Fish Farmer Magazine - March 2016

Fish Farmer VOLUME 39

NUMBER 03

MARCH 2016

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04/03/2016 13:28:37

Contents 4-13 News

What’s happening in aquaculture in the UK and around the world

14-15 Aquaculture 2016

JENNY HJUL – EDITOR

Big plans

I

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Meet the team

Contact us

Editorial Advisory Board: Steve Bracken, Hervé Migaud, Patrick Smith, Phil Thomas and Jim Treasurer Editor: Jenny Hjul Designer: Andrew Balahura Advertising Manager: William Dowds wdowds@fishupdate.com Advertising Executive: Dave Edler dedler@fishupdate.com Publisher: Alister Bennett

Tel: +44(0) 131 551 1000 Fax: +44(0) 131 551 7901 email: editor@fishfarmer-magazine.com

Cover: Aquaculture students from Stirling. Photo: Andrew Davie Printed in Great Britain for the proprietors Wyvex Media Ltd by Headley Brothers Ltd, Ashford, Kent ISSN 0262-9615

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Welcome.indd 3

34-35 Training & Education Sparsholt College

36-37 Training & Education SAIC Masters

Looking back at Las Vegas

n this issue we focus on the education and training of the next generation of fish and shellfish farmers. The industry has taken the lead in providing its new recruits with the skills they need to progress, and much of today’s learning takes place on the job.

For those entering the sector with degrees, there are exciting new post-graduate courses, often with generous public funding, that offer unprecedented opportunities for the aquaculture leaders of tomorrow.

Some of this young talent will remain in Scotland, and if they are to fulfil their potential, the industry needs to develop and grow alongside them. Although the Scottish government has set ambitious targets for expansion, farmers are unlikely to meet them unless the current cumbersome planning system is reformed. Ministers have the chance this month to demonstrate they are serious about growing Scotland’s aquaculture industry when the long awaited Consenting Review lands on their desks. Industry leaders have made several recommendations and now it is up to the government to act.

A good place to start perhaps would be to streamline the excessive bureaucracy and merge the statutory bodies involved in the planning process - a move that would not only speed up applications but also save money.

Growing the industry also depends on positive public perceptions, an issue that was addressed by North American experts at the recent World Aquaculture Society conference in Las Vegas. Within one generation, they said, the fish farming industry will become a normal part of the economic and social fabric of coastal communities in much the same way as terrestrial farming. We share their view - and applaud their optimism.

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Contents – Editor’s Welcome

Head Office: Special Publications, Fettes Park, 496 Ferry Road, Edinburgh, EH5 2DL

18-19 ASSG

Euro funds for shellfish

20 SSPO

Missed opportunity

21 Training & Education Good place to start

40-43 Ukraine

Overcoming obstacles

Making it work

22-25 Training & Education

52-57 Brussels

26-27 Training & Education

58-59 Processing News

SAMS leads the way

Martyn Haines

Seafood Expo Global preview

Grimsby expertise

28-29 Training & Education Apprenticeships explained

30-31 Training & Education SSF: Industry investment

60 Markets & Retail Label Rouge

63-65 Aqua Source Directory

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44-49 Norwegian halibut

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38-39 Training & Education

Find all you need for the industry

30 Training & Education Lantra winners

66 Opinion

By Nick Joy

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04/03/2016 14:41:28

United Kingdom News

NEWS...

Workshops address fish health challenges

Above: MSP Tavish Scott addresses the MSD workshop in Shetland

A SERIES of workshops were held across Scotland by MSD Animal Health so it could share the results of its latest monitoring programmes.

Attended by representatives from the aquaculture industry in Orkney, Shet-

land and Oban, the workshops discussed particular animal health products available in Scotland and issues affecting fish farms, including environmental policy, economic policy and the wider political environment.

Dafydd Morris,

business manager of aquaculture at MSD Animal Health, said: ‘During the workshops we discussed best practice in sea lice control and vaccination protocols, as well as other challenges currently facing the industry.

‘Speaking to the

producers experiencing these issues first hand is always best, and helps reinforce our commitment to support fish farmers to ensure their stock remains as healthy as possible.’

In Shetland, guest speaker Tavish Scott MSP underlined the

vital role aquaculture plays in the region: ‘Salmon farming supports more than 1,000 jobs in Shetland. It is worth more than £150 million to the local and national economy. The industry is a strong and vital part of Shetland.

‘The Scottish government set a target of raising production by 50 per cent by 2020. To achieve that and contribute hugely to Scotland’s food and drink exports, government must get the right balance on regulation. That includes licences for fish medicines when they are needed and the cleaner fish research which is an exciting development for the industry.’

Rhoda Grant MSP, who attended the workshop in Oban, said: ‘Fish farming is a vital industry in the Highlands and Islands. It provides good quality permanent jobs, something that is in short supply throughout the area.

‘We must also support this industry and help it diversify into other species to ensure a good supply of healthy fish to improve the Scottish diet.’

MSD Animal Health products include Slice, the feed premix targeting sea lice in salmon smolts, Norvax Compact PD, for treating pancreas disease in freshwater salmon, and Aquavac Monitor.

Work starts on £20m Highlands hatchery

Above: Life-support system WORK was due to start last month on Marine Harvest’s new £20 million salmon hatchery in the Highlands. The company will construct the facility at its existing base at Inchmore in Glenmoriston.

It will use a Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) designed by Pick Everard.

Doug Soutar, Pick Everard’s building services director for Scotland, said: ‘We were effectively designing a life-support system for 14 million fish consisting of 18,000m3 of water at 15 oC located in an external environment with an extreme winter temperature of minus 20 degrees C.

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www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

04/03/2016 14:33:41

All the latest industry news from the UK

Salmon farmers seek to speed up planning

A DRAFT report reviewing Scotland’s aquaculture consenting rules was due to land on the Environment Minister’s desk on March 4.

