brexit referendum, all political parties and all politisystems to ‘common assure oursense producti on systems. change. the national interest’ and his concerns calThis factions should have a common core agenda.

Finally, the skills, expertise, passion about and dedication of our farmers year’s Awards event was hosted by economic impacts of a poor The keywriter tasks and theycomedian face are toJosecure, so far canadverse be demonstrated in abundance daydeal in and day out – and they were actress, Caulfield, an as possible, a frictionless the orshowcased no deal Brexit willrecent have found a lot of resobeneficial trading between the UK and EU for goods and by the awards event. inspired choice byarrangement whoever made the booking. nance in business industry, as ve well as forward with services, and to dealand withentertaining the additional However, beingand wholly objecti and looking, it is this third She was very funny andissues kept raised by the EU/UK the general public. border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. area of provenance where the Scottish industry has greatest scope for the proceedings going with a swing. Only once And it would be difficult toThat disagree his that our industry’s skills These tasks are essentially technical, technocratic c development. is notwith to say did she stray, when she wondered what ‘prove- and technological in systemati view ‘our negotiations, have not highest calibre, but it is to nature and, while they may require political good will and negotiating andthat, professional expertise so arefar, not of the nance actually meant’. always beenthat sureour footed’. skills both sides of the table, they should be eminently achievable. recognise vocational educational and training structures, and In aon room full of folk whose livelihoods

“

We should be organising our training and education provisions much better

”

Without “ firm UK pro-

posals, the next stage of negotiations will probably not provide the basis for the deal we would like

”

12 24

SSPO.indd 12 Phil Thomas.indd 24

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03/07/2015 14:31:33 08/03/2018 10:38:43

Call for clarity

However, a flaw in his arguments hinged on his assertion that it would simply not be possible to leave the EU trading framework (including the single market, customs union and European Court of Justice) and replace it with a new UK arrangement for trading with the EU. That statement seemed incompatible with the EU’s demands for the UK to complete the exit process and then for the EU to enter into discussions about future trading arrangements.

Thus, the drawing of red lines seems not to be the factor which has created the UK’s weakness but the failure to follow up with a clear, well developed set of practical proposals for how the UK wishes the future trading arrangements to work.

Without this clear articulation of UK proposals there is nothing new for the EU to consider, and the Brussels negotiators will inevitably revert to the trading frameworks with which they are most familiar.

Without firm UK proposals, the next stage of the Brexit negotiations is likely to be difficult and will probably not provide the basis for the deal we would like.

There is still the opportunity for this situation to be addressed and overcome – but time is getting tight! FF

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08/03/2018 10:39:44

Comment

BY DR MARTIN JAFFA

New chapter

Separating fact from fiction in the tale of sea trout stocks

I

’VE WRITTEN a book. Loch Maree’s Missing Sea Trout (available through Amazon) is an easy to read account of the interactions between salmon farming and wild fish populations, with a focus on what has happened to the sea trout fishery in Loch Maree.

This is effectively in response to the recent claims made by Salmon & Trout Conservation (S&TC) Scotland (formerly known as the Salmon & Trout Association) that the arrival of a salmon farm in Loch Ewe caused the collapse of sea trout in adjacent Loch Maree.

26

Martin Jaffa.indd 26

I have taken a holistic approach to the subject. Others prefer to focus on whether farmed salmon are infested with two or 20 sea lice or on the mathematical models which predict mortality of 70 per cent plus for wild fish.

My approach takes a wider view, looking at what actually happened in Loch Maree at the time of the so called collapse. This includes extracts of fishing reports published in anglers’ magazines such as Trout & Salmon.

One example is that S&TC claims that the Loch Maree sea trout fishery was stable until the arrival of salmon farming in Loch Ewe in 1987, followed by the collapse of the fishery in 1988.

Yet, in April 1987, Trout & Salmon magazine commented that ‘the most important beats have had to report their worst ever season in 1986’. Clearly, salmon farming could not be to blame because at that time the nearest farm was over 40 km away.

I hope that this brief extract will have roused your curiosity and that you will be prompted to buy a copy of the book. I would be grateful if you could tell your friends, families and colleagues to buy a copy too.

I do have another reason for asking and that is that the book is based on four years of research, which has been undertaken without any funding and support.

Rather surprisingly, even desk research is an expensive business, especially so for those like myself who are not associated with an academic institution and all the benefits they bring.

Unfortunately, while there is plenty of research funding in circulation, it cannot be accessed for the type of research I have pursued, Left: Taking a wider view. even though it has clear implications for the Opposite page: Catch data salmon farming industry.

The Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre has recently announced that it has been awarded over £2million of new money, but seemingly most is only available for the commercial sector if it links up to an academic institution, which then undertakes

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

08/03/2018 10:34:58

New chapter

The “ approach I

the bulk of the work.

The other main source of funding has been the Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum (SARF), which recently announced the provision of funds for three new projects. As it happens, I did submit a request for funding in the last round of SARF proposals, but it was rejected.

The government body, Marine Scotland Science, is running its own three-year, £600,000 SARF funded project, which is trying to show the relationship between sea lice and declines of wild fish.

Their project comes to an end this year and I, for one, look forward to reading whether they reach a similar conclusion to mine.

Marine Scotland Science’s smolt release project is like most of the research investigating the relationship between salmon farms, sea lice and wild fish numbers in that it is trying to show that salmon farming does have an impact on wild fish populations.

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

Martin Jaffa.indd 27

By comparison, the approach I have taken aims to show that salmon farms do not have an impact on wild fish. Unfortunately, and to the best of my knowledge, I am virtually working alone in this area.

I am keen to progress my research and any receipts from book sales will help fund this continued research, which is why I am making this appeal to buy the book.

I have already received a couple of reviews. The first states that ‘some of the snippets that your research has thrown up are genuinely ‘new facts’, in the sense that no one else, so far as I know, has captured them in historical context’.

The second reviewer writes: ‘A must read for all who have an interest in this amazing fish, of special interest to me who fished Loch Maree in the 1970s regularly and several of the west coast rivers, as well as being involved in the pioneering of the salmon farming industry.’ FF

have taken aims to show that salmon farms do not have an impact on wild fish

”

27

08/03/2018 10:35:16

t topics of the day overview of the Hungarian aquaculture industry, which is ors respectively. beginning to evolve from production of carps to higher Shellfish value predatory fish.We hope you enjoy all the changes. FF d we hope you’ll

News Editor

Shellfish

has 0 years of the stry. Now ournalist, er food magazine.

ry Board

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ons culture

BY JANET BROWN H BROWN

Paul Wheelhouse is Scotland’s Minister for the Environment and Climate Change and is an MSP for the South of Scotland.

Janet Brown works to support and promote all aspects of sustainable shellfish culture and restoration via The Shellfish Team and edits The Grower.

Saving our seas The some other side of thein pond Put mussels Shellfi shAssociation aquaculture has an important to –play inbivalves restoring ecosystems Reducing salmon liceofinfection before it role starts canlearn help?

Can the Scottish Shellfish Growers anything from 8 the wayHEAmerica’s East Coast Shellfish Growers Association is organised? choice was between attending the most recent International Confer-

T D

ence on Shellfish Restoration (ICSR) scheduled in Adelaide this February or staying at home and accepting an invitation to teach the MSc students atr the Institute of Aquaculture ‘The forgotten role of oysters and the Robert B Rheault – more on commonly fishery/aquaculture conti nuum’. known as ‘Skid’ Rheault (Rheault being The tipronounced mings were exactly andup thethe financial arguments were ‘row’)concurrent or Bob – set persuasive as it happened, the ICSR meeting effectively came to me; while East but, Coast Shellfish Growers Association ols working teaching preparati popped a publication cleverly timed to (ECSGA)on inmy 2004 and has been on its up executive coincide with the start of the ICSR meeti ng, highlighting the status of Australian director for six years. d shellfi sh ecosystems.

Skid became involved in the idea of an asThis Australian publicati on (htt p://bit.ly/2HiXuzX sociation because he had been working as an ) is essentially a follow-on from a very influenti paper published in 2011 which highlighted the dire oyster farmer in a al state without an aquaculplight of oyster reefs all over the world.

It pointed out that these were effecture industry at the time – Rhode Island. the most endangered ecosystems the world, rectory tively ‘I had to be very active on the stateinlevel to more at risk than those of coral, mangroves, seasaid. grass‘I beds (http://bit.ly/2FrDlqw ). get things going,’orhe established a state This latestassociation paper focuses onathe situati onstarted in Australia, but in terms of all growers’ with few allies, surer, Steve Bracken, HerveshMiguad, Sunilecosystems.

Kadri andThey Ken Hughes species which form writingof anshellfi industry newsletter and sent it to defi all ne this as shellfish which n: Andrew Balahura form three dimensional reefs or beds in inter-ti dal the state legislators, brought in guest speakersor sub-tidal areas. wds wdowds@fi shupdate.com Publisher: Alister Bennett The majority of these are oysters thegoing paper stresses essentially how little from other states where things but were Fax: +44 (0)iswell 131 551 7901 e-mail: editor@fi shfarmer-magazine.com known of these shellfi sh formed ecosystems. and where nary a negative word was Most of what we do of the traction valuable services they provide in terms of .com www.fiheard. shupdate.com Eventually weknow got some and biodiversity, fi ltrati on and in providing habitat, parti cularly for young fish and regulations thatEH5 were2DL holding back ettes Park, 496fixed Ferrythe Road, Edinburgh NTEGRATED -trophic crustaceans (and hence of their value to fi sheries producti on), ismulti known the industry.’ er’, P.O. Box 1, Crannog Lane, Lochavullin Industrial Estate, Oban, Argyll, PA34from 4HB aquaculture (IMTA) aims studies in the US where work on shellfi sh restorati on got underway more than 0) 1631 568001This led on to a larger consortium, with a to reduce the environ20 years ago. number of growers getting together at various Clockwise from top right: f world £95 including postage.

AllTED Airtalk Mail. mental impacts of monI also came across given by Daniel Pauly (httECSGA p://bit.ly/2oeWd4H). meeting; oyster; meetings and the aidea of establishing an East oculture of fi sh by farming them in ietors Wyvex He Media Ltd by Headley Brothers Ltd., Ashford, Kent ISSN 0262-9615 is the fisheriesGrowers scientist Association who described theban‘changingDrbaselines’ Robert B syndrome Rheault.

Coast Shellfish was associati on with filterthe feeding molluscs, whereby fi sheries scienti sts tend to have a picture of how environment died about. They had seen how well organised and so remove(or parti culate stood at the Coast time they entered their profession when theywaste were young) and the Pacific Shellfish Growers Association m material and algae to utilise dissolved then compare changes to this baseline.

(PCSGA) had become, how effective they could nutrients.

Abook further hasillustrates been considered Roberts, in hisregulators, ‘Thepossibility Ocean of Life’, this beCallum in meetings with how they -nicely that of pest control.

It sounds ideal: why not use the siphoning with a series of three photographs taken in focused government research dollars towardKey West, Florida, power ofhappy mussels or other to take out the infectious showing in thebivalves 1950s key problems –anglers they wanted that.and 1970s (still happy but with stage of the seaand louse, Lepeophtheirus salmonis? farWhile smaller fi sh), then a photo of a in 2007 where fish are setting up the ECSGA, Skid catch continued This is a free swimming planktonic stage, the copepodid. Since the size to run his own company, farming and marof this infective stage is around 500μm, it is within the range of particle keting oysters trading as Moonstone Oysters size that can be taken up by mussels, although their normal diet of phytoworking out of Narragansett, Rhode Island, plankton is much smaller. and he is still an adjunct faculty member in Initial trials carried out in the University of Maine demonstrated that the University of Rhode Island’s Department mussels in experimental situations did indeed take up the copepodids. of Fisheries and Aquaculture. He established They were found in the stomachs of mussels but also in other parts of the East Coast Shellfish Research Institute the mussel, but the main point was that they were clearly being removed and has been successful in attracting several from the water column.

Researchers further north, in New Brunswick, Canada, looked at a wider 12 range of filter feeding bivalves and also looked at the effects of temperature, shellfish individual size and whether the sea lice were presented on

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their own or in association with phytoplankton.

The species of bivalves used were basket cockles, (Clinocardium nuttallii), Pacific oysters substantial federal research grants to address critical industry research (Crassostrea gigas), mussels (Mytilus edulis and priorities.

M galloprovincialis and their hybrids) and Pacific How has the ECSGA grown and is it still growing? scallops (unconfirmed hybrids of MizuhopectWe grow in membership by about 10 to 20 per cent a year and we en yessoensis x Patinopecten caurinus), which had a sharp increase this past year, but we still only have a small fracwere obtained from commercial growers in tion of the industry as members. Of the estimated 1,300 farms on the Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

East Coast, we only have about 15 per cent. The nature of the industry For the trials, bivalves were placed individually is such that many farmers are very small, part-time operations who in two litre containers with 450 copepodids in won’t pay dues. There are few large farms, and several of these believe 750ml of water. they don’t need to join an association. They can hire their own lobbyist.

All four species were found to ingest the What are the main issues facing ECSGA? larvae, and temperature was not a significant We spend a lot of time and energy dealing with shellfish sanitation factor. Large shellfish individuals ingested far issues. Vibrio parahaemolyticus control seems to dominate much of my more than small. time. We are also trying to rectify the trade war with the EU so we can Of the species investigated, scallops were restore some of the lucrative connections we had in EU markets five found to take in greater numbers of larvae, but years ago. We are trying to get acknowledgement for the ecosystem size for size the cockles consumed the most. services we provide through nutrient credit trading, and we are conIn separate experiments, the shellfish were stantly working to improve water quality and expand harvest areas. found to consume between 18 to 38 per cent of Are there different chapters in the ECSGA or are members mainly the copepodids presented to them. While the oyster folk? bivalves took in the larvae regardless of whethWe represent about 60 per cent clam farms, 40 per cent oyster farms er phytoplankton was present or not, they took and there is a nascent mussel industry. in a far higher proportion of phytoplankton I have heard you talk at conferences about the importance of lobbywhen both were present. ing – what do you advise?

This could be related to findings from much It is really important to ensure that the regulators don’t put you out of older work on the behaviour of sea lice larvae, business. If you are not involved the process of writing the regula3 itinwas where shown that the copepodids can tions, then the law of unintended consequences dictates that they will take evasive action when they detect the probably youstiifll.you don’t protect yourself. You need to participate very muchhurt smaller feeding flow field of a bivalve. This evasive beinInthe research, the public and the education of your thescientific TED talk, Pauly tells how he was outreach party to the introducti on of trawling in haviour can actually be viewed in this YouTube legislators.

By demonstrating the growth in green jobs, the of sustainable the South China Sea. 08/02/2013 My ears pricked up because he was talking working in 11:24:01 clip, http://bit.ly/2neRpfg Semarang, Java, in 1975, in a fibenefits, sheries department of the universiseafood production andand theI worked ecosystem we can enlist the help How can this be applied in the commercial ty too, inwhen the same of there, politicians the decade. regulators get crazy, or if we have a need of resituation? This is more complicated. The first He describes the first the trial legislators grabs of their weretask.

90 per centis huge search dollars.how Educating is surveys a constant There issue is the larvae of L salmonis are positively composed of ‘biota no commercial value’your – sponges, softIfcorals, and other turnover and theyofknow nothing about industry. you don’t have phototactic and will be found at greater concenencrusti andneed with to attached reef fish which now recognises as time to ng doorganisms it then you pay someone to do he it for you.

This is why trations in the surface metres of the sea.

Above: Mussels being the seabed (figare 1). members of trade associations. busy professionals This behaviour would have to be accommoOpposite page: Scallops; year ofinterest introducing techniques, the sea bed is transIsWithin exportone a major forsuch yourfishing growers? dated for by the placement of the shellfish but Pacific oysters formed to experiencing what he describes as a ‘muddy We are an explosion in mess’. the market for oysters right this is easily possible with suspended culture.

