SSC brings in Nofitech for hatchery project

Recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) technology company Nofitech has won a contract with The Scottish Salmon Company (SSC) to help redevelop SSC’s hatchery at Applecross site in Wester Ross.

The agreement is part of a £49m investment to create a state of the art RAS unit at the Applecross site.

RAS technology, SSC said, will allow fish to be reared for longer in freshwater tanks before being moved to marine sites. Greater control of the freshwater rearing environment means that farmers can produce larger smolt, shortening the marine production element of the cycle and so reducing the biological risk of rearing in the sea.

Ian Laister, Managing Director of The Scottish Salmon Company, said: “This contract marks the first important milestone in our commitment to incorporate RAS technology across all our freshwater production, which is fundamental to our growth strategy. Nofitech’s experience in this field will ensure that SSC is at the leading edge of RAS technology not only at Applecross but at future freshwater facilities.”

The programme to redevelop the existing hatchery at Applecross is intended to be the first of three large hatcheries in Scotland, with sites for the other two still to be determined. It is part of a commitment by SSC’s parent company, Bakkafrost, to invest more than £40m a year in Scotland “across the value chain” over the next five years.

Robert Hundstad, CEO of Nofitech, said: “I am delighted that the Scottish Salmon Company has chosen us as a partner for their comprehensive, exciting and future-oriented RAS programme. Nofitech has, from a strategic perspective, chosen to work only with the most experienced and solid players in the industry and our cooperation with the Scottish Salmon Company and Bakkafrost falls well into this direction.”

In November last year, Nofitech was appointed as the RAS contractor for Bakkafrost’s Glyvradal smolt hatchery on the Faroe Islands.