The Consenting Review has been put together by independent fisheries consultants Poseidon and Ironside Farrar, in consultation with a variety of stakeholders, including representatives of Scotland’s salmon farming industry.

Although details are not yet available, the salmon sector has put forward several suggestions it hopes will be taken on board.

These include a general de-cluttering of the system, which is currently too time consuming. It takes up to two years to process all of the different stages of the consents required in Scotland, compared to much less time in Norway.

Faster smolt transfer with new pontoon THE completion of a smolt transfer pontoon for Cooke Aquaculture (Freshwater) for its new hatchery at Furnace, Loch Fyne, has brought significant benefits to the company, with several successful fish transfers already completed.

Fabricated and installed by Fusion Marine, the new 91m pontoon is being used for the transfer of smolts from the hatchery to well boats for onward transport to Cooke’s marine salmon farms in Orkney and Shetland.

Cooke’s new £6 million recirculation smolt production unit lies immediately adjacent to deepwater access in Loch Fyne, enabling large well boats to berth alongside the pontoon with ease.

Transferring smolts directly via the fish transfer system reduces handling of the young salmon and delivers efficiency benefits compared with road transport.

Andy Young, general manager of the Furnace Smolt Unit, said: ‘This pontoon is bringing several significant advantages, most notably in the speed and ease of transfer of smolts.

‘We can now, for example, transfer fish at any time of the day or night without being constrained by road transport or pier availability restrictions.

‘The system is also much better for the fish as the complex handling operation of transferring

It takes much less time in Norway to process the different stages of the consents required

Above: Craig Armstrong

Company and Loch Duart have also been shortlisted for the export team of the year award.

Meanwhile, Scottish salmon Company managing director Craig Anderson has

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between lorries has been completely removed.

‘This reduces the stress for the smolts, which in turn keeps mortality rates down to a low level. It also means the fish can be directly transferred to their final growing pens, enabling them to start feeding and putting on weight as soon as they arrive.’

The polyethylene pontoon features a 3.7m by 7.1m hammerhead platform at the seaward end to enable convenient berthing of well boats.

The pontoon has two transfer lines fitted to the port and starboard sides of the deck, a 160mm spooled smooth bore line for fish transfer and a 200mm water return line including oxygen injection branch points on the fish line.

A 125mm fixed handrail running on both sides of the pontoon provides a safe walkway, with the option to discreetly run utility services to the end of the structure.

The provision for lighting and life ring attachments has also been incorporated into the pontoon design, enabling 24-hour use.

SPEED UP PLANNING

Scottish firms make awards shortlist THREE Scottish salmon farmers have been shortlisted in the Scottish Export Awards organised by HSBC, which will announce the winners on March 23.

Loch Duart, Scottish Sea Farms and the Scottish Salmon Company will compete against three other companies in the large exporter of the year category, which recognises outstanding achievements by a company in any industry with a turnover of more than £15 million.

The Scottish Salmon

Above: New pontoon has brought significant benefits

been shortlisted in two categories of this year’s Institute of Directors Scotland, Director of the Year Awards.

Anderson, who joined the SSC in 2013, is a finalist for Director of the Year of a business with a turnover over £15 million, as well as the Edinburgh, Lothians and the Borders Director of the Year Award.

Anderson said: ‘I am humbled to have been shortlisted for such a prestigious award.’

Winners will be announced on March 17.

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04/03/2016 14:34:12

United Kingdom News

New landing craft for Orkney farm

‘Strong base’ for Scottish Salmon Company THE Scottish Salmon Company said it has a strong base to deliver a forecast of 30,000 tonnes in 2016, despite recording fourth quarter revenues of £23.9 million last year, down from £30.8 million in the same period in 2014.

Harvest volumes, of 6,059 tonnes, were also down on the final quarter of 2014 (7,373 tonnes) which the company attributed to its alternate production cycles, with the smaller sites being harvested during the quarter being more in line with the 2013 production cycle and volumes.

The main challenges faced during the quarter, said the SSC, included well boat issues requiring maintenance, and severe weather.

Also, the strength of sterling against the Norwegian kroner continued to affect earnings.

Jobs go at Shetland salmon firm Above: The Warness Lass ffrom Macduff Shipyards SCOTTISH Sea Farms has taken delivery of the Warness Lass from Macduff Shipyards in Aberdeen in an investment worth £500,000.

The new landing craft is 14.95m long and 5.6m wide and is capable of carrying 21 tonnes of deck cargo.

It has two engines, each with 230hp, and is destined for Scottish Sea Farms’ remote Eday site in Orkney as a feed boat.

Richard Darbyshire, SSF’s Orkney regional manager, said: ‘This latest vessel is part of the planned expansion of the Eday site to 12 cages and 1,900 tonnes of production capacity that was granted planning permission in September 2014.

‘We are continually investing in our staff and equipment at Scottish Sea Farms and this new vessel will assist us in meeting an ever increasing demand for our high quality salmon.’

SAIC joins forces with Nofima Researchers in Scotland and Norway are to share expertise in addressing common challenges in aquaculture. The Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) and Nofima, one of Europe’s leading institutes for applied research into aquaculture, fisheries and food, will collaborate in particular over sea lice control, sustainable feeds, rapid detection of pathogens and diseases, and shellfish spat.

A letter of intent setting out shared objectives and goals for an initial period of three years was signed during a recent visit to Nofima’s head office in Tromso.

Keen to capitalise on the new collaboration, SAIC was involved in the Nofima chaired Zero Lice workshop at the North Atlantic Seafood Forum (NASF), from March 1-3, in Bergen, aimed at industry innovation.

And Nofima has been invited to participate in SAIC workshops at Aquaculture UK 2016, from May Nofima aquaculture director Nils Haga with SAIC CEO Heather Jones 25-26, in Aviemore.