He says that this is what every time we fish areas, but thisbut now, so there is not a lothappens of surplus production tonew send overseas, And how effective is it likely to be? loss of the seabed is never documented and then the way it once was is soon Much of the work on IMTA and also on this forgotten. www.fishfarmer-magazine.com potential control of sea lice has been carried We were, however, shown this change rather strikingly in Blue Planet II when out in the north eastern states of the US. the contrast between an Antarctic reef at great depth was shown alongside an area still at considerable depth, but one where trawling had occurred.

This combination of the Australian paper and thewww.fishfarmer-magazine.com Ted talk made me06/03/2015 realise 10:29:56

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Saving our seas

that this basis of changing baselines is probably never more extreme than in relation to the loss of shellfish reefs.

It could well be that shellfish reefs are just one of the habitats among many that once formed the seabed but that we have lost sight of this fact.

This suggests that the question we should perhaps be asking is if the natural form of the seabed is actually a hardened mesh of marine encrusting organisms, is it that shellfish reefs just happen to form these encrusting areas in coastal and more shallow areas?

Is it that these were stripped away first because of their easily accessed location – and by the unavoidable fact that they are composed of animals that are extremely good to eat (but, as the Australian paper demonstrates, much of their reefs were lost for lime production as have been many coral reefs)?

And once this layer is removed, the layer that is essentially forming a rich habitat providing essential food shelter, filtering services and hiding places for different life stages of fish and other species, does the productivity drop drastically?

Since the destruction of the oyster reefs was mainly between the 1860s and 1900 it is not surprising that we have pretty much forgotten them and many people now have the view that our native oysters in the UK do not in fact form reefs.

But in the crowded conditions of the natural beds, the Dutch scientist Korringa could describe as late as 1946 that the new shell growth of mature oysters provided the best settlement area for new oyster spat – hence clearly forming reefs.

The argument is always that it was over fishing of oysters that devastated the stocks, and when you see old photos of massive harvests that seems a logical explanation.

But in the UK it could be as much due to the loss of fishery controls and the introduction of widespread trawling following the Fisheries Commission of 1866.

It is highly probable that the deep oyster reefs of the North Sea and the English Channel provided a

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Opposite (left): Screen shot from Daniel Pauly’s TED talk showing the ‘seabed’ brought up from their pretrawling surveys (fig 1).

Opposite (right): Map (fig 2) showing extent of oyster grounds as depicted in the Piscatorial Atlas of the North Sea, English and St George’s Channels of 1883. Left: (figs 3 and 4) Mini reef of five native oysters found at a Pacific oyster farm in Scotland, shown supporting a wide variety of flora and fauna including (below) a juvenile crustacean in hiding!

Below: Mixed oyster reef found at Blokkendam as part of the Ark restoration project in the Netherlands

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source of replenishment for coastal populations before they were fished out.

Daniel Pauly argues in his Ted talk of the benefits of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to allow us to see what the former condition of the sea was.

My worry with this is that when a keystone or habitat forming species such as the oyster in the North Sea is absent, just preventing fishing in an area will not allow things to return to the original form. Oysters as a habitat forming species were once a keystone species and the extent of the historic oyster populations can be seen in the fisheries map of 1883 (figure 2).

Clearly restoration can play a big role to rectify this gap but it is expensive.

The Australian paper was announcing new initiatives in shellfish restoration.

Europe has also been catching up on the great start the US has made with the establishment last year of both the EAS thematic group on native oysters and NORA, the Native Oyster Restoration Alliance (Fish Farmer, November and December 2017, vol 14 11,12) and there is an encouraging amount of work starting or underway in this area.

Shellfish aquaculture also has an important role to play and one that won’t stop when funding runs out. I know of sites where the advent of a shellfish farm has somehow boosted native oyster presence dramatically, and many farmers in Scotland have a real interest in sustaining native oysters even while the faster growing Pacific oyster makes more commercial sense and will remain the mainstay of the farmed oyster market (figure 3 and 4).

At the same time, in parts of Europe the Pacific oyster is forming reefs, and in Holland and France these are quite often mixed native oyster and Pacific reefs.

What we do not know yet is the extent to which biodiversity attracted and supported by native oysters is different from that supported by a Pacific oyster reef. They are certainly forming habitat and substrate.

Suspended mussel culture may also have a role, and research carried out at one offshore mussel farm already indicates increased biodiversity around the lines, and an enhancement of fisheries potential. Mussels dropping from the lines could also be the start of a hard encrusting layer reforming.

So, in this context, it should be good news to report on the discovery of a previously unknown oyster reef in the Thames Estuary. This was found by chance by drift net fishermen before Christmas.

The bad news is that this was all fished out within two weeks and the price of farmed oysters depressed in the important time leading up to Christmas.

In the long run, though, was the actual damage greater to fisheries, where an essential nursery area for young fish and shellfish had been removed?

This is also something we can learn from Blue Planet II that seems to be under the radar: why are we still uprooting resources in this way? FF

I know of sites where the advent of a shellfish farm has somehow boosted native oyster presence dramatically

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08/03/2018 10:33:58

Trade Associations – Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation

BY SCOTT LANDSBURGH

Appliance of science Track record of collaboration between farmers and researchers key to industry success

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HE recent call for evidence in the parliamentary inquiry into Scottish salmon farming raised questions about research and development and how much the industry contributes to this. The short answer is ‘a lot’!

Investing more than £50 million in fish health management in a single year is, in my opinion, a reasonable demonstration of how seriously we take the requirement for scientific input to meet industry challenges.

I expect the need for even greater collaboration between scientists and industry will be recommended and developed in the new Strategic Framework for Farmed Fish Health.

Beyond that, there is a plethora of examples of the salmon farming industry collaborating with the life sciences sector and making use of its research and development output.

Technological developments emanating from UK companies and institutions are working to ensure aquaculture remains sustainable and minimises its environmental impacts. Advances in modelling of aquaculture impacts and the use of information technology are aiding this effort.

Our sector has been a significant funder of academic research, through direct, multi-million pound financial support, and also through in-kind support, such as provision of personnel, equipment and relevant farm services, for things like applied academic research into the production and use of cleaner fish.

Looking as far back as the 1990s, stakeholders including salmon farmers, academics, pharmaceutical companies and government scientists worked together to develop effective vaccines against, specifically, furunculosis.

This development was pivotal in bringing about the success of the sector today.

The industry’s pioneering work on integrated fish health management has provided a platform for sustainable development that is still as important today as when it was first established by scientists and salmon farmers decades ago.

Current industry wide funding for defined projects equates to approximately £6.7 million per annum, while industry investment in R&D is estimated to be around £56 million to £61 million per annum.

A new initiative, the Aquaculture Research Collaborative Hub (Arch UK), with a research budget of £5 million, involves many Scottish companies in a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funded network.

The BBSRC states that ‘investment in recent years has been around £1 million per year in research directly related to aquaculture, plus additional

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funding for underpinning research topics such as basic fish biology and potential novel fish feeds’.

The Technology Strategy Board/Innovate UK have funded projects in excess of £10 million.

The Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) has a list of projects – the majority of which are relevant to salmon farming- totalling £21.6 million, with the industry’s contribution equating to £10.8 million.

The Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum (SARF), first established in 2004, has supported aquaculture relevant projects totalling £5.6 million, with approximately £1.8 million spent on ‘environmentally related’ projects.

The EU has supported significant levels of applied research and development (which includes industry partners and contributions) through various funding initiatives including the ‘Framework’ Schemes and more recently, Horizon 2020.

Funding made available through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) has also resulted in significant research and development activity. For example, there is currently a £7.1 million project with part EMFF funding to develop and improve sea lice management strategies.

A further £9 million project (EMFF funding £2.3 million) with similar goals has recently been approved. For both of these, the industry has contributed the vast majority of overall project spend.

Additionally, there is a project under development that seeks to better understand the risk factors associated with complex gill health challenges. The industry is involved in the global Gill Health Initiative, an international collaboration of industry and scientists aimed at addressing these problems.

And the sector, associated industries and retailers have invested many millions of pounds in research and development within the commer-

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Without continuous innovation we won’t be able to overcome the challenges we face

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Appliance of science

cial arena, for example in feed and equipment development.

Much of the research and knowledge sharing is pre-competitive – that is, it spans and brings together companies which are, to all intents and purposes, competing with one another but which see the value in working together to the benefit of the whole industry.

The SSPO and its international counterparts in the International Salmon Farmers Association (ISFA) and beyond are keen to see this sort of collaboration- and the continuous flow of information and R&D activity between salmon farming nations- being expanded so that we can all make salmon farming succeed and grow.

Working with our peers in Chile, Norway and elsewhere, we have seen major breakthroughs in improving smolt production methods, broodstock programmes, fish health and environmental stewardship, for example, through combined efforts.

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International conventions, such as the Brussels and Boston seafood shows and the biennial Aqua Nor exhibition in Trondheim, provide a forum for closer working and the sharing of knowledge between salmon farmers from around the world.

Aqua Nor, in particular, with its demonstrations of lasers, robo-feeders, electric workboats, advanced underwater surveillance and the like, illustrates how the sheer scale of Norway’s salmon farming industry allows it to undertake major investment in R&D. While we in Scotland punch well above our weight on science and technology in fish farming, we are not at Norway’s level simply because we are not at their industry’s scale.

With one eye on the ongoing parliamentary inquiry, I think our politicians need to understand this correlation and the symbiotic relationship between scale and investment capacity which is, in fact, typical of most economic sectors.

I am eager to see deeper engagement with academia and the broader science sector to enable the most effective research and development to support our industry.

We need to think more creatively to make use of the world leading expertise – from oceanographers to marine biologists to aquatic modelling experts – emerging from our world class universities and institutes.

The UK government is creating an industrial strategy for the nation with individual strategies covering the major sectors of the economy. This has the potential to generate further investment and momentum for scientific research within the fish farming arena and we support a proactive approach from industry to make the best use of this initiative.

Can the industry do more in terms of collaboration, knowledge sharing and scientific investment? Yes, like all maturing, fast-growth industries, we can and indeed we must.

It is our intention to do this and ultimately it makes good business sense. Without continuous innovation we won’t be able to overcome the Above: Industry investment challenges we face.

But I don’t think anyone can question our in fish health is more than £50 mllion a year commitment to developing and strengthening our relationship with the scientific research community, and our track record on this is something we can be proud of.

Scott Landsburgh is chief executive of the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation. FF

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Training and education – Introduction

Engaging the next

generation New report will look at how to develop the workforce of tomorrow

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HE future success of the aquaculture industry will depend on the people working in the sector, something that current employers and training institutions have already taken on board.

There has been increasing investment over the past few years in engaging the next generation, particularly through modern apprenticeship programmes, in-house training and short courses, often provided online.

There are great variations in the provision of training Europe-wide, as Martyn Haines reports on page 36, and a need to find greater common ground. But the take-up of tailored further education programmes, especially, reflects the high calibre of entrants into aquaculture and bodes well for its planned, long-term expansion.

However, it can still be difficult to recruit the best quality candidates in the remote areas where aquaculture operates, and a more targeted approach to the skills needs of the industry is now underway.

An investigation into the workforce was undertaken last year by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), on behalf on the Aquaculture Industry Leadership Group (AILG).

The AILG had made the meeting of future skills requirements one of its recommendations when it published its vision for growth back in 2016. And last autumn it launched an industry skills survey.

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Below: High calibre of entrants (Institute of Aquaculture). Opposite: Students on a farm visit to Marine Harvest; targeted training.

Companies in aquaculture and related services were invited to take part in the study, and now it is nearing completion. It has involved exploring the current level of expertise in the sector and how that can be developed to allow the industry to grow.

Elaine Jamieson, head of Food and Drink at Highlands and Islands Enterprise, who is leading the research, said it has had a wide ranging remit, looking into the needs of the entire supply chain over the short, medium and long term.

It goes beyond the production side of the business to include all the skills required, considering the challenges ahead.

‘We’re looking at the ambitions the industry has and the work that is ongoing at the moment, particularly around fish health, for example,’ she said.

With this, and the £50 million investment businesses have made in innovation, the skills sets needed are constantly evolving as technology embeds itself in the industry.

The researchers looked at what different skills might be called for – ‘to understand a dashboard of information’, with sensors, data, artificial intelligence and so on.

‘We go on to look at skills supply – everything from schools provision through to colleges, universities, and also the apprenticeship family,’ said Jamieson. ‘We look at all of those quite closely because we think they are all very important.’

The research will lead to specific recommendations for the short and medium term, and ‘slightly more aspirational’ suggestions for the longer term.

There have been consultations with employers, councils, organisations such as the Association of Scottish Shellfish Growers, the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre, Skills Development Scotland, and the Crown Estate.

‘We were very encouraged by having input

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Engaging the next generation

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Companies will need access to suitably skilled people who can help meet their growth needs

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from the breadth of the supply chain, everyone from people who offer technological solutions to pharmaceutical solutions to processes further down the line – feed producers, trout producers, salmon producers, oysters, mussels,’ said Jamieson.

‘We hope this will be a powerful and influential piece of research that will inform how investments need to be made to develop the workforce of the future.’

When the survey was first announced, Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said: ‘This government is committed to supporting Scotland’s aquaculture sector to continue to grow in a sustainable way.

‘This mapping work will help to ensure that

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we have the right skills in the right places in the sector and have a plan in place to address any gaps and I would encourage all with an interest to participate.

‘Being the workplace of choice and attracting a diverse and multi-skilled workforce will be essential to maintaining the momentum and ambition within the sector.’

Stewart Graham, managing director of Gael Force and co-chair of the AILG, said: ‘Feedback from the finfish producers has consistently been that people and their skills are a significant potential constraint to our sector’s growth plans going forward.

‘This, of course, is closely tied to the availability and affordability of rural housing which is

a high level challenge for the government and private sector supply.

‘Skills mapping, however, is something the industry can and must take a lead on now to plan for the future, and I would plead with all producers and the wider supply chain to fully engage with this mapping exercise so that we can get ahead of the curve on our future skills needs.’

David Reid, HIE’s regional skills manager, said: ‘Aquaculture is hugely significant in the rural economy. The sector provides valuable skilled employment in many coastal and island communities, where conditions are ideal for growing finfish, shellfish and seaweeds.

‘With growing international demand there will be great opportunities for the sector, but also challenges.

‘To capitalise on those opportunities, companies will need access to suitably skilled people who can help meet their growth needs.’

The final report is due to be published by the end of the month. FF

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08/03/2018 10:28:01

Training and education – Blue EDU

BY MARTYN HAINES

Knowing the gaps Europe-wide alliance looks to harmonise aquaculture qualifications

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T the risk of sounding glib, to know what you know and know what you don’t know is important at the start of any research based inquiry.

Once knowledge gaps have been identified, our resources can be targeted with more confidence and efficiency, while keeping an open mind at each stage of the process.

During its first year, the Erasmus+ Blue EDU Sector Skills Alliance, led by the Norway University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Mid-Norway, has periodically wrestled with the above conundrum.

The demand for and supply of aquaculture vocational education and training (VET) in 12 European countries that cage farm finfish has been the subject of the inquiry.

The research effort is evenly balanced by design, with six countries in the north and six in the south of Europe included.

The aim is to establish the knowledge and skills required by cage farming husbandry operatives and site managers, now and in the future, and the corresponding demand for aquaculture VET. This information will be correlated to the supply of aquaculture VET in each country, leading to recommendations for the harmonisation of aquaculture qualifications and innovative VET developments for the Brussels Commission and other stakeholders to consider.

The voice of industry leaders was resounding during the FEAP (Federation of European Aquaculture Producers) general assembly in May 2017, with 98 per cent of them confirming that a competent workforce was essential for the aquaculture industry to make progress and achieve the ambitious growth in fish production being targeted.

Many strategic workforce development challenges were revealed and shared, and according to survey returns, in most countries farms were having difficulty recruiting qualified staff, particularly when trying to fill managerial vacancies.

There is a high dependency on local recruitment from Europe’s coastal zone communities, and many of those recruits are unqualified, although in some cases they do have useful transferable skills and life experiences.

Many felt that their aquaculture VET systems were not able to cater effectively for these unqualified entrants, who represent an increasingly important segment of the workforce.

