Tag Scotland

A new molecular biology lab in Scotland will help expedite test results to fish farming operations using PCR. 

Loch Duart, an independent Scottish salmon farm, has introduced a hybrid feed storage barge to reduce its carbon footprint. 

Scottish Sea Farms has added a hybrid power workboat to its fleet, which could cut fuel costs by up to 50 percent and reduce its overall carbon footprint. 

Year-long ban on salmon ova exports is being lifted slowly, as different production zones satisfy Norwegian authorities of their ISA-free status.   

Aquaculture is an essential contributor to the world food security challenge, and every stakeholder has a role to play in the sector’s evolution, delegates were told at the recent Aquaculture’s Global Outlook: Embracing Internationality seminar in Edinburgh, Scotland. 

Seals have always preyed on Scotland’s salmon farms. As their population rises, producers seek alternative deterrence techniques to solve the problem. 

Wide-ranging recommendations to the Scottish salmon sector include increased government oversight and mandatory reporting of disease outbreaks, fish mortalities and sea lice numbers. 

As Steve Bracken retires after more than four decades of fish farming, he reflects on his career producing Scottish salmon and shares his well-earned perspectives on aquaculture’s past and future. 

There’s considerable opportunity to grow the UK aquaculture industry. At the Aquaculture UK exhibition and conference in Aviemore, Scotland shows the way.   

Harry Hamlin-Wright is a fish vet. It’s a career choice that gets strange looks but offers him varied and interesting work. See the world of aquatic animal health and welfare through a fresh set of eyes in a new Advocate series on aquaculture jobs. 

The Scottish salmon industry is facing criticism following the release of sea lice statistics and acknowledgement that up to 10 million salmon – a quarter of all stocks – were thrown away last year as a result of disease, parasites and other issues. 

Few could argue that a reduction in sea lice-fighting chemicals isn't a win for the fish and for the environment. The downside, however, is that increasing numbers of cleaner fish are being caught for use on salmon farms. 

EU legislation requires farmed fish be spared unnecessary pain, distress or suffering at slaughter, and efficient manual and automated systems have been developed to help achieve this goal. What’s more, longer shelf life and improved flesh quality have been reported. 

An over-reliance on medical and chemical controls, along with warming waters, led to a surge in sea lice. With such treatments waning in effectiveness, operators turn to other, safer measures. 

The National Aquaculture Center will be established at the Humber Seafood Institute in the seafood-processing town of Grimsby to help contribute to food security and nutrition through a wide range of activities.