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TWENTY five jobs have been lost at Shetland’s Grieg Seafood after poor results during the last three months of last year. The Norwegian owned salmon farmer blames its performance on high mortality rates due to sea lice infestation and algae blooms.

The multi-national fish farming company said it is still committed to Shetland and striving to produce salmon in a more efficient way.

Harvesting volume during October, November and December 2015 dropped by 37 per cent to 3,974 tonnes, compared to the same period in 2014.

The situation was further exacerbated due

to the strong pound in relation to the Norwegian kroner, which resulted in difficult trading conditions.

Speaking from Bergen, chief executive Andreas Kvame said the company was now able to produce larger and healthier smolts thanks to its new salmon hatchery at Girlsta. This, he said, would shorten the salmon production cycle from 24 to just 18 months.

Wrasse project wins enterprise award A CLEANER fish research project has won an Innovative Collaboration Award at the Scottish Enterprise Life Science Awards 2016.

The collaboration, led by Professor Hervé Migaud of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture and including Marine Harvest Scotland, Scottish Sea Farms, and feed manufacturer BioMar, was launched by the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) in June last year.

The 42-month project is developing the sustainable farming and deployment of wrasse, a cleaner fish used on salmon farms to control sea lice.

Migaud,

director of research at the Institute of Aquaculture, said: ‘We are absolutely delighted to win this prestigious award and have thoroughly enjoyed working with industry to bring this project to life.

‘Working collaboratively, the project is helping solve the bottlenecks limiting productivity and improves the quality and delousing efficacy of farmed wrasse.’

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

04/03/2016 14:34:39

All the latest industry news from Europe

NEWS...

Bakkafrost take fresh approach to lice BUOYED by a global rise in demand for salmon, the Bakkafrost group, the largest fish farmer in the Faroe Islands, announced a 30 million Danish kroner (DKK) rise in EBIT (earnings before tax and interest) for the final quarter of 2015.

The company delivered a total operating EBIT of DKK 257 million for Q4 2015, compared with DKK 227 million for Q4 2014.

Harvested volumes were 13,675 tonnes gutted weight in Q4

2015 and 50,565 tonnes for the whole of 2015.

Bakkafrost said the farming segment delivered an operational fourth quarter EBIT of DKK 215 million, which corresponds to NOK 19.67 per kg.

CEO Regin Jacobsen said: ‘2015 was an eventful year for Bakkafrost. In the summer, the live fish carrier Hans á Bakka was delivered to Bakkafrost, which we consider a milestone for the salmon farming industry in

the Faroes.’

Hans á Bakka has freshwater treatment equipment installed, which has been effective against sea lice, said Jacobsen.

In fact, Bakkafrost has reduced its lice numbers from more than two female lice per salmon to 0.3 lice, without drugs, the company said last month.

The system works by hosing salmon clean of lice in fresh water in the barge, ‘marinating’ it in fresh water for

a few hours before a second hosing, then releasing it back into the cages.

Jacobsen said the results were ‘over-

whelming’ when tested in November.

The salmon remain in good condition and start feeding as soon as they return to the

cages after treatment, said Jacobsen.

Bakkafrost said it expects to harvest 48,000 tonnes gutted weight in 2016.

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04/03/2016 14:43:21

European News

Another surge in Norway exports

THE value of Norwegian farmed salmon exports rose sharply last month with a 26 per cent overall increase in sales.

The country’s salmon farmers shipped a total of 71,837 tonnes during February, slightly down in volume terms (by 472 tonnes). But continuing strong demand and rising prices pushed up earnings.

Paul T Aandahl, analyst with the Norwegian Seafood Council, said: ‘A reduction in the supply of salmon at the beginning of the year, strong demand in our neighbouring markets and a favourable foreign currency situation are driving the price for salmon and consequently the value to new heights.’

The average export price for fresh whole salmon was NOK 55.05 per kg, a rise of 31 per cent or NOK 12.88 per kg compared with February 2015.

Europe, especially France, remains one of the most attractive markets. Salmon exports to the EU bloc last month totalled NOK three billion, an increase of 32 per cent or 735 tonnes from a year ago.Salmon exports to the Far East fell by nine per cent but US sales were up by 36 per cent to a total of NOK 240 million.

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Lord Coe to speak at AquaVision LORD Coe is to be the keynote speaker at this year’s AquaVision conference. The president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) will address delegates during the event in Stavanger, Norway, which runs from June 13-15.

With the theme ‘Meeting tomorrow today’, AquaVision 2016 will concentrate on two core areas: ‘The blue revolution’ and ‘Beyond tomorrow’.

Lord Coe is regarded as one of the greatest athletes of his gener-

Above: Delegates at 2014’s AquaVision

ation. He set 12 world records over four distances, achieving four gold and three silver medals competing at the Olympic Games and European Championships.

He led London’s winning bid to host the

2012 Olympics and served as chairman of the British Olympic Association.

Lord Coe will share with AquaVision delegates the benefits of building resilient and teams from a variety of backgrounds.

in the Netherlands, who will discuss the industry’s role in the world’s food supply, and Professor Ragnar Tveteraas, of the University of Stavanger, who will look at cost development.

AquaVision attracts a diverse range of stakeholders to Stavanger Other speakers at the every two years. The conference, organised event will include Andrew Mallison, director since 1996 by Skretting and its parent general of IFFO, who will give an insight into company Nutreco, has the development of the established itself as fish oil and fish protein an important meeting place for some 400 market, Professor participants from more Louise O Fresco, of Wageningen University than 40 countries.

SalMar reveals £50 million cost of offshore cage

Above: SalMar’s innovative offshore cage

THE cost of Norwegian company SalMar’s innovative offshore salmon cage is likely to be NOK 600 million (about £50 million), CEO Leif-Inge Nordhammer said at the presentation of the quarterly results last month.