Subsequently, comprehensive quantitative survey work in Mid-Norway has offered a more detailed insight into some of the issues the leaders highlighted, as well as confirming industry needs regionally.

There are 14 Norwegian upper secondary schools offering the well rounded Journeyman’s Certificate, composed of two years in school followed by a two-year work based apprenticeship.

This long established nationally recognised qualification (NRQ) ensures

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In most “countries,

farms were having difficulty recruiting qualified staff

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that the industry is supplied with a flow of well qualified new entrants.

Local branches of salmon farming companies work closely with their schools to provide access to their farms as a training facility, and in some cases when students are undertaking work experience, allow them to take responsibility for farming the company’s fish stocks, overseen by their tutors.

Although this system works very well for young learners, and is widely respected, the employees aged 25 years or older cannot always so easily access and complete the Journeyman’s Certificate.

Commonly, they undertake an abridged ver-

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Knowing the gaps

sion, whereby five years of relevant aquaculture practice in industry is recognised and provides direct access to the Journeyman Certificate theory exam.

If necessary, and depending on results, the Journeyman Certificate can be accessed at a regional upper secondary school while in full time employment, and most farms do try to support mature learners in completing this NRQ. Currently, some major companies are now starting to suggest that more flexible course structures and delivery modes could help their work based learners to become qualified, with less time spent away from the farm, especially during seasonal peak workloads.

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This is becoming a matter of greater urgency, as BlueEDU research shows that the number of unqualified mature entrants has grown significantly in Mid-Norway over the last few years, due to the rapid growth of the industry.

The loss of full time aquaculture VET in Scotland Issues of a different kind have surfaced in other north European countries, most notably in Scotland. Late last century, Scotland had an enviable aquaculture college based VET system, providing industry with many keen and knowledgeable young entrants, and progression pathways were available for learners from college diploma to university degree level studies.

The system worked very well but has declined this century because of falling full-time course applications, which colleges attribute to the negative media coverage that the industry suffered.

Consequently, unlike Norway, full time VET has withered on the vine,

Above: Finding out first hand about training provision

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Training and education – Blue EDU

Above: A collaborative approach towards vocational education and training

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and the former Barony College in the south of Scotland was the last to divest, leaving a desolate landscape so far as full-time aquaculture VET is concerned.

Nature abhors a vacuum, so the scientists tell us, and the same seems to apply to educational systems. The Scottish industry has grown considerably this century, and recruitment has continued apace.

In line with all other fish producing coastal zone communities in Europe, reliance on local recruitment has grown in Scotland.

But in the light of the demise of full time VET, how has their knowledge and skills development been catered for? In some cases, quite well it would seem, through the burgeoning Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) in aquaculture and increasingly sophisticated company bespoke training programmes.

However, it is no time for complacency for several reasons. Mature learners over 25 years in age are not eligible for MA funding, which presents a barrier to them becoming qualified.

In addition, although commendable, most company bespoke training schemes do not lead to nationally recognised qualifications, which arguably reduces the mobility of learners and encourages divergence in occupational standards.

All said and done, it is hard to deny that Scotland would benefit from the re-establishment of its full time VET provision, as for many school leavers, especially those who do not live in the coastal zones, this is the ideal preparation for their entry to the industry.

The Mediterranean challenge While the main fish producing countries in the north of Europe may need to shift their aquaculture VET emphasis, there is much to build on.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the eastern Mediterranean region as there appears to be very little aquaculture VET provision available.

Typically, in response, the industry recruits graduate scientists and trains them for positions requiring higher technical and/or management competences.

In addition, many unqualified husbandry operatives are recruited from the coastal zone communities and learn on the job under the supervision of farm managers.

As this training provided is informal, they remain unqualified and relatively captive, which can be an issue.

Although there have been some European funded initiatives led by industry attempting to fill the VET vacuum, this intermittent approach is no way to build a sustainable formal VET provision for the region.

The establishment of a VET provider that could develop formal aquaculture VET programmes and become the hub for the eastern Mediterranean region would appear to be the way forward.

Once in place, aquaculture VET collaboration could more readily extend to include the eastern Mediterranean region, to the benefit of industry in all European regions and, most importantly, the learners.

The industry has been growing rapidly in both the north of Europe and the Mediterranean region this century, and many companies have become increasingly reliant on the recruitment of local, unqualified entrants.

Work based learning is of growing importance and, therefore, at this stage of the BlueEDU investigation it appears that the development of more flexible and accessible work based NRQ delivery systems would be universally welcomed.

This sits comfortably with Europe’s current vision for high quality apprenticeships to support the development of a competent, mobile workforce.

What is more, the necessary VET capacity building phase would be highly eligible for European funding support which could complement national investment.

Although these are positive signs, the BlueEDU partnership does not underestimate the challenge ahead.

A considerable commitment is required to develop the more innovative and responsive aquaculture VET systems that can serve both work and college or school based learners equally well.

Therefore, a more collaborative approach towards VET development seems to make good sense, with VET providers and industry representatives closely involved in the process.

As we continue our research at the start of year two, an appetite for collaboration appears to be emerging within some of the larger salmon farming companies. The BlueEDU partnership looks forward to nurturing these green shoots.

Martyn Haines is director of Pisces Learning Innovations, an education consultancy, and partner within the Blue EDU Aquaculture Sector Skills Alliance and welcomes your questions. He can be contacted by phone (01387 840697) and at info@pisceslearning.com FF

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

08/03/2018 10:25:54

Grieg Seafood Shetland Ltd is recruiting for the following positions:

Workboat Skipper (2 positions) and 1st Mate (2 positions) The Role The Workboat Skipper and 1st mate will form a service team and be responsible for operating our newly built vessel ‘MV Commander’. Reporting to the Farms Manager the crew will carry out operations across our farm production areas with a focus on (but not exhaustive): • Site installation and maintenance of grids and moorings • Tow and lifting operations where required • Net preparatory work • General site work (where needed) Requirements Both positions require a minimum of: • RYA Powerboat Advanced/Coastal Skipper certificate of competence (commercial endorsement); basic sea survival; first aid and fire fighting training.

• Demonstrable track record and competence in site installation and maintenance work. Skippers must have several years experience in related work and coastal navigation.

Additionally, an ‘appointed persons’ lifting qualification would be seen as advantageous. The successful candidate will be self-motivated, attentive to detail, a team player with a strong focus on health and safety. The appointed crew must be willing to operate the vessel at short notice, across any of our farming areas (inc mainland Scotland) for varying lengths of time.

An excellent salary is offered for both positions, working a 2 week on 2 week off shift rota, inclusive of holidays. Performance and loyalty based bonuses are also available for this post. For an informal discussion regarding these positions, please contact Michael Smith (Farms Manager) on 01595 741808 or Justin Watson (Production Manager) on 01595 741817. To apply, please contact Suzan Roberts by e-mail or telephone at the address below.

Suzan Roberts Grieg Seafood, Gremista, Lerwick, Shetland ZE1 0PX Scotland (UK) Tel: 0044 (0) 1595 741800 Fax: 0044 (0) 1595 741806 E-mail: suzan.roberts@griegseafood.com www.griegseafood.no Closing date will be Monday 26th March no later than 17:00hrs

Grieg Seafood Shetland Ltd is recruiting for the following position:

Assistant Area Manager Setterness, Shetland The Role The Assistant Area Manager will be based in Setterness. Reporting to the Area Manager, the position would initially entail (not exhaustive): • Assist in the prioritising and planning of all day to day work, including the allocation of resources as identified.

• Ensuring optimal husbandry of fish stocks at all times.

• Identifying and resolving any problems that might affect fish health, biosecurity or the security of sites promptly.

• Looking after the health and welfare of all fish farm staff and contractors employed within the area.

• Monitoring and maintaining the security and effectiveness of all equipment.

• The prompt and accurate reporting of production related figures for all sites within the area Requirements The successful candidate will have demonstrable skills in fish husbandry at a high standard and ideally will have experienced three full production cycles or more.

The successful candidate will be self-motivated, attentive to detail, and a good personnel manager. They must also have a strong focus on health and safety.

A salary of £31,405.80 per annum plus overtime is available for this position. Performance and loyalty based bonuses are also available for this post. For an informal discussion regarding the post, please contact Marshall Thomason (Area Manager – Setterness) on 01806 577339 or Justin Watson (Production Manager) on 01595 741817. To apply, please contact Suzan Roberts by e-mail or telephone at the address below.

Suzan Roberts Grieg Seafood, Gremista, Lerwick, Shetland ZE1 0PX Scotland (UK) Tel: 0044 (0) 1595 741800 Fax: 0044 (0) 1595 741806 E-mail: suzan.roberts@griegseafood.com www.griegseafood.no Closing date will be Monday 26th March no later than 17:00hrs

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08/03/2018 10:21:52

Training and education – Institute of Aquaculture

Stirling jobs spotlight Students line up industry leaders for their annual careers fair

“

This is an opportunity to network with professionals from the sector

”

I

NDUSTRY leaders have been lined up to address students at next month’s aquaculture careers day at Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture.

The event, organised by the Aquaculture Students’ Association, is now in its fourth year and has broadened out to include aquaculture students from across the country.

Marine Harvest Scotland managing director Ben Hadfield will give the keynote speech at this year’s event The annual jobs showcase will also feature talks from Chris Mitchell, of Pharmaq, Jason Cleaversmith, general manager of AKVA in Scotland, and Ralph Bickerdike, head of fish health at Scottish Sea Farms.

The Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation’s technical manager, Iain Berrill, will give a talk, and the feed industry will be represented by James Deverill of Ewos Cargill, and Philip Lyons, of Coppens International.

Other contributions from industry players include Tom Ashton of genetics innovator Xelect, Julio Lopez of Elanco, and Janina Zuleica Costa of the Moredun Research Institute.

And Michelle Elliott will explain the role in aquaculture of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

At last year’s fair, representatives from several major aquaculture companies, including the Scottish Salmon Company, Marine Harvest, Wester Ross Fisheries, Fusion Marine, Skretting, and the Fish Vet Group, were on

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Above (left to right): Aquaculture Students’ Association members Lynn Chalmers, Sam Houston and Athina Papadopoulou, and MSc student Alexander Pounds. Opposite (top): Students at the IoA

hand to offer advice. Many speakers were themselves graduates of the Institute of Aquaculture.

‘This is an opportunity for fourth year undergraduates, masters and PhD students to broaden their knowledge of career paths and network with professionals from the sector,’ said the organisers, Athina Papadopoulou, Joana Moura and Elizabeth Buba, all current PhD students.

The ASA team has been assisted by SAIC (the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre) interns, Sam Houston, a Stirling graduate and member of last year’s organising intern, and Evelyn Chan, an undergraduate intern.

The careers day will take place in the Pathfoot Building, University of Stirling, on Monday, April 16, from 10am to 4.30pm. The event is supported by the Institute of Aquaculture and SAIC, and lunch will be provided by Coppens International.

Register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/aquaculture-careers-2018-tickets-38771207726 FF

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08/03/2018 10:23:31

Stirling jobs spotlight

PhD platform at research conference FOLLOWING its careers fair, the Institute of Aquaculture will host its fifth PhD research conference on Tuesday, April 17.

Ten students in their final year will be presenting their research, and there will be two invited external keynote speakers, possibly one from industry and one from academia, although details have yet to be finalised.

The rest of the PhD students registered at the IoA will present their research in poster format.

The conference is open to staff and students from aquaculture and elsewhere in the university, as well as members of the wider community.

In the past, it has proved a popular and interesting opportunity for PhD students to explain their research, its quality and impact, and to provide a meeting place where students, staff, stakeholders, and sponsors across the aquaculture and wider sector can liaise.

The conference will take place in the Pathfoot lecture theatre, Pathfoot Building, Stirling campus, with poster session and coffee in the adjoining Crush Hall. Lunch will be served in the Pathfoot dining area.

The day-long conference runs from 9am5.30pm.

Gove welcomes Institute’s innovation THE Environment Secretary Michael Gove visited Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture (IoA) last month to see how cutting edge research is positioning the UK at the forefront of the global aquaculture industry.

The University of Stirling has more than 40 years of partnership and collaboration with the aquaculture industry, pioneering the development of scientific techniques, technologies and expertise to support the sustainable production of food in aquatic environments.

The minister heard how IoA researchers are driving productivity within the sector, including through the development of innovative vaccines to combat diseases.

Proposals to develop the Institute, as part of the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Deal, will build on existing excellence in research and collaboration, said the university.

Gove said: ‘Aquaculture is exceptionally important to the UK economy and to the world in terms of food security.

‘Given the contribution it makes, facilities like the Institute of Aquaculture, which take the academic expertise and commercialise it for implementation in the field, are of huge importance.

‘It was fascinating to see first-hand how the centre harnesses the latest science and technologies to drive innovation in this exciting industry.’

Professor Malcolm MacLeod, senior deputy

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principal at the University of Stirling, said: ‘We know that there are challenges ahead in terms of feeding the world’s population, made more complex by the need to do this in a way which is environmentally sustainable and cost effective.

‘Researchers at the University of Stirling are working in partnership with industry to pioneer new solutions, and having a truly transformative impact across the world.’

Stephen Kerr, the Conservative MP for Stirling, said: ‘This is a fantastic opportunity to show off what we have to offer to the Secretary of State.

‘Aquaculture is important to Stirling and the Stirling City Deal reflects the hopes we have for the future in this field.

‘The jobs and innovation that will come from this investment will have benefits for people throughout Stirling and I am always thrilled to show people round these facilities.’

Below: Michael Gove at the Institute of Aquaculture with MP Stephen Kerr (left), the Institute’s Professor Dave Little (right) and students

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Training and education – Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre

Deepening the talent pool

Schemes show young people the fantastic jobs in fish farming

G

ROWING the industry’s talent pool has been central to the work of the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) since it was set up in 2014.

SAIC believes good people with the right skills are at the heart of success in any enterprise, and has worked to make new connections and deepen existing relationships between industry and research communities.

Heather Jones, SAIC’s CEO, said she has a passion for supporting the next generation of people to help the sector grow.

‘There is lots of evidence of the industry investing in their people, but what SAIC has tried to do is provide a platform to help people realise that it’s an industry that has some fantastic jobs in it,’ she said.

SAIC has helped create opportunities from undergraduate to management level. In just over three years, it has hosted eight summer interns and found industry placements for a further six youngsters; it has sponsored 61 MSc places; awarded 10 postgraduate conference grants; helped 10 graduates secure 18-month industry placements; and given 39 first-time managers dedicated training.

The summer internship initiative, established

by Skills Development Scotland, has proved a big hit with both students and industry.

Research shows that interns benefit businesses in many ways, reinvigorating an organisation’s culture and bringing new ideas and approaches.

‘This is one measure we can champion to help attract young talent into the Scottish industry,’ said Jones.

‘By contributing to the creation of a stream of work-ready innovators, leaders and entrepreneurs we, alongside host businesses, ensure Scottish aquaculture’s continued success

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in the future.’

When the Scotland wide intern programme, aimed at life sciences students, was launched it took on 23 youngsters with only one related to aquaculture. SAIC liked the system so much it agreed to promote it directly to the industry, and last year eight out of 25 interns were in the aquaculture sector, placed in six firms.

Building on that, 2018 sees the programme expand further. Taking on board feedback from companies involved last year, this year the interns will complete a project as a group, as well as receive some coaching and support throughout their internships.

‘We’ve pushed the opportunity for the aquaculture industry to engage and for students to find aquaculture through that scheme,’ said Jones.

SAIC has been building up its links with HR managers to show how the ‘SAIC brand and network can be beneficial to them’, and Jones said she is seeing enthusiasm and engagement from companies big and small.

The interns are 50 per cent funded from Skills Development Scotland and 50 per cent from industry. SAIC is ‘the glue’, said Jones, connecting the public sector to aquaculture so that the industry is able to benefit from the scheme.

The interns are paid the minimum wage – which is around £15-16,000 a year – and tend to do 10-12 week placements.

