News
Bakkafrost announces higher Q3 harvests for Faroes and Scotland
Faroese fish farmer Bakkafrost today reported a significantly higher third quarter harvest, with its Scotland arm showing a marked improvement.
The Faroe Islands produced 21,600 tonnes, a rise of 4,800 tonnes on the same period 12 months ago.
The harvest in Bakkafrost Scotland, which is now recovering from various biological issues, totalled 5,400 tonnes against 4,100 tonnes in Q3 2023. All harvest volumes are provided in head-on gutted (HOG) equivalents.
Read More‘No cover up’, Holyrood committee is told
A hearing held as part of the Scottish Parliament’s inquiry into the salmon farming industry yesterday was dominated by arguments over an alleged “cover-up” ahead of the MSPs’ visit to a fish farm on 23 September.
The Rural Affairs and Islands Committee of the Scottish Parliament is following up on a previous report, in 2008, on the salmon industry. As part of the inquiry, members of the committee visited a Scottish Sea Farms site at Dunstaffnage, near Oban on Scotland’s west coast, on 23 September.
Later that week, campaigning group Animal Equality UK released video footage which, it said, showed dead fish being removed from the pen in the early morning, ahead of the MSPs’ visit. Animal Equality UK Executive Director Abigail Penny said the removal of dead fish – “morts” – indicated that the salmon industry wants to “hide the truth” about mortality in farms.
She argued: “We urge the committee to see the industry for what it truly is: deceptive and deadly.”
At yesterday’s committee hearing, MSPs quizzed representatives of the salmon industry about the issue.
Dr Ralph Bickerdike, Head of Fish Health at Scottish Sea Farms, stressed that the morts removal that had been filmed was a routine exercise carried out at pens regardless of whether any external visitors were expected.
Read MoreBetter news for Atlantic Sapphire as Q3 harvest jumps
Florida-based salmon farmer Atlantic Sapphire has reported a much brighter picture for production during the third quarter of this year.
The company processed 1,300 tonnes against 365 tonnes during the July to September period 12 months ago when temperature-related challenges resulted in slower growth.
Read MoreMowi’s first post smolts transferred from Loch Etive
Salmon producer Mowi Scotland has transferred the first of its post smolts from Loch Etive to the company’s farm off the isle of Muck, on Scotland’s west coast.
Mowi said the move was a “significant milestone”. The Loch Etive sites were acquired by Mowi as part of its purchase of the fish farming assets of Dawnfresh in 2023. They had previously been used to grow trout, but Mowi has repurposed them to grow post smolt salmon in conditions that, the company hopes, will make the transition from fresh to salt water more sustainable for the fish.
Read MoreA model for growth
Anton Immink and Tim Messeder explain Rural Aquaculture Development’s award-winning approach to empowering Ugandan fish farmers.
Read MoreSalmon Evolution on course for strong 2024 harvest
Norwegian fish farmer Salmon Evolution is moving decisively toward a full year harvest target close to 5,000 tonnes, according to the company’s latest market update.
Read MoreSalmon exporters face chaos as strike shuts US ports
Norwegian, Icelandic and Faroese salmon companies were facing a serious export challenge today as US east coast ports were shut down by a huge strike.
Dockers at ports between Maine and the Gulf of Mexico walked out last night in a dispute over pay.
These ports are regularly used by Nordic exports to get their fish, mainly salmon and cod and haddock, into the US.
Read MoreSense and sentinels
I have always been sure that it was unnecessary for Scottish Ministers to appoint a regulator to manage sea lice. As the weeks go by, I am also increasingly convinced that the appointment of SEPA to this role was a major mistake.
Having watched their efforts from the outset, I firmly believe that SEPA have little understanding of sea lice and the interactions with wild fish. I suspect that SEPA have simply listened to a narrative promoted by Scottish Government scientists based on mathematical modelling and have adopted the narrative as their approach to regulation but critically, without any real understanding of what it means.
Read MoreMowi denies Blar Mhor was source of river spill
Salmon producer Mowi has denied that its Scottish processing plant was responsible for an apparent pollution incident in the River Lochy, near Fort William.
Read MoreNorwegian fish farms batten down as new storm approaches
Fish farms in northern Norway have begun to prepare for the worst after forecasts of heavy storms in the area over the next couple of days.
Already, severe weather has caused severe disruption to the salmon sector twice this year, leading to temporary price distortions and orders failing to get through.
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