The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries

said in December they would ‘most likely’ grant licences for the concept, Intrafish reported, but SalMar will not start the process until the licences have been formalised.

Nordhammer said he did not know how many licences they would be awarded, but the company has

asked for at least eight for the operation to be financially viable.

SalMar has reportedly been working with a shipyard in China and subcontractors in Norway to build the cage.

If all goes according to plan, it is hoped that salmon will be released into the cage

by August 2017.

‘Egg’ farm may crack lice problem MARINE Harvest is to apply for 14 development licences in Norway to test a new enclosed farm design that resembles a giant egg.

The technology, created by Hauge Aqua, is based on a 44m high and 33m wide structure, 90 per cent of which will be submerged. It will be able to accommodate 1,000 tonnes of salmon.

Marine Harvest aims to run pilot tests with prototypes before full-scale testing with ten units in 2018.

‘The objective of this project is to enhance the competitive advantage Norwegian aquaculture already has to access sheltered coastal areas,’ said Alf-Helge Aarskog, CEO of Marine Harvest.

‘The egg represents a new direction, and is a leap in the development of closed systems. Our goal is to produce healthy and tasty salmon in a more sustainable and cost effective manner.

‘To justify the investment costs, as well as to verify the technology’s competitiveness and performance, large-scale tests are vital.

‘It is therefore very important that our application is granted in its entirety. If we succeed, it will be a quantum leap for the entire industry,’ said Aarskog.

Hauge Aqua claims its system will help combat the problem of sea lice and dramatically reduce infection. It will also reduce the chance of escapes, enable more accurate feeding, reduce nutrient discharges and thus increase production per site.

Above: How Marine Harvest’s ‘egg’ could look

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04/03/2016 14:43:41

All the latest industry news from Europe

German show exceeds expectations

New feed produces impressive FCR ratios from trimmings of wild catch A NEW feed developed by the Norwegian fish farmers Kvarøy and Selsøyvik, alongside Blue Circle Foods, BioMar and Whole Foods Market, has allowed for the production of salmon with a fish-in, fish-out ratio below 1-to-1.

The fish oil utilised for the feed is made with trimmings from wild caught fish that are already bound for human consumption.

The salmon produced by the feed is sold at Whole Foods Market, which launched its rigorous

farmed salmon standards in 2007. Blue Circle Foods, Biomar and the fish farmers worked to exceed these standards with In the Blue feed.

‘We knew we’d have to make a significant investment of time and budget to create this custom feed for only two farms, but the risk was definitely worth it when we saw the difference this process could make for consumers, the industry and our planet,’ said Vidar Gundersen, group sustainability manager for Biomar.

Above: The Bremen show’s compact size was a plus for visitors

BREMEN’S Fishing International show attracted about 11,700 visitors, exceeding the organisers’ expectations.

This was the 15th exhibition, Germany’s only fish and seafood fair, and visitors and exhibitors praised its ‘compact size’.

‘Here you have time combined with short

distances – that leads to interesting, in-depth discussions. In comparison, larger trade fairs have more the character of speed-dating,’ said Egil Magne Haugstad of Pelagia, a Norwegian producer of raw materials for industry.

Andrew Bing of salmon farmer Loch Duart attended the show for

the first time and said he was surprised by the possibilities that it offered.

‘The internationality was a positive surprise for us. We came to meet potential customers from Germany, and then we were thrilled to see that the market is much bigger and extends far into Eastern Europe.’

Above: FCR breakthrough

Potential new markets for lumpfish NORWEGIAN research institute Nofima has launched a project to find other markets for lumpfish, aside from fighting sea lice.

Lumpfish have become an important tool in the fight against the parasite that costs salmon farmers a fortune every year.

However, they are only required until they weigh about half a kilo, after which they are usually crushed into animal feed.

The fish is quite unlike others on the market and has never been part of the European diet.

In the project called ‘From louse-eater to the dinner plate’,

Nofima and salmon producer Lerøy Aurora will attempt to find out if there is a new market for lumpfish, starting with Asia.

‘Based on studies of available secondary information, we will select a market and travel there to investigate further,’ said researcher Bjørg Helen Nøstvold of Nofima.

‘Who are the buyers, how can the fish be used? What kind of prices are likely, and so on? We do for example know that

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small quantities of wild caught lumpfish have been exported from Iceland.

‘We also know that businesses have worked on establishing a market in South Korea, but we don’t know how they have fared.’

If the use of lumpfish by the salmon industry continues to grow as expected, it is projected that as much as 100,000 tonnes of farmed lumpfish could be available for sale each year.

The project has been funded with NOK 300,000 from the Troms county council and NOK 250,000 from the Regional Research Fund North.

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04/03/2016 14:44:04

World News

NEWS...

Fishmeal shortages spark more mergers SHORTAGES of fishmeal for the fifth year running have led to a spate of mergers and acquisitions as companies, including Cargill, seek to meet demand for seafood, Bloomberg Business reported last month.

Cargill acquired fish feed giant EWOS six months ago and more recently invested in feed maker Calysta. It will keep expanding in aquaculture as world demand for food protein is seen growing 70 per cent by 2050, Neil Wendover, a global marketing director at its animal nutrition unit, told Bloomberg.

US based Cargill, along with Dutch investment group Aqua-Spark and others, have provided $30 million in funds to

Above: Calysta vice-president Douglas Sheldon

Calysta. World output of fishmeal, usually made from anchovies, fell short of consumption in nine of the past 10 seasons and a fifth straight annual shortage is expected in this marketing year,

the US Department of Agriculture said.

Apart from Cargill, the industry has also seen the $4 billion takeover of salmon feed supplier Nutreco

by SHV Holdings and Mitsubishi Corp’s

acquisition of salmon farmer Cermaq.

With fishmeal production unlikely to meet demand, companies are looking for alternatives, said Mike Velings, of Aqua-Spark, the fund investing in aquaculture.