Among those who have participated is Charlotte Atkins, a third year marine biology student at Heriot Watt University, who spent time on a placement with Waitrose in its head office in Bracknell.

She worked with Jeremy Langley, the retailer’s aquaculture and fisheries manager, in reviewing and developing guidelines for

about making “theIt’sindustry more

attractive to the student population

”

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08/03/2018 10:16:00

Deepening the talent pool

Above: (Left to right) Dan Mulqueen, Dr Stefano Carboni, Heather Jones, Mena Kirmani, Jessica Taylor, SAIC’s Robin Shields and Anne-Marie Picken celebrate the end of the summer 2016 intern programme

Mediterranean sea bass production.

Shona Fraser, from Shetland, a third year studying marine biology at the Institute of Aquaculture at the University of Stirling, spent time with Scottish Sea Farms in Oban. She supported the company’s quality production, including working with farm managers with a tool to help them do this better.

And last summer, Evelyn Chan, a first year marine biology student at Stirling, interned with SAIC and is now working part-time with the centre while she completes her studies.

Although the current programme focuses on life sciences, Jones said there is plenty of scope to expand it.

‘There are lots of bigger, wider opportunities around marine engineering and I would dearly love SAIC to be funded to do more of that too…there is a lot more that could be done.’

She cites SAIC’s junior executive development programme, which has taken a dozen

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new graduates and found 18-month placements for them in leading Scottish firms, including BioMar and Marine Harvest.

‘It’s about increasing the supply of industry ready graduates and also making the industry more attractive to the student population so they know what great jobs there are.’

A new initiative, not yet announced, is for SAIC to fund some extra PhDs – ‘we want those PhD students to work on projects that are very much industry priorities and then they’ll get a lot of industry exposure,’ said Jones. ‘When they graduate they’ll be ready to go into the industry as well.

‘We’re going from undergrads to MSc, we’ve got post grads and then we’ve got graduates starting in the industry.

‘And another thing I’m trying to do is improve the supply of fish vets.

There’s a fantastic course at Stirling but almost no students take up that course from UK vet schools,’ said Jones, who will be speaking at the Fish Vets Society conference at the end of the month.

‘We fund a number of their MSc places and they weren’t all taken up – you need to go further back down the supply chain to market to students. I want to get students marketing to students.’

She would like to see some of the current PhDs or MScs go to the Glasgow or Edinburgh vet schools and talk to the undergraduates. And

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Training and education – Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre

How intern programme works THE programme is delivered by Skills Development Scotland in conjunction with Scotgrad and the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services.

At the start of each year, businesses are asked if they can offer an opportunity for an intern to work with them in the summer. Internships run for 8-12 weeks during June-September and are open to students in their first, second or third year of a life sciences degree at a Scottish university.

THE FIVE-STEP PROCESS:

Above: Opportunities in aquaculture

she suggests trying to encourage veterinary students to undertake their elective placements in fish health.

‘It only takes one or two to have a good experience and tell other people and you get a ripple. That’s what we’ve seen with the intern scheme which we started with one, then we got two and then we got four, then eight.’ FF

1. Decide if your business can host an intern delivering benefit for both parties; 2. If you are based in the lowlands of Scotland, contact SAIC to explore what support is available to you in the creation of the interns programme. If you are based in the Highlands and islands, contact Karla Sam-Sin, the ScotGrad programme manager, to find out about the HIE graduate placement scheme; 3. Once finalised, your agreed job spec will be advertised via ScotGrad; 4. Applicants will be sifted by Skillfluence and the finalists interviewed by your team; 5. Approximately 50 per cent of the student’s salary will be met

by Skills Development Scotland.

AQUACULTURE UK IS ALMOST HERE! Next month’s Fish Farmer is our AquaUK Preview

Are you looking to attract new customers, or, remind existing customers what you can do for them?

As visitors make their plans for the show, make them plan to visit YOUR stand, with an advert (or advertorial) in Fish Farmer.

COME AND SEE US ON STAND NO. 7 42

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FISH FARMER AQUACULTURE UK PREVIEW APRIL 2108

Fish Farmer Magazine www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

08/03/2018 10:17:04

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08/03/2018 10:13:25

Training and education – NAFC Marine Centre

Going the

distance

Shetland centre is hub for students across Scotland

T

HE aquaculture courses provided by Shetland’s NAFC Marine Centre have been developed in collaboration with the Scottish industry, building on the training team’s close links to the sector.

‘NAFC’s aquaculture training programme is very much industry led,’ said team leader Stuart Fitzsimmons.

‘Most of the courses that we deliver have been developed as a direct response to industry requests or to needs that we have identified through our regular contacts with the industry.’

At the core of the aquaculture training programme at the centre- part of the University of the Highlands and Islands- are a series of apprenticeships which provide a progression route and career development path for aquaculture staff, from first entry to senior management positions.

The emphasis throughout is on practical, on-the-job training and skills development, with trainees required to demonstrate that they are competent to undertake a range of activities relevant to their job.

Across all levels, apprentices are supported by NAFC training staff who make regular visits to their work places to monitor their progress and assess their competence.

The Level 2 apprenticeship is for new and less experienced staff, covering a wide range of basic fish farm and hatchery husbandry activities.

The Level 3 apprenticeship is for more experienced staff and covers more complex and non-routine tasks, including the supervision of other staff.

NAFC currently has about 40 students from across Shetland, Orkney and mainland Scotland enrolled on one of these apprenticeships, and more than 150 students have already completed one of the programmes. Each level usually takes about 12 to 18 months to complete.

To complement these, last August NAFC launched a ground-breaking new technical apprenticeship in aquaculture management.

This was developed to allow more senior staff to gain a management qualification (equivalent to a university degree) while working in the aquaculture industry.

This apprenticeship takes about 24 months to complete and, as its name suggests, it has a strong focus on management as well as technical skills.

Extensive use is made of distance learning technology to allow candidates to study at times and places that suit them, and which fit in with their work and other commitments.

Fourteen senior fish farm staff from throughout

Most of “ the courses we deliver have been developed as a direct response to industry requests

”

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NAFC’s aquaculture training team: (Left to right) Mathew Wright, Stuart Ftitzsimmons (section leader), Saro Saravanan, Duncan Kidson (academic quality manager) and Laurence Pearson NAFC.indd 44

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Going the distance

nology to deliver training courses.

Aquaculture training staff member Saro Saravanan said: ‘The big advantage of distance learning is that students can study when and where it suits them.

Short courses ‘Rather than having to come and sit in a college classroom for a day – NAFC also offers a range of short (usually oneday) courses in specific topics such as Biosecurity, which may be difficult to fit in with work commitments – they can work on the course whenever they have some free time.’

Fish Farm Containment, Fish Health, Fish WelAs well as being used for the Technical Apprenticeship in Aquaculture fare, and Sea Lice Identification and Recording.

Management, the centre’s short Fish Welfare and Fish Farm Containment Two new courses launched towards the end courses are also now available online, and there are plans to add more. of last year cover safety awareness in the use of Completing these courses online typically requires about eight to ten capstan winches and pressure washers in aquahours of study, and any device with internet access can be used, including culture operations. computer, tablet, or smartphone.

‘Many of these courses not only meet comA second advantage of distance learning is that it removes geographical panies’ own training requirements, but also enable them to demonstrate good practice,’ said barriers.

‘Distance learning means that people no longer have to come to the Fitzsimmons. centre to attend a class,’ said Saravanan.

‘Our Fish Welfare course, for example, meets ‘We were asked to develop online courses to enable staff from remote the training requirements of the RSPCA’s welfare areas, on wellboats, or on different shift patterns to undertake training standards for farmed Atlantic salmon, and without having to attend traditional college based classes. other certification schemes (including Freedom ‘But it has also expanded our potential market: we are now getting Foods and GLOBALG.A.P.) and industry codes inquiries from many different countries and online delivery of courses to of practice, while our Fish Health courses cover overseas students has started. the training suggested by the Scottish Salmon ‘The feedback from students on the online courses has been excellent Producers’ Organisation (SSPO) Code of Good and we aim to continue developing and improving these to ensure we offer Practice for Scottish Finfish Aquaculture (CoGP). the best quality courses.”

‘Similarly, the new safety course that we reAs well as specialist aquaculture courses, the NAFC Marine Centre offers cently introduced helps companies demonstrate a range of other maritime courses that will be relevant to the industry, good practice in health and safety.’ ranging from sea survival and first aid to workboat skippers’ and marine engineers’ qualifications.

Distance learning For further information visit www.nafc.uhi.ac.uk/aqua or contact Stuart Another development tailored to meet industry needs is the use of online distance learning tech- Fitzsimmons (stuart.fitzsimmons@uhi.ac.uk). FF Scotland have enrolled on the technical apprenticeship since its launch.

Opposite: NAFC’s aquaculture training team: (Left to right) Mathew Wright, Stuart Fitzsimmons (section leader), Saro Saravanan, Duncan Kidson (academic quality manager) and Laurence Pearson. Above: Working in remote locations makes distance learning a popular option

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08/03/2018 10:11:38

Training and education – NAFC Marine Centre

Tailored training in auditing techniques A NEW training course on internal auditing techniques for aquaculture has been launched in Shetland to meet industry demand.

The short course, provided by the NAFC Marine Centre UHI, was developed by NAFC aquaculture trainer Matthew Wright in response to a request from Grieg Seafood Shetland.

‘Internal auditing is the process that companies have to go through to show that they are complying with the various standards that they have adopted,’ said Wright.

‘That includes both monitoring the way the company is operating and keeping the records required to show that that monitoring has been carried out.’

Large aquaculture companies may be subject to a dozen or more different types of audit. Some standards, such as those developed by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and GLOBALG.A.P, are more general in nature to cover many different types of factory or farm.

Other standards are specific to individual supermarket chains or other customers that the company does business with.

Internal audits carried out by companies are backed up through external audits by inspectors appointed by the organisation behind the standard.

These inspectors will visit fish farms and factories to check compliance.

In developing and delivering the new course, Wright has been able to draw on the experience he gained during 12 years working as an aquaculture auditor before joining NAFC’s aquaculture training team in April 2017.

The one-day course covers general auditing techniques, audit planning and root cause analysis. The course has been designed to be applicable to both farm and factory settings, and although it focuses on the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and GLOBALG.A.P standards, it can be tailored to suit individual companies’ auditing requirements.

‘I designed this course to help aquaculture staff become more familiar with auditing techniques and how to apply them to their own site,’ said Wright.

‘Effective auditing is becoming more and more important to aquaculture companies and, increasingly, external auditors want to interact with ordinary staff when they visit factories and farm sites.

‘As well as allowing them to carry out internal audits themselves, this course helps staff to understand what auditors will be looking for, and thus interact with them more effectively.

‘Although this course was developed with Grieg Seafood Shetland, it will be relevant to any aquaculture company.’

He said there was a good response to the first course, with 14 people, including engineering, production, cleaning and quality systems staff, enrolled.

NAFC’s section leader for Aquaculture Training, Stuart Fitzsimmons, said: ‘The new course in Internal Auditing Techniques for the Aquaculture Industry developed by Matthew adds to the repertoire of courses that NAFC has developed to meet aquaculture industry training requirements, and demonstrates once again the centre’s ability to respond to industry needs.’

Above: Matthew Wright, NAFC aquaculture trainer

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Progressing fast in new post

Opposite: John Blance overseeing a transfer of lumpsuckers to the marine sites

JOHN Blance, currently enrolled on NAFC’s Level 4 technical apprenticeship, worked for the Royal Mail for 25 years before deciding to make a career change to aquaculture, prompted by conversations with friends in the industry.

He had heard a lot of good feedback about training opportunities and undertook some initial visits to marine sites. He then went for an interview with Grieg Seafood Shetland and was given a job on one of their farms.

During his interview, Blance said he was very keen on the training aspect and that was one of the reasons he liked the job.

That was in 2015 and now he said he ‘really appreciates the support from company and college’, and is grateful for the SVQ training opportunity.

‘John completed Level 2 and Level 3 to one of the highest standards we have seen on our SVQ programmes,’ said Stuart

Fitzsimmons.

‘He is very keen to continually learn and has commitment to learn everything to high standards. His practical skills have continually improved over the past few years.’

Blance won the NAFC SVQ L3 aquaculture prize in 2016 and was runner up in Lantra’s Aquaculture Learner of the Year in 2017.

He had an opportunity to transfer to Grieg’s marine lumpsucker hatchery and is enjoying the new challenges of hatchery production.

He said he finds the Level 4 ‘very challenging and but rewarding’. He is continually learning and is keen to keep progressing, and sees it as an excellent preparation for moving into a management role from senior husbandry.

He is well supported by his company, as well as mentored by the hatchery manager, Adam Rainsden.

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08/03/2018 10:11:57

DON’T MISS THE UK’S LARGEST AQUACULTURE EXHIBITION AND CONFERENCE

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08/03/2018 10:10:02

Training and education – Scottish Association for Marine Science

ACES

lead the way First graduates of international aquaculture MSc making waves

T

HE first graduates of an international joint master’s degree in aquaculture, led by a Scottish institute, are now helping to develop the industry globally after quickly securing further study and employment.

The Aquaculture, Environment and Society (ACES) course is led by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), part of the University of the Highlands and Islands, in Oban and includes study at the universities of Crete and Nantes.

Forty-five of the most promising aquaculture students from 24 different countries have now been accepted on to the Erasmus Mundus course since its inception in 2015.

The aims of the two-year MSc are bold: to educate the industry leaders of the future and to help create a global network of young

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Below Patricia Alves Pereira and Francesco Boatta.

Opposite: Stewart Beattie

aquaculture researchers.

Students learn from aquaculture academics but there is a strong, industry backed practical element to the course too.

The trailblazers of cohort one (2015-17) – just three in number – graduated in September 2017. Within a matter of months, Italian Francesco Boatta, Brazilian Patricia Alves Pereira and Scot Stewart Beattie had begun to carve out careers of their own.

Stewart, who completed a BSc Marine Science at SAMS UHI before joining ACES, is now one of two lead technicians at Otter Ferry Seafish in Argyll, having been promoted after just two months in the job.

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ACES lead the way

The company produces juvenile halibut, which are mainly supplied to an on-growing site on Gigha. Stewart’s role involves land based rearing of lumpfish, which the company grows for use as cleaner fish in salmon farms.

Stewart said: ‘My employer was very interested in the ACES course. Aside from the qualification in aquaculture, I learned French during my time in Nantes and this has been a real help in establishing professional networks throughout Europe.

‘The course was also very practical and, in particular, the work I did in Crete on fish behaviour, stress, diseases and feeding patterns helped me in my new role.’

Patricia Alves Pereira returned to her homeland after graduation and within a month had gained employment as a field biologist with PRIMAR Aquaculture, the first organic aquaculture company in Brazil and the only company specialising in multi-trophic aquaculture.

The company farms prawns and oysters but will soon be introducing seahorses.

‘My job is to supervise the field work here, make sure the animals are doing well, and make decisions on how to manage them,’ she said. ‘I’m really happy that I get to work doing what I love and for a company I really believe in.

‘ACES was key for me getting this job, because my boss told me so! She was impressed with the resume and all the experiences abroad, plus being fluent in another language of course.

‘I had a call to arrange an interview the same day I applied for the job and I had only been back to Brazil for one month when that happened.

‘I was impressed how quickly I got a job because getting jobs in Brazil is not easy right now, especially in aquaculture.’

Francesco Boatta is continuing his research career and is about to start a PhD in Amsterdam, looking at improving the nutritional profile of insect larvae for the aquafeed sector,

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My experience provided me with “ an excellent theoretical and practical background ”

as well as for other animal production sectors.

He said: ‘Beyond having the opportunity to travel around Europe, my experience as an ACES student provided me with an excellent theoretical and practical background.

‘The privilege to be taught in three top European research centres and universities, the solid in-depth knowledge of the aquaculture sector received during this course, the occasion to get the right tools to analyse and tackle the constraints on a sustainable aquaculture industry, and the chance to establish a worldwide professional network are just the tip of the iceberg of the many opportunities that the ACES course can offer you.’

