Enterprise body backs seaweed farming project

A seaweed nursery in Argyll is set for growth after securing investment funding of up to £75,000 investment from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). The £150,000 project aims to expand and commercialise the nursery at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), the marine scientific research institute at Dunstaffnage near Oban. The nursery will be…

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Grieg raises book value of its Shetland assets

Grieg Seafood appears to have added another £15m to the sale price of its Shetland business. In its Q1 presentation paper last week, the business put the net book value of the division, as at 31 March, as NOK 1,635m. At today’s exchange rates, this would make the price – based on book value –…

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Algal blooms cost Camanchaca $12m

The algal bloom attack which struck Chile in March cost Salmones Camanchaca, one of the country’s largest salmon farming companies, at least $12m (£8.52m). The company, publishing its 2021 first quarter results, also revealed that the loss in biomass was around 3,700 metric tonnes. Salmones Camanchaca SA is a vertically integrated salmon producer engaged in…

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Benchmark under one roof in Bergen

On 12 April, Benchmark brought its two business areas together in a new office in Bergen, Norway, housing the global head office of Benchmark Genetics and central functions for Benchmark Genetics Norway and Benchmark Animal Health Norway. Jan-Emil Johannessen, Head of Benchmark Genetics, said: “I believe we will be able to find synergies on both…

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Hard workers

Promek’s workboats are built for tough conditions Norwegian company PROMEK AS has been delivering workboats for the fish farming industry in the global market since 2001. The company has been building customised aluminium boats – more than 200, to date – for customers large and small along the Norwegian coast and abroad since 1992. All…

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Scottish salmon exports to Europe up 74% on 2020

Despite the headwinds of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, Scotland’s salmon exports to European Union countries in the first quarter of this year were up by 74%, by volume, compared with the same period last year. Figures compiled by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO) from information supplied by all of Scotland’s salmon producers reveal…

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Face value

Machines are learning to identify individual fish out of thousands. If you believe all salmon have the same facial expression, then it could be time to think again, according to new research. A recent study by SINTEF, one of Europe’s largest independent research organisations, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), suggests it…

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The Changing of the Guard

So here it is, my dear old Mum is nearing the end and it is a sad, sad process to have to stand by and watch. Many of you will experience, or have experienced, such an event and it is not only sobering but also thought-provoking. My Mum is 92 and has had an utterly…

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Undercover video claims are disputed

Fish wounds filmed by an animal rights activist were caused by seal attacks, according to the welfare chief at Scottish Sea Farms, which operates the site in question. The salmon farmer was responding to a complaint brought by Scottish Salmon Watch, which has published covertly filmed video and still images which appear to show fin…

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Water-Powered Sabertooth Cuts CO2

Trials are getting under way, at the US Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site in Hawaii. for a ground-breaking experiment in renewable energy. The idea is to run Saab Seaeye’s Sabertooth autonomous vehicle, while in seabed residency mode, using wave power. The Sabertooth will patrol pre-programmed areas to collect data, before returning to an underwater docking…

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