‘In the next five years, there is actually going to be a structural shortage in the market for fishmeal, so everyone sees a market opportunity in the short term.’

Calysta should bring its first commercial scale factory online in 2018, he said, adding that it would probably be in the US. The company recently appointed a vice-president, Douglas Sheldon, to report to president Alan Shaw.

Halibut farming: P44

Vietnam fish farmers face ‘tough challenges’ VIETNAM, the second largest Asian seafood supplier to the West, including the UK, has been told it faces some formidable challenges this year in its bid to improve exports.

The country saw its overseas sales (mostly farmed fish) fall by more than 15 per cent to US $6.7 billion last year.

Now the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors (VASEP) has urged its

members to take a good look at their competitiveness. The industry has set an export target of $.7 billion this year But that target represents a 12.5 per cent reduction compared to the hoped for total of $8 billion set for 2015, which did not materialise.

But the industry has suffered from a series of problems, mainly around the amount of antibiotics in some of its seafood.

Hawaii farm plans to upscale offshore project A HAWAIAN research company plans to launch an experimental offshore kampachi pen that will hold more than seven times the fish of previous efforts, the Hawaii Tribune Herald reported last month.

Under a permit from the National Marine Fisheries Service, which is now up for public comment, Kampachi Farms of Kailua-Kona would deploy a 40ft-wide cylindrical pen stocked with 15,000 fish in federal waters 5.5 miles off of Keauhou. The site, with a pre-existing buoy, hosted the company’s earlier experiments with smaller pens.

‘We want to get it to a larger scale so we can make it economically efficient,’ said Neil Anthony Sims, Kampachi Farms’ co-CEO. ‘Two thousand fish is a nice research project. Fifteen thousand fish is a more meaningful research project, but we want to be doing 150,000 fish per cage.

‘We need to scale it up to meet global protein needs,’ Sims said. ‘We can’t do that in nearshore areas. We need to do it over the horizon.’

The defence company Lockheed Martin partnered with Kampachi Farms to develop the technology used in the trial. An offshore aquaculture division of Lockheed has since spun off into a venture called Forever Oceans, which Sims said will be in close collaboration on the Vellela Delta project. The pen could be deployed by May if the permitting is approved.

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NMFS officials say the Vellela Delta trial will be well flushed by ocean currents in 6,000ft of water, and should have minimal impact on water quality. A maximum of two cohorts of fish would be raised over two years, for a total of no more than 30,000 fish or about 120,000 pounds, according to a draft environmental assessment. Kampachi can be harvested every eight months.

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04/03/2016 14:55:09

All the latest industry news from around the world

India focuses on adapting to change An aquaculture conference in India recently focused on the theme ‘Assuming Responsibilities and Adapting to Changes’.

Aqua India 2016, a bi-annual event organised by the Indian Society of Aquaculture Professionals (SAP), was held this year in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, from January 29-30.

‘Seafood exports from India have increased fivefold in the last 15 years, reaching US $6.5 billion, converting India into the fourth global seafood exporter,’ said Leena Nair, chair of Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA).

But S. Muthukaruppan, president of SAP, said: ‘A more than 10 per cent production decline, due to flooding and disease outbreaks, was already seen in 2015. A recovery is likely to be marginal due to lower returns from farming.’

White spot virus (WSSV) continues to be the predominant threat to farmed shrimp in India, but new diseases are increasingly important too, such as the running mortality syndrome (RMS), white faeces syndrome, and Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei, a microsporidian causing slow growth and bad feed conversions.

During the interactive sessions at Aqua India, participants expressed the need

for increasing capacity of quarantine and broodstock multiplication centres, enhanced bio-security measures to avoid spreading new diseases, genetic programmes, and new technologies to control microbial development Eiffel Tower in pond systems, including 324 mprobiotics and specific functional feeds.

Nutriad sponsored the event and on receiving the gold sponsorship award, the firm’s

Dr Peter Coutteau said: ‘Nutriad has been working alongside producers in India for many years. Together with them, we develop concepts that address the current and All delivered future challenges of the industry.’

Burj Khalifa Steinsvik Barges stacked Above: Dr Peter Coutteau receiving the 828 m 1800 m gold sponsor award for Nutriad at Aqua India 2016 from Dr P Ravachandran of the Coastal Aquaculture Authority

Every 3rd farmed salmon in the world is documented in Mercatus

Did you know Mercatus is in use daily on 600 sites around the world?

Half of these sites are in Norway, the rest is spread over 5 continents and 9 different countries. 65 different companies use the software, and these vary from some of the biggest to some of the smallest salmon producers. Mercatus started as a separate company 15 years ago, and has been run by Ocea, and now Steinsvik.

Our experience in both fish farming and software development makes us the natural choice for fish farmers around the world.

steinsvik.no

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04/03/2016 14:55:24

World News

Mixed message from US on salmon

Chile SRS vaccine ‘ground breaking’ A VACCINE against SRS (salmon rickettsial septicaemia) has received marketing authorisation from the Chilean authorities, reported Pharmaq.

It said the approval to sell the company’s Alpha Ject LiVac SRS vaccine is a major technology milestone for the fish farming industry Years of research, development and documentation ensure a high level of protection, as well as being safe for the fish and

THE Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch organisation has given Maine farmed salmon, raised in offshore pens in the North Atlantic, a ‘good alternative’ rating, while placing salmon

farmed in marine net pens in the Atlantic Canada region on the ‘avoid list’. Cooke Aquaculture, which raises salmon in ocean pens in Canada and Maine, didn’t see the ratings as negative .

predictable and reliable fish production.’

SRS is considered to Above: Vaccine is major milestone for the industryx be the most important ‘We are confident the environment. disease problem in ‘Our innovative drive that this ground break- the Chilean salmon ing vaccine will be an is based on the aquafarming industry, culture industry’s need important tool to help affecting all three fight SRS. This is a to produce safe and species farmed in healthy seafood,’ said highly requested prod- Chile: Atlantic salmon, uct by the industry and rainbow trout and Pharmaq president will help achieve more coho salmon.