The ACES course is now accepting applications for the 2018 intake, with a deadline of March 16.

Students are taught at all three partner universities in six-month semesters, where they gain expertise across a range of finfish and shellfish disciplines, from welfare and policy to biosecurity and technology.

The final six-month semester is at a partner institute of their choosing.

For more information, or to apply for this year’s intake, see www.emm-aces.org FF

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08/03/2018 10:09:18

Training and education – Apprenticeships

BY MAIRI SANDISON

Good career move Transport group focuses on local talent in recruitment drive

A

LEADING Highlands logistics company that plays a major role in the aquaculture sector has managed to attract bright youngsters by focusing on recruiting from the local area.

Lochaber based Ferguson Transport & Shipping, which has its head office in Corpach, has recently taken on a further two apprentices in addition to those already in year three of their studies.

The company has become one of the largest independent logistic companies in the Highlands and islands, with centres throughout the UK. It operates more than 70 modern and commercial HGV vehicles and over 170 trailers, and the depot in Corpach covers vehicle maintenance and inspection operations in-house.

Apprentices within the company learn on the job with experienced and qualified employees teaching them the ways of the industry from the ground up, with block release at college and ongoing assessments throughout their training.

At the start of last year, Lewis Cameron joined the company as an apprentice marine engineer and HGV mechanic apprentice, while Matthew Weir is now part way through the first year of his apprenticeship.

Michael Murphy and Calum MacDonald are nearing completion of their training to become fully qualified HGV mechanics.

They are following in the footsteps of Sean McColl and Cameron Blackmore, who are both employed as qualified HGV mechanics, having completed their apprenticeships with Ferguson.

The company also offers business administration and office apprenticeships, ensuring that young people within the local area are offered opportunities that open the door to a successful and rewarding career within the logistics industry.

Ferguson Transport & Shipping has also offered various positions to recent graduates within the company, giving young people a chance to return to their community with skills acquired to thrive in an ever growing and ever evolving sector.

There are currently a variety of trainee business administration apprenticeships throughout the business.

Carhie MacKinnon – a third generation family member to join the firm – has recently started a Modern Apprenticeship in Business Administration, and Robert MacInnes is due to start the same course, based in Ferguson’s Kishorn office.

This will allow him the opportunity to learn and study in an area

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Right - from top: Emma Robertson; Robert MacInnes; Gillian Cameron Opposite: Calum MacDonald, Michael Murphy and Matthew Weir - all HGV mechanic apprentices, Carhie MacKinnon, who is studying towards her Modern Apprenticeship in Business Administration, and Danielle MacEachan, who is studying towards her CIPD certificate in HR practice

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Good career move

where the lack of jobs typically forces young people to move further afield.

Robert said: ‘Working for Ferguson Transport and Shipping at Kishorn Port has not only enabled me to stay living and working in my home community, in which I am very actively involved, it has also offered me the opportunity to continue my own personal career development while being able to remain part of the community I am so fond of.

‘Opportunities such as this one, in a subject area I am interested in, can be rare to find in rural communities like Kishorn.’

Also in Ferguson’s team is HR administrator Danielle MacEachan, who is currently studying towards her CIPD Certificate in HR Practice in addition to receiving on the job experience and mentoring in the department.

Ferguson is also committed to progressing individuals throughout the company. Emma Robertson recently joined the HR team, having graduated from university.

She started in the reception team towards the end of last year and has now moved from to HR, an area she has always had a keen interest in.

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She said: ‘After moving away to study for my honours degree I am excited to be living and working back home, in a career I have always wanted to pursue.

‘Throughout my time away I feel I have gained the necessary qualifications and experience to really help in my new role. I hope to gain fantastic experience in an ever expanding business and I look forward to the challenges and opportunities that come my way within my new role.’

Gillian Cameron has also recently transferred from reception and she now works in the SHEQ (Safety, Health, Environment and Quality) department, relishing her challenging and varied role.

There are career opportunities, too, for HGV drivers, in Ferguson’s operating depots in Corpach, Mallaig, Kyle, Kishorn, Inverness, Invergordon, Grangemouth and Carlisle. This further emphasises the company’s growth strategy of being a nationally operating company with a distinctly local based focus.

Group managing director Alasdair Ferguson said: ‘With our shipping, road, transport, port, warehousing, service and administration departments we provide a great opportunity to encourage young local people to establish a rewarding and long career within the logistics industry - there are so many skill sets required.

‘As a company we see the benefit of promoting young people throughout the various areas of our business, providing secure career paths for young professionals.’

Mairi Sandison is marketing administrator for Ferguson Transport & Shipping. FF

“

Opportunities such as this one, in a subject area I am interested in, can be rare to find in rural communities like Kishorn

”

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08/03/2018 10:06:57

Training and education – Market course

BY NICKI HOLMYARD

London calling Billingsgate seafood school busting myths about farmed fish

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ARMED seafood has encountered a bad press for so long that it is becoming more and more difficult to sort fact from fiction, even among those involved in the industry.

A new course – Is farmed fish our future? run by Billingsgate Seafood School in London, aims to help seafood buyers and sellers, food service managers, chefs, fishmongers and the media to understand the reality behind fish farming; why we need it, what it involves, what is being done to make it sustainable, and how to answer consumer queries.

The short programme opens with an early morning tour of Billingsgate market, looking at the visible differences between wild and farmed species.

It then progresses through a series of lectures and questions over breakfast, continues with a filleting demonstration from an award winning fishmonger, and finishes with a blind tasting, which is where the fun bit starts.

It turns out that it is not as easy as one might think to tell which is which, even among those who consider themselves experts, and the

“

results give rise to much debate.

Market tours are led by CJ Jackson, the Seafood School’s CEO, and inspectors from the Fishmonger’s Company. Delegates enjoy constant banter from the market traders, and master the essential skill of dodging porters speeding through the aisles with barrows.

‘Starting on the market floor gives people the opportunity to look at the huge variety of fish and shellfish on offer, which come in from all over the world,’ said Jackson.

‘Their task is to see if they can pick out which ones are farmed, and to explain why they made their choice.’

Delegates soon learn to tell wild Alaska salmon apart from farmed Scottish and Norwegian, and to notice differences in pigmentation between farmed and wild halibut, turbot and sole.

They are surprised to learn that 50 per cent of the world’s seafood already comes from aquaculture, and that this figure is set to grow to 75 per cent in the next few years.

‘People may only deal with a handful of species and many also

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It’s important to learn more about where our supplies of the future will come from

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London calling don’t realise that the majority of trout, sea bass and sea bream we buy in the UK is farmed and sustainable.

‘And that’s before we get on to warm water prawns, pangasius, tuna, hiramasa kingfish, cobia, meagre, tilapia, seaweed, abalone, blue crab, mussels, oysters, scallops and clams,’ said Jackson.

Facts and figures are provided

by George Hide, a guest lecturer from Sparsholt College, who talks about the global rise of the industry, the challenges it faces, and the solutions available.

He covers species and production methods, fishmeal and alternative feed ingredients, environmental impacts and sustainable/responsible aquaculture certification, genetics and breeding.

It’s all delivered in manageable chunks and easy to understand language, with plenty of time for questions and discussion.

A shellfish expert is generally available to talk about farmed mussels, oysters and scallops.

Jackson invites a variety of representatives to give presentations at each course. To kick off the six-event programme this year, New England Seafood personnel spoke about the way in which their company tackles the issues of sustainability, traceability and social responsibility head-on, by putting it at the core of the business.

Also on hand to discuss progress on her project was Ruth Westcott from Sustain. Westcott coordinates the Sustainable Fish City campaign, which encourages businesses to adopt a fully sustainable fish policy, thereby helping transform the way the world’s oceans are fished.

Lectures over, delegates gather in the school’s kitchens to marvel at craftsman George Hooper’s filleting skills, then eagerly await the blind tasting.

Depending on the species available on the day, delegates tuck into freshly cooked farmed and wild sole, halibut, turbot and bass, trout and salmon, brown crab and blue swimming crab.

‘This can’t be difficult,’ said Darren Kaye, group account manager for M&J Seafoods. But it was.

The majority of people found that they couldn’t decide which fish was farmed and which was wild, and they were confused by differences in texture.

They were even more surprised to find that most had actually preferred the taste of the

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Opposite: CJ Jackson showing the fish before cooking. Which is which?

Above: Billingsgate market

farmed species. As seafood connoisseurs, they weren’t sure what to make of this turn of events, but they left determined to persuade their own customers to embrace farmed seafood with a more open mind.

Jackson’s theory is that we prefer the taste and texture of farmed fish because that is what we are used to eating, whether we realise it or not. And if a fish is enjoyable to eat, does it really matter if it is farmed or wild?

‘We still have a lot of barriers to break down and it’s important to get everyone engaged on the subject of sustainable aquaculture, and to learn more about where our seafood supplies of the future will come from,’ she said.

Feedback from the courses shows that delegates leave with a far greater understanding of the global seafood industry and a new enthusiasm for farmed species. They are highly recommended for anyone keen to explore the subject with expert guidance.

Further information and course dates can be found at http://www. seafoodtraining.org/ A version of this article was first published by Seafood Source. FF

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08/03/2018 10:04:18

EU – Regional approach

BY KARMENU VELLA

Cutting red tape After more than a decade of stagnation, European aquaculture shows signs of economic growth

M

EMBER states have been working to improve the conditions for aquaculture development. Momentum has been built with changes in national laws and EMFF investments coming on stream.

There is growing political and media attention for aquaculture through the Food from the Ocean report and again now with the Parliament’s own initiative report on aquaculture.

This momentum needs to be passed on to ensure support on the ground at regional level.

Practical knowledge and expertise for setting the right conditions to support aquaculture is specific to each region.

The big picture is that the global population is expected to be nearly 10 billion by 2050.

How will we feed them without putting intolerable strain on our natural environment?

The answer lies in farming our seafood. Of course we must continue our work on sustainable wild fisheries, but if we are to get more seafood, it has to come from farming.

The best solution? Plan ahead now to provide more fish in a sustainable, responsible way.

Start small, at local and regional scale. Collectively, we can farm more fish while preserving and improving our waters and biodiversity.

We can reduce our reliance on imported farmed fish, where environmental credentials may not match our strict standards. At the local scale, it offers citizens high quality, sustainable seafood while supporting local businesses and communities, and at a global scale, we would consume fish with less food miles and greater assurance about production standards.

The Food from the Ocean report also highlights that not only can we get more food while preserving the oceans, we can also take steps to mitigate problems like ocean acidification and climate change.

Shellfish and seaweed offer smart eco-friendly materials for coastal protection and preserv-

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ing water quality. The biomass they generate, as well as being food, is ideal input for the tiny, but rapidly expanding blue bioeconomy sector.

Thanks to world leading EU funded research in recent years, this sector is spinning out many new high-tech businesses right here in our regions. They are producing things like cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food additives from fish and plants farmed in our waters.

This is yet another aspect we can embrace to bring jobs and growth to our rural communities. But it is essential that the right conditions are in place, locally, to help these fledgling businesses.

In recent years, we have been hard at work at national level, working closely with national authorities to remove barriers to growth. Long licensing procedures and high administrative burdens; difficulties in finding appropriate sites – all too often barriers like these continue to hold potential fish farmers back.

The good news is that, at national level, the authorities are taking steps to cut red tape. These actions are already showing some effects.

After more than a decade of stagnation, EU aquaculture is finally showing signs of economic growth. Our latest analysis shows a four per cent growth in volume and an eight per cent growth in value between 2014 and 2015.

In fact, by 2015, the sector was farming more fish and generating more value than ever before, building on profits of over 400 million euros in 2014.

As an example of what has been happening at national level, and in addition to the regional examples: • The Netherlands are making life easier for aquaculture producers with online licensing applications; • Austria has published guidelines on licensing procedures, especially to support new applicants; • Ireland has reviewed its licensing procedures with changes expected to follow; • New legislation specific to aquaculture licensing is already going through the national parliaments in Croatia, Portugal and Italy; • Scotland has an exemplary online aquaculture portal; and • Estonia’s Fisheries Centre is organising training and events to support aquaculture producers.

And a number of countries are really advancing on Maritime Spatial Planning. Spain’s interactive online mapping system, which puts aquaculture to the fore, is a great example of this.

We have also launched a mid-term review of our coordination work with the member states that has helped bring about these and other changes. Member states are also reviewing their own progress towards their objectives in their aquaculture plans.

“

Success of aquaculture in the EU lies in the hands of our regions and member states

”

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Cutting red tape In the meantime, the challenge now lies at the regional level. We need to make sure momentum is passed to the regions to adapt to the changes coming on stream at national level.

Planning and licensing decisions at local and regional level can be greatly facilitated by an active regional authority. The knowledge and expertise of the local authority, when adapted to the new, smoother frameworks, should help to make good, efficient decisions and unlock new licences to set up or expand farms.

It would be remiss of me to say that this is not already happening at regional level. It is.

Last year Côtes-d’Armor in France issued its first aquaculture licence in 22 years. It was for a mixed trout and algae farm.

There are plenty of other regions supporting aquaculture in many different ways. In Braila, Romania, for example, they recently set up a restaurant and fish farm with recreational facilities on the same site. This is such a simple concept that if it works well, the same thing will happen in many other regions around the EU - quality fish, served fresh on-site.

We are also continuing with our ‘Farmed in the EU’ campaign which many regions have

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adopted. This has been – and continues to be – a real success. Through Farmed in the EU, schoolchildren are discovering their love for tasty and healthy, locally farmed fish.

Spain was the first country to launch its national ‘Farmed in the EU’ campaign off the back of our EU-wide campaign. And I’m looking forward to seeing a similar success story of the planned ‘Farmed in the EU’ campaigns in Ireland and Croatia later this year.

The EMFF provides 1.2 billion euros exclusively for aquaculture. This money is there to help farms invest, grow, become more innovative and efficient, and also to help attract more private investment. This is complemented by EU funded research on topics like feed efficiency, breeding, environmental management and innovative technologies.

I am confident that as investment gathers pace, research continues to be applied, and with local conditions becoming more supportive, we could see 25 per cent growth by 2020. This is the global target member states set by laying down their national targets in their aquaculture plans in 2014. The key is to follow with real action at regional level.

The planning, authorisation and ultimately the success of aquaculture in the EU lie in the hands of our regions and member states.

This is what will ensure more food from our oceans, rivers and ponds as sustainably as possible. It can help change societies’ mindset towards eating and living more responsibly, preserving our natural resources and it can bring new jobs and circulate more money in local communities.

This is an edited version of a speech given by Karmenu Vella, European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, at a conference in Brussels last month on EU aquaculture. FF

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08/03/2018 10:02:11

Seafood Expo Global – Preview

Brussels showcase Gearing up for the world’s biggest seafood extravaganza

BY GEMMA CORBETT

S

EAFOOD Expo Global returns to Brussels in April for its 26th annual show. Last year, more than 28,500 visitors from 150 different countries attended the exhibition, which is a showcase for companies to present their latest innovations within the seafood industry.

Last year, the expo featured 1,859 exhibiting companies from 79 countries, in which seafood products both fresh and frozen, sourced from aquaculture and fishing, were displayed. This was also accompanied by stands with services relating to marine products, transportation, refrigerated logistics and packaging equipment.

This year, Scottish companies - including all the main salmon producers - will once again be out in force, with 18 firms housed within Scotland’s national pavilion in Hall 9 and a further 10 on separate stands in the connecting halls.

Seafood Expo Global and Seafood Processing Global, the world’s biggest seafood show, runs from April 24-26.

Here are just some of the highlights, from home and abroad. FF

SCOTLAND

Left: The Grand Place in Brussels. Above: The Scottish paviilion.

Opposite page: Seafood exhibitors from around the world

Associated Seafoods (ASL) is one of the many companies representing Scotland in Brussels this year. ASL, a parent organisation to a number of other fish suppliers in the country, is considered an expert in the industry.

The company’s aim is to source, process and supply the finest fish and shellfish products to worldwide consumers.

