Seaweed sector looks to unlock its potential

Key players in Scotland’s rapidly growing seaweed industry will be gathering in the picturesque west coast town of Oban next month for the Annual Conference of the Scottish Seaweed Industry Association (SSIA). The theme of the conference, which takes place from November 14-16, is “How to Scale Responsibly: Unlocking the Potential Through Best Practice.” It…

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Iceland’s fish farming regime facing radical shake-up

Iceland is planning to limit salmon farming to no more than one company per fjord. The proposal follows growing concern over escapes and comes as part of a draft report that also includes major changes to the fee charging and taxation system. The draft policy looks set to be be firmed up over the next…

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The October 2023 issue of Fish Farmer is out now

The October issue of Fish Farmer magazine is out now online and you can read or download it here. Our cover story this month focuses on seaweed farming, an industry that is already huge in Asia and offers a fascinating potential in Europe and the UK especially. But what are the barriers that will need…

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No to offshore tax – yet!

The Norwegian government has ruled out a special tax on offshore salmon farming – for now. It says that because the sector is still in the development stage it will not consider such a proposal until it becomes profitable. The announcement has disappointed the industry which now believes an offshore tax will be inevitable if…

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ISA news takes shine off SalMar harvest numbers

SalMar has today reported a bumper 24,000 tonne-plus increase in its 2023 third quarter harvest. But the company has also reported the discovery of infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) at one of its sites. The harvest figure should be treated with some caution because the Q3 2022 harvest did not include salmon from the NTS group which…

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3D imaging could provide early warning of sea lice

Technology developed to identify tiny marine organisms and particles could be used to detect the presence of microscopic sea lice larvae – that’s the hope of a team of researchers based in Scotland. The study aims to apply holographic 3D imaging, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to provide an early warning system for fish…

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Lerøy expecting lower Q3 harvest

Lerøy Seafood slaughtered 2,300 tonnes less salmon during the third quarter this year, a trading update from the company reveals. The June to September harvest totalled 53,900 tonnes against 56,200 tonnes during the same period last year. The figures are for Norway only and do not include production from Scottish Sea Farms, in which it…

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Björk pledges song for anti fish farm campaign

More than 2,000 people gathered in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik at the weekend to protest against open pen salmon farming joined by Björk, the country’s internationally renowned singer. Björk and the Spanish singer Rosalía have said they plan to release a song later this supporting the fight against fish farming in Iceland and with the…

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Norwegian salmon farmers dismayed at Budget

Norway’s salmon industry has poured cold water on the government’s claim that the salmon tax will net NOK five billion (£373m) for the exchequer. Geir Ystmark, CEO of the employer organisation Seafood Norway said: “I don’t believe it – the figure will be higher.” There was general dismay over what Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum…

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Land farmer Salmon Evolution records all time high biomass

In a positive operational update, Salmon Evolution has announced it is achieving strong biological performance at its land-based farm, with good growth and normal mortality levels across all fish groups. The company’s flow-through farm is located at Indre Harøy on the Norwegian coast. Salmon Evolution has now achieved an all-time high standing biomass of around…

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