Morten Kr Nordstad.

Challenge to US aquaculture expansion SEVERAL environmental groups and businesses have taken the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to court challenging their decision to allow aqua farms in federally protected waters of the Gulf of Mexico region.

The groups filed a suit on February 12 in the US Eastern District Court of Louisiana against National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), according to the Louisiana Record.

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS), which represents several fishing associations and wildlife organisations, has also filed a lawsuit challenging NOAA’s ruling.

‘Offshore industrial aquaculture will cause irreparable harm to the Gulf ecosystems and coastal communities,’ said George Kimbrell, CFS lawyer.

NOAA announced its plan to expand aquaculture in the Gulf of Mexico in January, in order to meet the growing demand for seafood and increase job opportunities in the seafood industry. It will allow for up to 20 industrial facilities and a total of 64 million pounds of fish to be produced every year.

Kenya finds key to rearing Nile perch SCIENTISTS from Maseno University in Kenya, in collaboration with Japan’s Nagasaki University, have come up with a way that enables farmers to rear Nile perch, known locally as mbuta, either using floating cages in the lake, or in fish ponds.

The fish is one of the most sought after species in Lake Victoria due to its fleshy body and the ever growing demand in the export market. But stocks have been dwindling at an alarming rate, due to over-fishing.

In cage aquaculture, the Nile perch is reared in enclosed spaces inside the lake. The cages are built

using metal bars, wire mesh, and nets, with ordinary plastic cans to keep them afloat and to act as wave breakers.

But with the carnivorous Nile perch, they only need to find a way of attracting other smaller fish into the cage.

One way of doing this is by fitting the cages with lights.

‘Nile perch rearing in cages is sustainable because you do not need to feed the fish using feeds as it is the case with other species like tilapia,’ said Dr Helen Marcial, an aquaculture expert from Nagasaki University.

Since the Nile perch is bigger, their cages have nets that allow smaller fish to swim in and out. The

researchers have made four cages in Magenta Island, Sika Beach, each measuring 5m by 4m by 2m, hosting 10,000 Nile perch fingerlings.

Jonathan Munguti, head of the Aquaculture Division at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), said: ‘The Nile perch constitutes 90 per cent of the fish exports from the lake.

‘Introduction of new aquaculture technologies will definitely help us salvage the Nile perch that we may soon lose.’

He added that KMFRI is in the process of establishing an International Nile Perch Research Centre.

Sea lice outbreak shows no links to farming THE prevalence of sea lice on juvenile wild salmon in 2015 was the highest it has been in five years, but the outbreak does not appear to be associated with salmon farming, according to a report from the British Columbia Salmon Farmers Association.

Many of the most intense infestations were found in areas that had no active salmon farms or that had never been used for salmon aquaculture, according to data in three technical reports on Broughton Archipelago, Quatsino Sound and Queen Charlotte Strait.

A survey of wild salmon harvested from 22 locations in Broughton Archipelago found that 65 per cent of all sea lice counted came from a single location not adjacent to any salmon farm, according to a report commissioned by Marine Harvest.

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04/03/2016 14:59:58

Letters

LETTERS...

Questions over sea lice impact Catch data does not support claims that salmon farms are behind decline in wild fish 1

2

3

debated, even though these studies showed that the impact on wild fish was minimal.

While attempts to determine the direct impact of sea lice on wild fish continue, the main thrust of the debate has centred on the analysis of catch data. Marine Science Scotland has indicated that rod catches have traditionally been used to assess the state of wild fish stocks in Scotland as they are the most comprehensive indicator of stock status and, in many cases, may be the only information available.

According to his memoir (The Longshore4 man, 2004), the former head of the Freshwater Fisheries Laboratory, Dr Richard Shelton, said that the first indication that wild fish in Scotland had been affected by sea lice from salmon farms was in 1989, when the sea trout fishery in Loch Maree collapsed. The problems of this renowned fishery were then highlighted in a scientific paper published in 2006 by Butler and Walker using data collected from the rod catch in the loch (graph 1).

The graph helpfully highlights the possible cause was surprised that the article ‘Building a Better of the collapse with the inclusion of an arrow Picture’ (Fish Farmer, February 2016) states that showing when in 1987 salmon farming arrived in ‘currently there is no information on the impact the adjoining Loch Ewe. That year, the rod catch of sea lice from aquaculture on wild salmon in for sea trout was about 600 fish but only two Scotland’, as there has been an ongoing debate years later it had dropped to less than one hunabout such impacts stretching back nearly 40 dred. The implication was that sea lice emanating years. from the new farm were to blame for the collapse.

This has gone on for so long because it is difficult Although the Scottish government has been colto say definitively whether any reduction in wild lecting catch data from all Scottish fishery districts salmon numbers is due specifically to the pressince 1952, the graph highlighting the Loch Maree ence of sea lice or to other factors. As the article collapse was not based on their data. Instead, the points out, there is an ongoing study underway to catch data was derived from that collected from try to determine whether migrating smolts treated guests of the Loch Maree Hotel. with anti-lice chemicals have a better survival rate The graph based on Scottish government compared with untreated fish. data paints a slightly different picture (graph 2).

Similar work from Ireland is still being hotly Numbers of sea trout caught between 1987 and

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1989 do show a fall but the catch from the whole of the Ewe System had shown even greater drops in numbers long before salmon farming arrived in the loch. Large falls in the fish catch had been observed in 1966/67, 1970/71 and 1981/82.

While it is clear that the overall trend for Loch Ewe/Loch Maree is in a downward direction, it is worth noting that this trend did not begin with the arrival of salmon farming in the locality (graph 3).