Dawnfresh Seafood has become a regular presence in Hall 9. The largest trout producer in the UK and the largest supplier of Scottish trout in the world, the company has partnerships with leading retailers in the UK including Marks and Spencer’s, Tesco and Sainsbury’s.

MacDuff Shellfish from Aberdeenshire is the leading processor of wild shellfish in Europe. Like many other companies, it is looking to the future of the industry and is focused on becoming more sustainable. MacDuff has a vested interest in making sure the species it supplies - scallops, langoustines, crabs and whelks - have a healthy population.

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Brussels showcase

Ace Aquatec will also be attending the Brussels Expo. Recently relocated to Dundee, Ace Aquatec makes acoustic systems and electric stunning systems for marine aquaculture applications. Products can be used to deter predators in an environmentally friendly way, which will reduce the chances of habituation and deafness in seals.

NET SERVICES SHETLAND LTD A MØRENOT AQUACULTURE COMPANY

This year, “Scotti sh

companies will once again be out in force

”

JK Thomson is another family run business from Scotland, with more than 50 years’ experience.

This seafood processor has been investing heavily in its premises in Musselburgh, expanding and modernising to become one of the most up to date seafood processing plants in the country. With more than 100 production staff, the company puts great emphasis on training and development, and has increased employee technical awareness with modern apprenticeships.

St James Smokehouse handcrafts award winning Scottish salmon in its traditional smokehouse. Using only the best Scottish salmon, it then hand cures each filet with a blend of sea salt and sugar before cold smoking over smouldering oak chippings. The firm announced last month that it was creating 50 new jobs by expanding its processing plant at Gretna (see processing news, page 73).

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HAVNEVIK

Also from Scotland is International Fish Canners, owned by the Clark family since 1979.

The only manufacturers of canned fish in the UK is inviting anyone to pay a visit during the expo. The company prides itself on how natural its products are and promises that all sauces are made in-house using preservative-free ingredients.

3D-ILLUSTRASJON: GLOBAL MARITIME

Loch Duart has been rearing its famous salmon since 1999. It prioritises the welfare of the salmon throughout production, and was the first salmon farm to become RSPCA approved.

To kick off 2018, Loch Duart has been in partnership with Ortain to create a unique ‘geo chemical’ fingerprint so that its salmon stock can be verified at any point throughout the supply chain.

«Supplier of groundbreaking net technology in OF1»

Visit us at Brussels - Stand No. 4-5957

DELIVERING THE DIFFERENCE ®

wwww.morenot.com

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Seafood Expo Global – Preview

WORLDWIDE

A.O.Kingdom, located in Taiwan, is a leading supplier, exporter and manufacturer of frozen fish, including farmed tilapia and grouper. It believes its ability to supply and export consistently high products and to be continually bettering its manufacturing processes and working environments is through total employee engagement and strict adherence to fair business ethics.

AJC International is a US company offering both wild caught and farmed products through its family AJC brand. Products are available in a variety of different styles to meet the requests and specification of customers.

Additionally, with a global sourcing ability, AJC is able to offer products from North and South America, the EU, China, Vietnam and Taiwan.

Above: Seafood display at Cooke Aquaculture’s stand . Right: The Scottish Salmon Company launched its Native Hebridean Salmon last year. Opposite page: International visitors attend a processing demonstration in Hall 4

The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), the international non-governmental organisation, encourages the importance of advocacy, education and leadership in the aquaculture industry.

With the advancements of the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification standards, GAA is now the leading standard setting organisation for aquaculture, and the only aquaculture certification that considers the full production chain.

In order to become BAP certified, a company must prove its commitment to the environment, the health of the animals and customers and show social integrity.

Adriatic Sea International is a pioneer in Europe in the planning, construction, upkeep and installation of systems involving the maintenance of live crustaceans, fish and molluscs. The company, with more than 35 years’ experience in the industry, has installed over 5,000 systems across Europe.

EWVG, based in France, is an engineering company specialising in the treatment and purification of water in closed-loop circuits. With 21 years in the business, the firm’s aim is to contribute to improving the use of water in human activities.

FrioNordica, a Norwegian company, is an industrial refrigeration specialist operating within the fishing, fish processing and aquaculture industries, and boasts considerable experience in developing cost effective cooling solutions.

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Brussels showcase Kyocera Unimerco Tooling A/S is a company from Denmark concerned with the manufacturing, distribution and servicing of tools for machinery, primarily in the metal, woodworking, automotive, aerospace and fluid power industries.

Hedinn is involved in the mission to modernise Iceland’s traditional fishmeal and fish oil processing plants. The company has recently designed the Hedinn Protein Plant (HPP) which is considered to be the ‘the new frontier of protein recovery’. HPP allows production on both sea and land to be more economically efficient and environmentally friendly as it is steam and electricity powered. All conventional fishmeal plants in operation in Iceland at the moment have either been upgraded or constructed by Hedinn.

Located in Denmark, IRAS works with the aquaculture industry to produce innovative solutions within: discharging, classification, weighing, ice handling, storage and internal distribution in processing plants.

Marelec Food Technologies has extensive knowledge and experience in fish weighing and sorting systems and believes that, with its products, this can be done in a precise and reliable manner both onshore and off. Marelec has a network of internal agents in more than 30 countries, so can assist global customers more conveniently, with fast delivery and service after sale.

Stranda’s force of nature Stranda PROLOG is passionate about animal welfare, hygiene and innovations for the fish processing industry.

The company, which now employs around 60 people, has been in business since 1946 and is still owned by the Hoseth family.

Recently moving headquarters to Kritiansund, Stranda PROLOG is the designer of the Manta Net Cleaner which, it says, ‘works with the forces of nature, not against them’.

The Manta has been designed in partnership with experts who have extensive knowledge in cleaning fish farm cage nets.

The company believes that net cleaning has become nearly a continuous task which is why it has produced a machine which is both effective and efficient to use. The Manta slides along the wall of the cage without coming into contact with the net, while the water jets flush away the algae and other forms of dirt from the net.

The Manta can also get to all the hard to reach places such as corners and rope holds.

THE LEADING GLOBAL THE LEADING GLOBAL SEAFOOD BANK SEAFOOD BANK Visit us in Brussels Stand No. 5-413 DNB plays a significant role in business areas where Norway has deep historical roots. Despite its small size, Norway is one of the world˙s major players in Ocean based industries. DNB˙s first-hand knowledge means that we can offer exceptional expertise and unique insights into these markets. www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

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FIND AQUACULTURE’S TRUE ESSENCE. DEDICATED TO YOUR PERFORMANCE Coppens.indd 60

VISIT US AT STAND #4-5831 WWW.COPPENS.COM 08/03/2018 09:58:41

Brussels showcase

The “ producer

practises an all in, all out farming method

”

Makefood International Co from Beijing, founded in 2009, looks to provide its customers with ‘a constant streamline of product’. This includes tilapia, mackerel, squid, pollock, cod, yellowfish, sole, salmon and seafood mix. Makefood sets up a display every year at the Seafood Expo and invites new clients to pay them a visit.

For more than three decades, Lima from France has specialised in the design, manufacturing and sale of meat-bone separators. Its products correspond to the highest EU and US quality standards and the company aims to satisfy customers in terms of the quality of recovered meat by using minimum inputs to create more environmentally friendly methods.

Landauer Seafood Division is a worldwide provider of frozen seafood which is then traded in container loads. Its customers are importers and distributors from all corners of the globe, including Africa and the Middle East.

Kush Shellfish is the first organic rope mussel producer in Ireland.

Oysters and periwinkles are also harvested from Kenmare Bay – a special area of conservation off the south-west coast of Ireland. The company believes the sustainable aquatic ecosystemswhere its products are grown is one of the last remaining ecosystems of its type in Europe.

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) hopes to promote the best possible environmental and social aquaculture performance, and works with scientists and conservationists across the globe in an effort to move the aquaculture industry closer to sustainability.

Arnalax is a fairly new company producing salmon in a natural and sustainable farming method in the clear Arctic oceans around Iceland. With six farming locations across three fjords, the producer practises an ‘all Top: Reception on the in all out’ farming method. This allows each site to replenish after each Scottish pavilion. Right: Scott Landsburgh, chief generation has been harvested, so that every farming cycle begins in the executive of the Scottish naturally clean waters – reducing diseases and pests dramatically.

Salmon Producers’ Organisation, addresses guests at the Scottish pavilion in 2017; global products draw big crowds each year.

Banking on aquaculture Den Norske Bank (DNB) prides itself in being Norway’s largest financial services group. With its head office in Oslo, it has total combined assets of more than 1.9 trillion Norwegian kroner. DNB has strong links to the seafood industry and believes it to be priority area for Norway and internationally.

As well as offering financing, DNB also provides a wide range of corporate and investment services, which has in turn made the bank financial partners to some of the world’s largest seafood companies.

DNB also has strong international links with offices in London, New York, Santiago de Chile and Singapore.

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Innovation – Alternative feed

New brew Edinburgh start-up develops microalgae from whisky waste

BY GEMMA CORBETT

phosphates and nitrates, with the purpose of being used as a supplement in livestock feed, and specifically for Atlantic salmon.

With supplies of fishmeal and fish oil under pressure as the aquaculture industry continues to expand, MiAlgae could be a pioneer for an innovative and alternative method for feeding fish in an environmentally friendly, cost effective and sustainable manner.

‘That is the key thing behind all this, feeding more people, quicker and better,’ said Martin, who was born and raised in South African but has Scottish parents and has chosen to base his business in Edinburgh, at the Centre for Carbon Innovation.

MiAlgae, with a team of two, is still in the early stages of development and has faced a few challenges, partially due to lack of capital.

Martin began with home-made systems for producing algae, set up in his flat, with incubators and other essential equipment he built himself.

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OUGLAS Martin’s bright idea for an alternative aquaculture feed struck him, in a Eureka moment, at three o’clock one morning.

He had recently observed a massive algae bloom while working offshore on a wind farm in the German Bight and with his background in biotechnology – at the time he was completing an MSc in Synthetic Biology and Biotechnology at Edinburgh University – he decided this could be made into a business opportunity. MiAlgae was born.

This Scottish start-up, set up in 2016, produces omega-3 rich microalgae, which is high in

...

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PLANY Disinfection Tarpaulin For all floating installations

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08/03/2018 09:51:16

New brew

We’d be “ keen to take

our product into feeding trials with one of the big aquaculture feed producers’

”

But MiAlgae has had some initial success, winning competitions and gaining grants to assist it in future endeavours. The biggest of these was the Shell LiveWIRE award which, along with further business support, including from the University of Edinburgh, amounted to £5,000 of equity free funding to put to good use.

MiAlgae has also managed to attract seed investors over the last few years and has additionally been awarded a grant from Scottish Enterprise. Overall, the company has secured investments and grants of just under £200,000, and is now trying to raise money for the next level of development.

‘We are no longer in the flat – luckily,’ said Martin. ‘We’ve moved into labs [the IBioIC (Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre) labs in Strathclyde and Heriot-Watt, and the firm’s own lab in BioCity] and we are currently looking to scale up our production processes.’

The next stage is to develop a pilot demonstration of the product which, said Martin, ‘will be happening in the very near future…. with a bit of luck’.

He believes MiAlgae to be best suited to aquaculture because the industry ‘needs it the most’, although there are future plans to venture into the pet foods and cosmetic industries.

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‘Essentially, you need to feed more people and you need to do it sustainably, and aquaculture is a great way to do that if you can find a way to maintain the nutrients in those feeds without having to take more fish out of the sea.

‘They aren’t getting as much omega-3s in the feeds as they used to and they are looking at ways to boost that up… because that’s where the health benefits of fish are.’

MiAlgae works with a number of different by-products, ranging from breweries and distilleries, to grow its microalgae.

‘For every litre of whisky that is produced, you end up producing about 12 litres of co-product, making it quite a wasteful production.

‘That co-product is essentially the beer without the alcohol in it, so for us there are some really interesting things you can do with that, to grow algae on with our recipes.’

Martin has no plans at present to return to South Africa but sees some scope in the future in the emerging aquaculture markets in Africa, which centre around the freshwater production of tilapia and catfish.

‘We might look [to produce] a system like ours in a social enterprise in Africa that goes out and helps clean up people’s water, and actually produces something of benefit that can boost the omega-3 levels in farmed fish.’

For now, though, the focus for MiAlgae remains in Scotland’s salmon feed sector, where Martin has big future plans for the business.

‘We will be looking to do a few trials in the near future, and we’d be keen to take our product into feeding trials with one of the big aquaculture feed producers.

‘We have a few more steps to get through before we get there but that’s on the cards.’ FF

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08/03/2018 09:49:45

Net cleaning

Scottish solution Shipyard nets over half a million pounds in orders from salmon producer

A

N innovative net cleaning product has helped Macduff Shipyards secure more than half a million pounds in additional orders from Scottish Sea Farms.

The salmon farmer, a long-standing client, approached Aberdeenshire based Macduff in 2016 with an early concept for an improved way of removing the build-up of algae and other marine materials from its fish pen nets.

This would further enhance the health and welfare of the salmon within the pens, and increase the efficiency of the cleaner fish that swim alongside them, when not distracted by debris on the nets.

Together, the two companies developed a new net cleaning pressure pump that not only proved more effective at removing build-up but is also more reliable, easier to use and more fuel efficient too, all at a significant cost saving compared with the Norwegian system previously being used.

Such has been the effectiveness of the SSF 245 Net Washing Pump that Scottish Sea Farms has gone on to commission six units.

John Watt, managing director of Macduff Shipyards, said: ‘Aquaculture has always been an important part of our business, and working alongside Scottish Sea Farms on this project has been hugely positive both for Macduff itself and the local area, where our workforce now numbers over 200.’

The partnership with Macduff is part of a wider commitment by Scottish Sea Farms to ‘buy Scottish’ wherever possible, delivering a boost of more than £100 million across 709 locally based companies in 2017 alone – up £13.9 million on 2016.

Scottish Sea Farms’ managing director, Jim Gallagher, said: ‘The communities in which we farm are integral to our success, from their natural resources to their local workforces and businesses.

Above: Fish farming ‘It seems only fitting, therefore, that these benefits the local supply same communities should derive maximum chain value in return; something we are proud to have grown again in 2017, and will strive to continue growing in 2018 and beyond.

‘The new washer system provides a solution that’s tailored to local needs, has the local

back-up of Macduff and has created a real boost for the local area.’

It is estimated that salmon farming as a whole contributes £558 million to the national economy in GVA and generates a total spend of £390 million on local suppliers and services.

However, it is anticipated that the end benefit to Scotland will be even higher, with many suppliers such as Macduff Shipyards going on to spend with other businesses local to them.

‘At Macduff, we too try to use local trades as much as we can – and we always have done,’ said Watt. ‘We consider it vital that we support our local economies and communities.’ FF

The new “washer system is tailored to local needs

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08/03/2018 09:46:45

From the archive – March/April 1992

INDEPENDENT VIEW: HUGH HORREX

Teaching the new professionals

A

LTHOUGH fish farming, in common with the UK industry as a whole, is going through a bad time at present, perhaps suffering a little more violently than expected because of its quick early growth, it has now settled into the pattern of a much more professionally operated industry. Many of the ‘seat of the pants’ operations once identified have become farms with refined management, working to well organised budgets. The few still outstanding are likely to find change forced on them by markets circumstances.

Much of the new professionalism is being helped by good educational support for those entering the industry, and those whose work impinges on it. I am thinking of the veterinary profession, for instance, whose ‘hands-on’ experience with fish has been limited in the past.

Into waders The UK veterinary profession are looking into their long-term syllabus and expecting to change earlier specialisations. This should be good news to fish farmers who hopefully will have more knowledge available in the future.

What we are doing on our farm – and I would ask other fish farmers to do – is inviting fourth-year students along in small batches. These students are initially examining all parts of the farm, getting into waders and helping move or grade fish, or sort and inspect broodstock. Whatever they do, they get used to handling fish and observing them in different situations.

