Features
Fresh beats frozen, consumers say
Consumers in the US and Japan could save money and reduce their carbon footprint into the bargain, if only they were prepared to buy salmon that has been frozen and shipped by sea instead of carried fresh, by air, thousands of miles. The trouble is, as Vince McDonagh discovers, most of them are not yet…
Read MoreRecipe for love
As Valentine’s Day approaches, oyster farms gear up for an influx of orders as fishmongers and restaurants seek to increase sales by promoting “the food of love” for the traditional celebration of romance on 14 February. Nicki Holmyard talks to the producers about the shellfish that many couples will be choosing for a taste of…
Read MoreAn icon at stake
The salmon is an important icon on Canada’s Atlantic and Pacific coasts, connecting peoples on opposite sides of the world’s second largest country. Canada stretches 3,500 miles from Newfoundland and Labrador in the east to British Columbia in the west. But while salmon unites these peoples, it’s also at the heart of an issue that…
Read MoreKorea ambition
South Korea’s first commercial RAS (recirculating aquaculture system) farm is due to start production later this year – and it won’t be producing salmon. While Norwegian-owned Salmon Evolution plans to start construction on its RAS salmon farm joint venture early this year, BluGen will be producing another high value species, olive flounder. Read about BluGen’s…
Read MoreSecond time lucky?
Scotland’s first semi-closed fish farm could find a home in Loch Linnhe, after a plan to site it on Loch Long was rejected by a national park. If built, it will be Scotland’s largest fish farm by volume. Last year Loch Long Salmon (LLS), a joint venture between Simply Blue Aquaculture, Trimara Services and Golden…
Read MoreEurope falls behind while UK struggles with Brexit
Europe’s mussel producers are stagnating while world production continues to rise. Meanwhile, British mussel growers are still stymied by the post-Brexit deadlock between the EU and the UK government. In her column for the January issue of Fish Farmer magazine – which you can read here online – Nicki Holmyard looks at the facts and…
Read MoreTomorrow’s threats
All those who work on and with the sea – such as fish farmers – pay close attention to the daily weather forecast. But with biological hazards a key factor for fish health, why don’t we also have a “bio-forecast”? This is the aim of two projects in Scotland, which seek to provide an early…
Read MoreBack from the brink
Everyone knows that Atlantic salmon spawn in freshwater and make their way to the sea as adults. In fact, however, there are small communities of landlocked salmon that never make it to salt water. Now, a Norwegian company is looking to farm one type of freshwater Salmo salar. Success would represent an amazing turnaround for…
Read MoreThe final hurdle
According to local legend, the Asrai are a race of fairies living in the seas around Scotland. Rather like mermaids, they have a reputation for tempting unwary fisherfolk to a watery grave. In early 2020, myth and magic collided with the mundane world of planning applications when a group calling itself the Friends of the…
Read MoreElectric shock
Well, what a couple of months it’s been. In Fish Farmer’s September issue, we looked at the Russo-Ukrainian War in Europe raging on, and food and fuel costs rocketing up. In just a few weeks, Britain got a new Prime Minister and Cabinet, lost one monarch and gained another, then another Prime Minister, and amongst…
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