It seems that sea trout catches (and stocks) were already in decline when farmed salmon were first stocked in Loch Ewe. Is it possible that whatever prompted this decline continued to cause the demise of this fishery even after salmon farming’s arrival in the loch?

While the cause of the decline remains a mystery, the blame was laid at salmon farming’s door.

There is another element to this sea lice puzzle that is never discussed, and that relates to the wild salmon of the Ewe System. When salmon smolts leave the River Ewe, they too must swim past the salmon farm to start their migration. They should be just as likely to pick up sea lice as young sea trout and, therefore, if the sea trout fishery has suffered as a consequence of salmon farming, the salmon fishery should also be showing a similar pattern.

The salmon catch data for the Ewe System is, however, not as might be expected (graph 4).

What is apparent is that from 1952 until 2014 salmon catches have been not only consistent but show an upward trend. Salmon catches do not appear to have suffered at all over this time and certainly not following the arrival of salmon farming in Loch Ewe. This new analysis of catch data does not support any claims that sea lice from salmon farms are the reason for observed changes in wild fish numbers, but what is clear is that the Ewe System appears to be a healthy salmon fishery despite the presence of salmon farming in the loch.

Dr Martin Jaffa, Callander McDowell Fish Farmer welcomes feedback from readers.

If you want to comment on anything that has appeared in the magazine – or on issues related to the industry generally – please contact the editor jhjul@fishupdate.com

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04/03/2016 15:04:04

World Aquaculture Society – Las Vegas

Nothing to fear in Vegas Conference looks at how scare-mongering has impeded industry’s growth

T

he triennial World Aquaculture Society’s conference and exhibition was held in Las Vegas at the end of last month. More than 150 companies, including Fish Farmer, took stands at the venue in the Paris Hotel and Convention Centre, representing around 20 different countries, from the US and Canada to much of Europe, China, Israel and Australia .

During the conference, staged over four days, presentations covered, among many other things, genetic engineering, fish welfare, alternative feeds, aquaponics, shrimp health, offshore aquaculture, marketing and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture.

One prominent theme during the week was media coverage of aquaculture and how it affects innovation. Dave Conley, of AquaBounty Technologies, pioneer of GM salmon, chaired a meeting on the subject and gave a talk headed AquaBounty’s Aquadvantage Salmon – a Prolonged Journey to Market: How Innovation was Impeded by Activists and Media Fear-Mongering.

‘The journey of AquaBounty’s innovative salmon from research bench to

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market acceptance has become a case study in the strategic use of misinformation, pressure tactics, media manipulation, and political interference to block the use of a technology with far-reaching applications in food production, and in human and animal health and medicine, and environmental protection and remediation, to name but a few,’ said Conley.

‘The resources spent on combating the many coordinated activist campaigns to effectively kill the company’s application to the FDA have been crippling for a small firm of only 21 people that faced bankruptcy twice in its history.

‘Having to cut staff and curtail its R&D activities to focus on survival is something that most aquaculture entrepreneurs have experienced at one time or another.

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04/03/2016 15:07:11

Fish eat chicken?

Above and right: Scenes from the show at the Paris Hotel and Convention Centre; Fish Farmer Advertising Manager William Dowds (second from top) at the Faivre stand.

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Aquaculture 2016 – Las Vegas

Conley’s presentation discussed the journey from concept to market of AquaBounty’s AquAdvantage Salmon and what being a real pioneer in the industry is all about.

Also on the platform was Brad Hicks of Vancouver, BC, company Taplow Feeds. He said the development of salmonid aquaculture in North America had been significantly hampered by opposition from well organised parties both from within government agencies and from civic society, primarily the environmental non-governmental organisations (eNGO) community.

‘The eNGOs working in consort with their allies in government agencies and a manipulated, sympathetic press are sculpturing public policies and regulations which make it almost impossible to develop aquaculture in North America and which also increases the cost of production in North Above: International America, making salmon farming in North America less competitive than exhibitors in many other regions of the world.’

But he argued that their influence is diminishing, as their cataclysmic predictions fail to materialise, and ‘within one generation the fish farming industry will become a normal part of the economic and social fabric of coastal communities much in the way terrestrial farming is the main and most accepted activity on much of the land base’.

Ian Bricknell of the Aquaculture Research Institute at the University of Maine, drew on four decades as an aquaculture scientist to address the perception of his industry in the media. He suggested that the scientific community is not good at counteracting misinformation because its findings tend to be published in academic journals.

Stephen Cross of the Centre for Applied Research Technology and Innovation in Campbell River, BC, said the majority of the environmental issues that were associated with the industry start-up in the 1980s were quickly resolved through proper farm siting, a comprehensive regulatory

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structure, and as a result of applied research and innovation in the production process itself.

However, the initial public perception of aquaculture is continually reinforced by the media and eNGOs, and thus remains the primary driver in regulation, community relations, research and innovation.

Neil Anthony Sims of Kampachi Farms in Hawaii, said most leading ‘environmental’ NGOs ‘responsible for the campaign of unwitting misinformation now recognise the global importance of aquaculture as an appropriate, desirable source of nutritious animal protein’.

But they have said nothing so ‘the images and attitudes from their past fish-farm-fearmongering ricochet around the web, persisting in the public consciousness, reverberating throughout mainstream media, and ending up on the editorial pages and restaurant orders across the country, to the great detriment of American aquaculture advancement’.

Sims asked how the industry should induce these organisations to do what’s right for the planet and change their chant from ‘Wild fish good! Farmed fish bad!’ to ‘Wild fish good!

Farmed fish better!’

In another similarly themed session at Aquaculture 2016, delegates reportedly crowded in to hear speakers discuss Building Social Acceptance through Innovative Communication. Kicking off the debate was Jeremy Dunn, executive director of the British Columbia Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA).

