Royal honour for ‘world class’ Institute of Aquaculture

STIRLING’S Institute of Aquaculture (IoA) was presented with the UK’s highest academic honour by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall at a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace this morning. The Queen’s Anniversary Prize recognises outstanding work that shows quality and innovation, and delivers real benefit to the wider world through education and training. Professor Selina Stead,…

Read More

Salmon boss: tax plan may force me to sell

THE boss of one of Norway’s leading family owned fish farming businesses has said he is thinking of selling up because of growing frustrations over possible new taxes and regulations. Ola Braanaas, CEO and sole owner of the Firda Seafood Group, based near Bergen, recently vented his anger after the government published the final draft of its traffic light system.…

Read More

Maine objections to Nordic\’s RAS farm

THE Norwegian salmon company planning to build a RAS farm in the US state of Maine may face further delays in the permitting process. Nordic Aquafarms (NAF) has applied for a licence to build a $500 million land based salmon plant in Belfast, Maine, but has run up against opposition from the local environmental lobby.…

Read More

Maine objections to Nordic\’s RAS farm

THE Norwegian salmon company planning to build a RAS farm in the US state of Maine may face further delays in the permitting process. Nordic Aquafarms (NAF) has applied for a licence to build a $500 million land based salmon plant in Belfast, Maine, but has run up against opposition from the local environmental lobby.…

Read More

Immigration scheme ‘threat to seafood sector’

TWO of Scotland’s largest seafood organisations, representing both the farmed and caught sectors, united today to call for urgent discussions over the government’s new points based immigration policy. Under post-Brexit plans, low skilled workers would not get visas to work in Britain unless they are employed in ‘specific shortage occupations’. These currently include nursing, civil engineering, psychology…

Read More

Kyle of Lochalsh site of Mowi farm death

A MAN died after falling into the water at a Mowi Scotland site in the Kyle of Lochalsh region, police have confirmed. The workplace incident, reported by Mowi last night, occurred yesterday afternoon, according to Police Scotland. ‘Around 3.50pm on Tuesday, police received a report of a man in the water in the Kyle of…

Read More

Fish factories shut with loss of nearly 70 jobs

A FISH processor in north east Scotland has gone bust, resulting in the loss of nearly 70 jobs, the Press and Journal reported today. Prime Seafoods, which also sells fresh fish, including salmon, online, shut down its two factories in Peterhead and Fraserburgh yesterday, telling its 68 employees that insurmountable financial difficulties were to blame.…

Read More

Nesvik returns to wellboat business

FORMER Norwegian seafood minister Harald T. Nesvik has landed a key job in the aquaculture industry less than a month after resigning from his cabinet role. He is returning to Sølvtrans, the world’s largest wellboat builder and the company he worked for before turning to politics. However, he cannot take up his post as communications manager at the…

Read More

Majority of salmon farms environmentally ‘excellent’

SOME 87 per cent of Scotland’s salmon farms have been rated environmentally ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ by regulators, new statistics show. Farmers achieved their best ever environmental performance in 2018, according to figures collected for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s (SEPA’s) Compliance Assessment Scheme (CAS). The scheme is used by SEPA to monitor performance across a…

Read More

Mowi Scotland reports fatality at sea site

A FATALITY has occurred at one of Mowi Scotland’s seawater sites, the company reported last night. ‘A workplace incident resulting in a fatality has occurred at one of our sea sites on 18 February,’ said Mowi Scotland communications director Ian Roberts in a statement. ‘We are all devastated with this news, and our deepest thoughts…

Read More