Above: Hugh Horrex

permarket shelves in no way reflects this. What is holding the supermarket back from highlighting the health aspects of eating fish that are produced in one of the most closely monitored environments that exist? There is a vogue for free-range chicken which – if genuinely ‘free’ – can scratch in mud and pick up any scrap feed associated disease going, such as coccidiosis.

But look at the supermarket space and public image for chicken compared with fish.

I really do think so much purchase power lies in imagery, and the image producers are sadly lacking in the farmed fish industry. FF

SAFE SUPPLIER OF NET-TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES AND EQUIPMENT FOR THE AQUACULTURAL INDUSTRY Egersund Net is a part of Egersund Group, founded in 1952. Egersund Net started net production in the early 1970s and was turned into a separate company in 1996. Since then, Egersund Net has established itself as one of Europe’s leading suppliers of seine nets and services for the fish farming industry.

www.egersundnet.no

Live fish It is our intention that the students should have practical experience of live fish and be happy handling them. After all, any vet issuing antibiotics for treating fish must not only identify the reason for antibiotics use, but must monitor the on-farm practical use of the medicines prescribed. I don’t feel that this follow-up procedure is always carried out correctly.

Practical fish farmers need to think ahead of the day-to-day problems.

There are still quite a few changes in the nutritional and fish health aspects all basically aimed at quicker growth of healthy fish.

Higher tonnage Look at the number of fish wasted through ill health and bad management over the past few years; save only half of these and we can increase our produced tonnage without any increase in young stock production.

This, of course, quite correctly begs the question, ‘can we sell more fish?’, and here price always enters the equation.

I found it disappointing that there was not more discussion at the Glasgow conference on the basic premise of production cost and market price. I question whether we have truly calculated our actual production cost and thus identified minimum sale price.

The current desire of most people to eat a healthy and tasty meal should mean that fish consumption is on the increase in national consumption terms. With increasing pressure on the resource of a wild catch, farmed fish consumption must also increase, yet space on the su-

OUR COMPETENCE - YOUR SAFETY Visit us at Seafood Expo Brussels

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MANTA NET CLEANER Developed by people with years of practical experience of net cleaning, the Manta net cleaner is designed to utilize the forces of nature.

Both the buoyancy and stability are neutral, so, when placed in water with the thrusters shut down, it won’t sink, or float to the surface, or right itself unnecessarily. This makes the Manta very easy to manoevre.

As net cleaning has become an almost continuous task during the summer months, efficient, reliable and easy to use equipment is essential. The Manta has no belts or other moving parts that get in contact with the net. It slides along the walls of the cage while the waterjets from seven titan cleaning discs flush the fouling from the nets.

Look up our website at www.stranda.net or contact us for more information at post@stranda.net

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08/03/2018 09:43:44

Feed – Skretting advertorial

Prime

products New diets maximise growth and minimise production time

S

KRETTING’S ground breaking new salmon grower diets have been in use in Scotland for the past 12 months, helping Skretting UK customers achieve the full growth potential of their stock and delivering market leading results.

Over the course of the past three decades, Skretting Aquaculture Research Centre (ARC) has undertaken pioneering research into the functionality of the different nutrients in fish and shrimp feeds.

Through this investment in research Skretting ARC has successfully found ways to positively influence a number of stimuli that influence feeding, including taste and hunger, enabling the fish to eat more and digest the feed more efficiently.

‘This unique body of work that ARC has undertaken has provided the platform for Prime and Express – our newest grower diets that are explicitly designed to stimulate and enhance the appetite and food intake of salmon,’ said Sissel Susort, global product group manager for Skretting.

‘Prime and Express work in tandem to facilitate the best possible growth of the fish at two crucial growth stages, with Prime optimising consumption at the first

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seawater growth phase of the production cycle – up to 1kg. Express takes over in the final grow-out phase, taking the salmon right through to harvest.’

Foundations for growth Prime and Express expand Skretting’s salmon diet offering, providing greater flexibility to fish farmers and the broader seafood supply chain.

With the new grower diets, an organ system approach was followed with the aim to redesign growth from an overall perspective. The result was two distinct products – each tailored to the physiological requirements of the fish at different life stages.

Prime prepares, or primes, the fish, building a solid foundation to support fast, high quality growth. Express

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Prime products

“

builds on the framework created by Prime, maximising the speed of growth by enabling the fish to fully utilise the potential in the feed. This means that the feed can go through the digestive process much faster.

‘Good growth in the first phase in seawater should support the recruitment of new muscle fibres and a healthy bone deposition,’ said Alan Bourhill, marketing manager at Skretting UK. ‘In the later seawater phase leading up to harvest, growth occurs primarily by enlargement of the existing muscle fibres and by deposition of fat. Growth at this final stage is only as good as the foundation that is laid down in the first phase.

‘With Prime and Express we are supporting fast growth while giving the salmon everything that they need to support the right type of growth.’

Digestive and energy efficiency The new feeds are built around an understanding of the digestive physiology of the fish, providing them with a solution that can be broken down and processed much faster than conventional diets.

The larger sizes of grower feeds typically contain higher levels of fat.

Salmon digest and absorb this fat and deposit it in the fillet. However, processing a high-fat feed can be challenging to the fish’s digestive system. Express is designed to enable salmon to take up the fat from the feed much more proficiently.

Extensive validation trials with Express conducted prior to the launch showed that it significantly reduced the accumulation of fat in the intestinal cells, indicating a far more effective absorption of fat.

‘In collaboration with two customers in Norway, Skretting compared the growth characteristics and feed conversion of Express with several other commercially available grower feeds,’ said Susort. ‘Using Express, those customers are reporting extremely good growth and the lowest FCR in class.’

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Bourhill added: ‘The market leading results we saw in the prelaunch trials Norway are being replicated in commercial conditions in Scotland much to our customers delight.’

Faster production or bigger fish?

Thanks to Skretting ARC’s focus on optimising appetite, feed intake and digestion, Prime and Express will together enable salmon farmers to reduce their production time by as much as four weeks. Alternatively, if they wish to maintain their current production timescales, then the slaughter weight can be increased by up to 700 grams.

‘Fast growth or fast to harvest is currently the single most important aspect in salmon aquaculture since this reduces operating costs and also reduces the associated risks of farming fish in open ocean locations,’ said Susort.

‘Together, Prime and Express are a game changing solution that will provide our customers with the increased flexibility to do what’s best for their production system, without taking any short cuts or unnecessary risks.

‘Whether they choose to reduce the production time or to provide the market with larger salmon, there are considerable benefits to be had from both actions.’

For further information visit the Prime and Express Skretting section of the Skretting website at www.skretting.co.uk FF

They provide our customers with the increased flexibility to do what’s best, without taking any short cuts or unnecessary risks

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Faster to harvest Prime & Express are the next generation of feeds for post-transfer salmon. Skretting’s new grower salmon feeds diets enable a shorter production time in the sea, without compromising fish health or final quality.

Prime prepares, or primes, the fish, building a solid foundation to support fast, high quality growth.

Express builds on the framework created by Prime, maximising the speed of growth by enabling the fish to fully utilise the potential in the feed.

Read more at www.skretting.co.uk

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08/03/2018 09:40:18

Processing News

Technology ‘pushing processing to new heights’ Consumer demand is driving seafood product quality and diversity to new heights, Marel, the international food processing equipment company, told the 13th annual North Atlantic Seafood Forum (NASF) in Bergen, Norway, earlier this month.

MAREL executives spoke at the forum’s aquaculture and salmon seminar to address how technological advances are rapidly elevating levels of automation in the seafood processing industry.

The company has said these are exciting times for anyone involved in fish processing, with the rate and global spread of increasing automation amounting to a revolution in the industry.

Above: The future lies in state-of-the-art, hi-tech production systems Marel’s core markets the past 12 months, forum: ‘While the icance of automation managing director salmon, cod and tilapia with more expected in of Marel Fish, said main driver for higher in the global salmon - have enjoyed ground the year ahead. levels of automation industry.’ in advance of the breaking advances in Sigurdur Olason, is the reduction in And as the cod inmanpower available, dustry looks to innoparticularly in Europe vate and optimise the and North America. value chain, pinbone She said: ‘This is the first year GRIMSBY based Seachill, along ‘But it’s the technol- removal has been I’ve attended NASF, and I’m with its Saucy Fish brand, was ogy and innovation automated both on honoured to have been offered the lead sponsor at the North that delivers practiland and on sea, and the opportunity to talk about Atlantic Seafood Forum in cal solutions to this the first Marel FleXicut the Saucy Fish Co’s award winBergen. challenge.’ pinbone removal and ning brand and share, learn and The summit, which ran from Olason said a recent portioning systems network amongst my peers.

March 6-8, is the world’s largest example of increased have now been ‘I’ve worked as part of the seafood business conference, automation in the installed on freezing attended by around 900 seafood Saucy Fish team from the beginsalmon industry is the trawlers as part of a ning, watching the brand grow executives from 35 countries. installation of China’s complete modernfrom strength to strength.’

As part of a three-day profirst fully automatic isation of onboard The Saucy Fish Co also showgramme, NASF hosted the Young processing line, at processing. cased its award winning range of Seafood Leaders’ Summit, in asShanghai Hi-Chain Marel’s most recent sociation with Bergen’s Chamber complementary fish and sauce Foods’ salmon procontribution to the products at the NASF delegate of Commerce. cessing facility near revolution of cod prodinner.

The summit brings together Shanghai. cessing is the addition Jorgen J Lund, managing dithe next generation of seafood The plant produces of a new pre-trim rector of NASF, said: ‘Saucy Fish leaders and kicking off this up to 30 tonnes of solution and packing is such an iconic brand within year’s event was Saucy Fish’s salmon products a day robots to the FleXicut the seafood industry, so Bacardi category analyst, Bacardi King. and the Marel installa- system.

She delivered the ‘Saucy story’, felt like the perfect candidate to tion includes filleting, ‘This means that open the Young Seafood Leada presentation on the brand’s trimming, pinbone pre-trim can be the ers’ summit, with her inspiring approach to marketing. removal, skinning, last place the fish is presentation on marketing.’

King revealed how the Saucy portioning and slicing touched by human Fish Co became the top global equipment. hands,’ said Olason. seafood brand, outlining its re‘Chinese processors He said companies cent move into the freezer aisle have traditionally were increasingly with the ‘Frozen Just got Cooler’ been known for a prepared to invest campaign. heavily hands-on in technology to Having joined Seachill straight approach to fish compensate for a from university, King has worked processing,’ explained diminishing supply of alongside Saucy’s brand managOlason. labour. er, chefs and marketing agency ‘So this installation ‘In the South Amerto find new ways to help more in China highlights ican tilapia industry, people eat fish.

Above: Bacardi King the widespread signif- the desire to process

Young seafood leader is seminar star

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Exciting times

“

We are entering the next industrial revolution

”

larger volumes is also pushing automation.’

Advances in software contribute greatly to automation in food processing, and factories are becoming smarter as software becomes an even bigger part of the production process.

‘Interconnected software solutions now control and monitor the whole journey of fish from the sea to the supermarket,’ said Olason.

‘Furthermore, we are entering the next industrial revolution as Big Data and deep learning become an integral part of stateof-the-art, hi-tech production systems.

‘Artificial intelligence is an important factor and we also see that new product development moves at a much faster pace than before.

‘We welcome this era as we are committed to continuing our role as a pioneer in creating systems and solutions that allow food to be processed in an affordable and sustainable way.’

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08/03/2018 09:37:33

Processing News

US move drives up Young’s Q1 sales and profits YOUNG’S Seafood is on course for one of its best years in almost a decade, its first quarter financial results show.

Buoyed by its move into the United States, the company has reported a turnover of £141.1 million, an increase of 9.6 per cent year on year.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) were £4 million, bolstered by strong cash management.

Young’s financial year ends on September 30 and the first quarter covers the period from October 1 to December 30, 2017.

CEO Bill Showalter said: ‘The strong growth of our market leading brand, contract wins and our first export deliveries to the USA have driven EBITDA growth during the quarter.

‘We continued to see significant sales growth in both our frozen and chilled temperature regimes and Young’s remained the clear market leader.

‘Progress with our exports programme in the USA demonstrates the strength of our brand and the international demand for restaurant quality fish.

‘We remain on track with our plan and continue to be the clear number one brand in frozen seafood.’

The first quarter figures have come out just a few weeks after the company announced a full year turnover rise of six per cent to £523.3 million.

The full benefits of its North American drive will almost certainly show up when further quarterly results are published later this year.

Showalter has already signalled that he plans to expand Young’s international presence, with China and Europe firmly on his radar screen.

Now Findus plans US foray

FINDUS has become the latest UK seafood business to enter the US frozen food market.

The company, now part of New York based Nomad Foods and already established in Canada, announced it would attend the Boston Seafood Expo from March 11-13.

It was planning to introduce its new Italian seafood pasta sauces at the show, along with other items from its range, using ‘British heritage’ as a marketing tool.

Two Grimsby based companies, Young’s Seafood and Seachill (through its Saucy Fish brand), have already made successful forays into the US. Harald Guimarães, export director at Findus, said: ‘Findus is all about making healthy, delicious food accessible and affordable and we believe that this suits the US market very well.

‘According to our market research, there is a very high potential for Findus fish products on both the east and west coasts of the USA.’ Findus is the largest frozen foods producer in Europe with a turnover of $2 billion. Nomad Foods employs more than 4,300 people in 15 countries and 10 factories and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange since January 2016. The company headquarters are in Feltham near London.

Above: Very high potential

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Staff harder to find say processors

Above: Demand for fish processing staff

MORE than a third of UK seafood companies say they are now experiencing a lower availability of suitable candidates following the EU referendum, a Grimsby Food Careers event has heard.

But so far it is not affecting production.

Some of the latest data on current recruitment issues in the industry was unveiled by Seafish at a special presentation when it launched The Future of Food masterclass and networking session in the town.

Seafish is currently collecting information throughout the UK at the request of Defra and the results will be published quarterly.

Seafish collected data for 12,735 workers who were employed in the UK seafood processing industry in 2017.

According to the most recent Seafish processing sector census, the companies surveyed account for around 52 per cent of the total number of employees in the sector.

About half of the workers in the sample (6,272) are from the European Economic Area (EEA), which includes both the EU and the three European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries of Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

The remainder (6,117) are UK citizens. A further 346 are from other countries.

But the proportion of EEA staff is far higher in Scotland than the Humber, which is home to the largest concentration of seafood

processing in England.

In the Grampian region, for example, 71 per cent are EEA citizens or from other countries and only 29 per cent recruited from local sources.

On the Humber (Grimsby and Hull) the proportion is 61 per cent UK and 33 per cent from the EEA. The remaining six per cent are from countries outside the EEA - and the larger the company, the higher the proportion of European workers.

Researcher Lewis Cowie, who has been gathering the data, said 38 per cent of employers surveyed said they were now finding a lower availability of suitable candidates.

Some 19 per cent said EEA staff were less willing to come to the UK, while 11 per cent reported no recruitment problems.

A small proportion (six per cent) said EEA workers were now starting to leave Britain. But so far companies said these trends were not impacting on production targets.

The event, held at Grimsby Institute, was designed to persuade more young people towards a career in seafood and food generally, and attracted a large audience.

Freelance marketing consultant and former Seafish head of marketing Karen Galloway told the young audience that the industry offered massive career opportunities at every level. A piece of fish, for example, was traded up to 12 times before it reached the consumer.

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08/03/2018 09:38:50

Processing News

Shoppers spent £171 million on festive seafood SALES of seafood in the UK over the 2017 festive period rose by 4.4 per cent, with salmon once again topping the list.

The figures, from Seafish, show that UK shoppers spent more than £171 million on over 14,800 tonnes of seafood during the two weeks to December 30, 2017, compared with £164 million in 2016 and £149 million in 2015.

Seafish said: ‘Although the increase in sales values was

driven by inflation – sales volumes of fresh and ambient seafood were both down year-on-year – the figures still show that consumers were prioritising treating themselves to something special over Christmas, despite having less to spend due to a year of rising prices and sluggish wage growth.

