SAIC is up, running and ready for new challenges

Continued research and innovation is needed for the Scottish aquaculture sector to meet current and emerging challenges. That was the clear and overriding message at the last session of the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee (RAIC) inquiry into salmon farming in Scotland, which concluded on 13 November having heard from Cabinet Secretary Mairi Gougeon as well as the Marine Directorate’s Charles Allan, Hazel Bartels and Jill Barber.

Aside from the questions fielded by scientists, farmers, NGO representatives and politicians during the RAIC sessions, there is also the issue of how the sector can reach its full potential in terms of sustainable production.

According to a report published by the Scottish Government in October 2024, the Scottish salmon farming sector saw an 11% decrease in production during 2023. And while the latest industry data reported by Salmon Scotland shows that international sales of Scottish farmed salmon were up 11% between July and September 2024 compared to the same quarter last year, room for growth remains.

Regardless of the recommendations and ultimate outcomes of the current parliamentary inquiry, the sector must and will keep innovating. This means forging strong collaborations between the public and private sectors, academic centres of excellence, regulators, producers, trade bodies and supply chain partners. It means investment – of funding, yes – but also of time, effort and sheer willpower.

This is what SAIC, the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre, has helped deliver over the last 10 years, and what we are now set to keep delivering into the future. After a change to our funding structure and remit, SAIC has now arrived at a renewed platform from which we can focus on the essential priorities ahead.

These are: to drive innovative R&D projects into fish health, welfare and survival; to share the knowledge gained from SAIC-supported research right across the sector to maximise its impact and adoption; and to be part of productive conversations that will determine the shape of innovation in Scottish aquaculture in the years to come.

Many of you will already be familiar with those who form the SAIC team as we move further into this new funding phase: Janina Costa and Lynsey Muir (Aquaculture Innovation Officers), Benedikte Ranum (Knowledge Exchange Manager), Hazel Peat (Knowledge Exchange Officer), Judy Livingstone (Project Support Officer), and Lorna Valentine (Finance and Reporting Administrator), and myself as Head of Research & Innovation.

Our team enjoys close and active connections with our consortium member organisations, now more than 370 and rising. This interaction with our members – who range from start-up businesses to large multinationals, and from cutting-edge research institutes to Scotland’s oldest universities – keeps us well informed of what the industry’s top priorities are, and where to find the research expertise and developing technologies to help meet them.

We look forward to continued and impactful collaboration.

Contact info@sustainableaquaculture.com to explore how we can support you, or read full case studies from dozens of completed projects on www.sustainableaquaculture.com.