‘Salmon and both warm and cold water prawns were among the nation’s biggest favourites over Christ-

Above: Seafood sales rose over Christmas

mas, and accounted for almost half (47 per cent) of all seafood sales value during the final two weeks of the year.’

But other varieties such as basa, squid and cod saw the biggest increase in sales value out of the top 25 species, yearon-year, at 29.8 per cent, 17.5 per cent and 12.6 per cent respectively.

Seafish said frozen was the only sector to see an increase across sales volume (one per cent), sales value (4.6 per cent) and unit sales (3.7 per cent) compared to 2016.

Frozen shrimps and frozen sardines experienced a significant increase of 2249.2 per cent and 2835.4 per cent respectively on 2016 sales volume. Frozen cod came out on top for total sales, with 1,383 tonnes sold over the 2017 Christmas fortnight, up 7.8 per cent compared to 2016.

Salmon smoker to create 50 new jobs SCOTTISH salmon smoker St James Smokehouse announced last month that it will create around 50 jobs when it builds a new processing factory in Gretna. The company has been granted more than £1 million from the European and Maritime Fisheries Fund and the Scottish government to meet half the £2.15 million cost of the salmon plant.

St James Smokehouse, based in Annan in Dumfries and Galloway, produces salmon fillets and smoked salmon, and has won widespread recognition for the quality of its products. Awards include Scotland Food & Drink Export Business of the Year and Business of the Year, as well as gold medals from the UK Guild of Fine Foods’ Great Taste Awards, gold medals at the Monde Selection, International Institute for Quality Selections, and Best Retail Product at the Boston Seafood Show.

Most recently the company has been shortlisted for both Small Exporter and Export Team of the Year at this year’s Scottish Export Awards, run by Scottish Enterprise and BQ magazine. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on March 22 to be held at the Glasgow Hilton.

Twice recognised in Scottish awards BUCKIE based Associated Seafoods Ltd (ASL) has been named as a finalist at the North East Scotland Food and Drink Awards 2018 thanks to the strong market performance of one of its smoked salmon products.

M&S Twice Smoked Scottish Salmon has been shortlisted in the ‘Most Successful Product from the 2017 Awards’ category because of its popularity with consumers.

M&S Twice Smoked Scottish Salmon is produced using an innovative smoking technique where the salmon is carefully dry cured in salt and then twice smoked for perfect flavour and texture.

Last year, Twice Smoked Scottish Salmon won the coveted M&S Food Group Innovation Award, a tribute to the development work behind the product and its subsequent strong sales performance.

The North East Scotland Food and Drink Awards will be held on Thursday, March 22, at the Ardoe House Hotel, Aberdeen.

King Salmon chief hails ‘unique’ product GRANT Rosewarne, CEO and managing director of New Zealand King Salmon, spoke of the uniqueness of his product when he addressed Marel’s Salmon ShowHow in Copenhagen last month.

He was one of the two main speakers at the event, the other being Trond Davidsen, president of the International Salmon Farmers Association. More than 130 represent-

atives from around the world attended.

Rosewarne told the conference that in the current global market New Zealand King Salmon fetched some of the highest prices, with strong branding at its core.

However, he conceded that it was a difficult fish to breed. Canada and the United States had largely given up on the species, but farmers in New Zealand took quite a different view

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and were now producing more than 8,000 tonnes a year, around half of the total world supply and demand was strong.

The former Unilever executive had travelled 9,000 miles at the invitation of Marel to be at the conference in the Danish capital and he said he was full of praise for demonstrations of the company’s new

Above: Grant Rosewarne

slicing machines and the new QC system.

‘I’m impressed by the slicing machines that are able to go from C slice to D slice

– gentle handling that suits our premium brands and achieves really good presentation of our smoked salmon,’ he said.

‘The new QC system could really help us determine the processes for individual fillets, and I’m waiting to see how that goes further. This has been a really valuable trip despite the long travelling hours from New Zealand!’

Lars Jöker, man-

aging director of Marel Salmon, said: ‘This is the 17th time we’ve held the Salmon ShowHow and we’re thrilled with this latest event.

‘These are especially exciting times for salmon processing, with greater than ever levels of automation and ever increasing opportunities for raising quality and creating new and more diverse products.’

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08/03/2018 09:39:21

Research – Jellyfish

BY DR ANNA KINTNER

Small but

deadly

Great many unknowns about stealthy hydrozoan blooms

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HEN non-scientists and fish farmers talk about jellyfish they are usually thinking of the large bodied species that you see at the beach in summer.

These are the scyphozoan jellyfish that most of us are familiar with. Fish farmers usually notice when this kind of bloom occurs, and major blooms that have serious consequences for fish farms are fortunately rare.

Lately, it’s become clear that we might need to take a much closer look at a different kind of jellyfish.

Hydrozoan jellyfish are much smaller than their scyphozoan cousins (many are only about 0.5-10 mm) and aren’t heavily pigmented, so their blooms can be functionally invisible; the only way to spot them at a fish farm is to take water samples and look for them with a microscope.

We don’t know how often hydrozoan blooms occur, and we don’t know much at all about what causes them.That means that we often don’t know they’re happening at all until fish start showing signs of disease.

It is likely that disease outbreaks have occurred in the wake of a jellyfish bloom without anyone realising that a bloom took place.

All jellyfish species have stinging cells on their tentacles called nematocysts, which trigger on contact with prey and can puncture delicate tissues in the gills and gut when they are inhaled or swallowed.

Some nematocysts contain micro-doses of venom. A few stings are no big deal, but they can add up in a high density bloom as the gills are physically injured and further inflamed due to venom toxins.

In northern Norway, at the western side of the Ryggefjord, four mass mortalities of farmed salmon took place between 2002 and 2015. Norwegian biologists have suggested that the culprit may be a hydrozoan jellyfish, Dipleurosoma typicum, which was found blooming locally.

This species also occurs in Scotland and is known to occasionally form blooms, but this is the first time it has been identified as a risk to salmon aquaculture.

A few other species have been implicated in similar incidents. In 2008, researchers in Shetland found disease caused by the bacterium Tenacibaculum maritimum in salmon gills after a bloom by a hydrozoan jellyfish called Phialella quadrata, and more recent blooms by Obelia geniculata and Lizzia blondina jellyfish have been followed by outbreaks of amoebic gill disease.

It seems safe to say that the gill damage incurred during a jellyfish bloom makes fish vulnerable to secondary infections by microbial pathogens.

76

Jellyfish.indd 76

Right: A large blue lion’s mane (Cyanea lamarckii), a member of the scyphozoan class of jellyfish. Inset: A zooplankton sample containing a number of small hydrozoan jellyfish, some of which could only be seen with a microscope (All photos: Dr Anna Kintner)

Research in its early stages now suggests that some pathogenic bacteria may even be part of the natural jellyfish microbiome, opening the possibility that jellyfish could act as vectors for infection.

Hydrozoan jellyfish have been woefully under researched for a long time, and there are a lot of frequently asked questions about them that we simply don’t have answers to.

When and where do blooms occur, and what causes them? Are some sites more vulnerable than others? What will happen to jellyfish populations as the climate changes? And, most importantly, especially as the industry grows, what can we do to mitigate the damage that hydrozoan jellyfish blooms can do?

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

08/03/2018 09:35:20

Small but deadly

There is a need for increased awareness of jellyfish at a farm site level so that managers can begin to watch out for them. Dedicated hydrozoan monitoring would have a couple of positive outcomes for the industry.

First, if fish farmers check daily whether a jellyfish bloom is taking place, they can respond immediately and start to take measures to help fish recover. We don’t need new technology to start doing this – we can do it right now with some basic personnel training.

Second, if fish farmers are doing these checks, scientists and veterinarians can start to build up datasets to track species and patterns of jellyfish blooms.

In the future, a good understanding of jellyfish bloom biology could help in risk assessing new fish farm sites, understanding the spread of disease and, ultimately, forecasting blooms ahead of time.

However, all of this depends on making sure this research happens.

Without it, we’re likely to keep being unpleasantly surprised when jelly-

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Jellyfish.indd 77

fish turn up to the party.

Anna Kintner is the analytical services manager at Europharma Scotland and conducted her PhD research into jellyfish population dynamics and their effects on salmon health at the University of St Andrews. FF

Some pathogenic bacteria may “ even be part of the natural jellyfish microbiome ” 77

08/03/2018 09:35:37

Alternative species – Sunshine bass

High hopes for hybrid Danish farm focuses on eco-friendly methods to raise Florida fish

A

NOVEL land based fish farm in Denmark is getting ready to harvest its second batch of a hybrid species called sunshine bass.

In a first for Europe, the bass has been successfully reared in an indoor RAS system, producing 50 tonnes in the initial harvest last year.

Lars Bach, who first worked in aquaculture in 1989, launched his enterprise after two decades’ experience in recirculating aquaculture systems, mainly farming turbot, zander and trout.

He began investigating sunshine bass as a potential species to rear in 2015 and got the first batch of fingerlings of 15mm length, from Israel, around November 2016.

Last year, the fish were sold, weighing approximately one kilo. The bass take around one and a half years to grow to this size, and while they can reach up to 7kg, the company is not aiming to produce such big fish at this stage.

Bach and his colleague, microbiologist Michael Jensen, have called their company Biofarm.dk, and are proud of its sustainable credentials.

The water is purified by biological and mechanical processes and without any chemicals. Excess nutrients are recycled into a biocompost for use as a fertiliser on fields around the farm, which is based in Ejsing, northern Jutland, next to Venø Bay. In addition, the energy for the fish farm comes from a wind turbine on the site, a major factor in keeping down costs.

There are currently two 1,000 cubic metre RAS systems of four tanks each, and one 350 cubic metre system with several small tanks for the fingerlings.

All pools are cleaned every other day and water samples are inspected to ensure high water quality.

Sunshine bass - produced by fertilising eggs from white bass with sperm from striped bass - has been farmed in Florida since the 60s or 70s, Jensen believes, but this is the first venture in Scandinavia - ‘we knew pretty much nothing about farming this in Europe,’ he said.

The team was pleased that they met their production expectations last year, but Jensen admitted it was hard to market the fish because no one knows the species - ‘we sent out a lot of samples’.

Biofarm’s market is all over Europe, including the UK, where a sushi customer has just put in an order.

Sunshine bass, says Jensen, is good for sushi and sashimi, and the company is looking to open up a market in Asia. In fact, a third member of staff has now joined the team to develop the marketing side of the business.

Biofarm has chosen

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Sunshine Bass.indd 78

to avoid feed containing the residues of porcine blood, which means the fish meet the demands made for both kosher and halal customers.

And the company claims it can feed fish to customer requirements, delivering ‘your very own designer fish’.

The feed was supplied by Coppens in the Netherlands, but since January Jensen says they have been making it themselves from fishmeal.

‘We wanted to be sure of what we were actually feeding the fish. We aim towards ecological production so we use fishmeal from discard fish from Denmark.’

The feed is granules with a carefully refined composition of proteins, fats and minerals, and an automatic feeding system ensures that the fish get enough to eat, without waste. They are also hand fed daily so an employee can keep an

Above: Sunshine bass has a mild, sweet taste says Michael Jensen (above).

Left: Lars Bach

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

08/03/2018 09:32:35

High hopes for hybrid

eye on their appetite. The taste depends on the feed, said Jensen, and the bass are given a high content of protein, without plant material such as soybeans.

So how does it taste?

‘I’ve never really been a big fish eater but I like the taste of this one,’ he said. ‘It has a mild, sweet taste, not like other fish.’

Biofarm has had some private investment, but also EU and Danish government financial support – because the company is introducing a new species into the Danish market and producing its own feed.

The farm’s capacity is 300 tonnes, although the plan is to start small and develop slowly, producing 100-150 tonnes this year from the second batch of fingerlings, which arrived last May. Jensen said they are encouraged by this batch’s progress so far: ‘They are growing faster than we expected so we think in two or three months maybe they will be ready for market.

‘We have got two batches…each of 50,000 fingerlings, and growing them to 1kg plus. So 50 tonnes per batch,’ said Jensen.

‘Until we are sure there is a market for it we are staying at these two batches per year, and as soon as we know for sure that we can sell that we will expand, first to 200 tonnes and then 300 tonnes.

‘If we get an investor into the project we might make this shift faster and maybe even expand the farm size if this is wished for by the investor.’ FF

“

I’ve never really been a big fish eater but I like the taste of this one

”

Above: The indoor tanks where sunshine bass is grown to market size

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Sunshine Bass.indd 79

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Opinion – Inside track

If we could start again

BY NICK JOY

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OMEONE was telling me how this amazing magazine is now increasing circulation in some of the more interesting parts of the world, which made me think about those places where aquaculture, particularly marine aquaculture, is just starting.

What would I offer as advice to the governments of those countries if I could?

Now we have a mature regulation system and our production is at least relatively coordinated.We talk to each other (a bit) and at least try to mitigate the effect of our operations on our neighbours.We have also got used to the confusion that faces government.

As time passes, we elect people who are more and more distant from rural activity, who like to ‘virtue signal’ by passing laws which enshrine easy answers to everything. So environment and welfare dominate, while worrying about rural employment drops right down the agenda.

So what would I advise a country just starting down our road?

First of all, the thorny subject of site location; this has proved to be the most insidious of issues. It is not that they were sited in the wrong place, but more that we did not know what separation distances should be and often businesses wanted to stay close to a hub.

Then other companies discovered that these areas were good for production and everybody jammed in together. Ownership, production cycle, species, and so many other considerations impinge on this decision.

The issues in Scotland came from allowing small farmers to develop small sites which got taken over by larger companies, which naturally wanted to grow them.

So my strongest advice would be to have excessive distance between sites to start with and try to keep different companies, species and production systems properly separated until your industry starts to mature.

Next, something that is often forgotten in our industry is the extraordinary work of what was the HIDB (Highlands and Islands Development Board). Create a team to understand the needs of aquaculture: sites, funding, education, staff and an appreciation that young industries will have shocks and mistakes.

Make sure that there is plenty of local support in the areas where aquaculture is starting.

If all this is in place then there will be entrepreneurs, external investors and large aquaculture companies that will want to come into your area.The difficult decision will be what mix of company sizes, species and site sizes to allow to happen.

I would suggest that a strong industry needs a good mix. An industry dominated by big players becomes a commodity producer, which tends towards overproduction, but also towards a single style of production and thus is vulnerable to all the problems of large scale monoculture.

I am not saying that there should not be large scale production, but government should as much as possible encourage the small scale to keep the innovation and entrepreneurship alive.

Our industry has become dominated by one species and primarily one method of production.This stifles innovation and has such barriers to entry that few can get in and find new ways.

Our industry is brittle to shocks as is shown currently by the issues it faces.We are not diverse and thus we are vulnerable.

Listen to the environmental lobby with limited enthusiasm.This is not to say that the environment doesn’t matter, but that logic and proportion often go out of the window.

We need to feed a growing world population.The rich countries have fished out the stocks of the poor while protecting their own environment.

82

Nick Joy.indd 82

Fish are good “environmental tell tales and will show their disapproval in the simplest of ways, by dying

”

Aquaculture can only thrive where the environment is good.

Fish are good environmental tell tales and will show their disapproval in the simplest of ways, by dying.

Production volumes should always be cautious and grown carefully with appropriate monitoring.

Seabed surveys before and during are critical.

If there is a body that is closely working with the industry then a clear understanding of the permissible growth parameters will develop.

Again, this is a key component of a nascent aquaculture industry.

Lastly, as I learnt working in Mozambique, there are plenty of species out there that are wonderful to eat and relatively simple to grow with the right people. But the market has the capacity to undo all of the good work if there are price crashes.

There needs to be support in the market to provide for a range of products.

Initially, all fish will be vulnerable to competition with wild caught equivalents, and during this period industry needs understanding.

Scotland has an aquaculture sector that is rightly the envy of a lot of the world but it is not perfect.What is?

Nonetheless, it has had a good model for development and while there are critics, there is little or no environmental damage evident after 50 years or so.

Maybe we are a bit one dimensional but we are certainly successful and there have been times when it might not have been so. Good luck to you all. FF

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

08/03/2018 09:23:03

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