After years of the British Columbia aquaculture industry fighting hostile press he invited 15 members of the Vancouver media to a Marine Harvest farm at Campbell River.

‘We spent time on the farm not to try to turn a story but to build a relationship,’ he said. ‘The relationship you build with someone on a boat ride to a farm is probably the best relationship you can build.’ FF

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04/03/2016 15:08:31

FishMagazine Farmer Wellboats– Introduction

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Wellboats play an increasingly important role in the running of marine salmon farms, from the beginning through to the end of the production cycle

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s the salmon industry becomes more consolidated, and vertically integrated, wellboats are now being used routinely for a variety of essential tasks that help with the efficient running of salmon farms. Custom designed, wellboats are used to transfer smolts to sea water sites, to grade fish, transfer fish between seawater sites and to carry fish to harvest. Wellboats are also sometimes used to carry out bath treatments for sea lice.

There are a number of risks associated with the use of wellboats, in particular the transfer of pathogens to live fish within the wellboat, and into the sea as a result of discharging potentially infected water. In Scotland, these issues have been acknowledged with the establishment of the Wellboat Technical Standards Working Group in 2013. Amongst its recommendations include: that all marine vessels should log and record their position and the status of their valves; that all water from

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dead-haul of fish to processing plants should be treated on-shore; that all water should be filtered prior to discharge into the sea; and that of wellboat transport water be proposed as a priority for the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre.

For their part, the wellboat manufacturers are already working hard to address these issues, and the modern wellboat is a technically sophisticated piece of kit, with a number of features that address issues of biosecurity. For

example, Sølvtrans, the world leading company within transport of live salmon uses a closed valves system, ensuring that when they transport live fish, no water is loaded or discharged to the sea during transportation or unloading.

Its new vessels are also equipped with lice filters with 150 μ for circulated water, which collect lice and other organic materials from the water, minimising the risk of any transported fish being contaminated by diseases, infection, sea lice etc from the nearby fish farms. FF

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Under control

Norway – Research Council

“

The environment is more stable and the fish use less energy adapting to it

Under control

Above: Project participants at the centre’s opening. Right: CtrlAQUA scientists.

Photos by Terje Aamodt/Nofima.

Joint approach between scientists and industry to address challenges of closed-containment systems

F 001_ff03.indd 4 06/03/2015 14:28:03

our Norwegian research institutions, two outside Norway and several industry partners from technology and the aquaculture industry have started operations at a centre for innovation in closed-containment systems.

The centre, CtrlAQUA, has been given NOK 200 million and eight years to reach its goal of making closed-containment systems for salmon up to one kilogram.

Innovations in closed-containment, where the salmon is separated from the outside environment by a tight barrier, can be important for the further development of the industry,

helping to address challenges such as sea lice, diseases and escapes, as well as reduce production times.

Closed systems can be land-based, where water is recycled, or sea-based, in which large floating tanks receive clean water from depth.

In CtrlAQUA, the research will deal with both approaches.

The main focus of the centre is innovation in closed-containment systems for the most vulnerable periods of the salmon production cycle, such as the first sea water, post-smolt, phase.

The centre will also contribute to better production control, fish welfare and sustainability

in closed-containment farms. This will happen through the development of new and reliable sensors, minimising environmental impact through recycling of nutrients and reducing the risk of escape, and diseases transmission to wild stocks.

Senior scientist Bendik Fyhn Terjesen, from Nofima, who is the director of the centre, said that closed-containment systems for salmon up to one kilogram have further advantages than simply preventing lice and escapes.

‘We can control the environment in which the fish lives in a closed-containment system.

The environment is more stable and the fish

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use less energy adapting to it. This means that the salmon has more energy available for growth and good health.’

Closed systems for strategic phases in salmon farming can help to make the Norwegian vision of an eight-fold growth in value creation from aquaculture possible, and lead to an increased number of jobs and the production of healthy seafood.

In the centre there will be three departments: technology and environment, led by Dr Fyhn Terjesen; preventative fish health, led by Harald Takle, also from Nofima; and fish production and welfare, led by Lars Ebbesson of Uni Research.

CtrlAQUA is one of 17 Centres for Research-Based Innovation (SFI), a major programme created by the Research Council of Norway.

The primary goal of the SFI programme is to strengthen companies’ capacity for innovation, and to develop leading industry relevant research.

Nofima is accompanied by five solid institutions in CtrlAQUA: Uni Research, the University of Bergen, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the Freshwater Institute in the US and the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

The University of Bergen will have principal responsibility for research education at the centre. The total budget for CtrlAQUA will be

”

NOK 196 million, spread over eight years.

Industrial partners from the supplier industry are Krüger Kaldnes AS, Pharmaq Analytiq, Pharmaq AS, Oslofjord Ressurspark AS, Storvik Aqua AS and Aquafarm Equipment AS. Participants from the aquaculture industry are Marine Harvest ASA, Grieg Seafood ASA, Lerøy Vest AS, Cermaq Norway AS, Bremnes Seashore AS, Smøla klekkeri og settefiskanlegg AS, Marine producers Norway AS and Firda sjøfarmer AS. The formal opening by the Research Council took place at the end of May at Nofima, Sunndalsøra. Norwegian fisheries minister Elisabeth Aspaker, present at the ceremony, said the goal of the CtrlAQUA SFI is perfectly compatible with the government’s ambitions for the aquaculture industry.

‘I have great expectations for the achievements of CtrlAQUA. Even though eight years is a long time, it is urgent that we find solutions to reach the goals. CtrlAQUA is an important part of this.’

The director of innovation in the Research Council, Eirik Normann, presented the SFI plaque to Fyhn Terjesen, saying: ‘You have put together a very strong consortium. I want to point out that the committee that evaluated the application was fascinated by the innovation that the concept brings with it, and it believes that the centre will probably produce important innovations within aquaculture.’ FF

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NOFIMA FACTS With 360 employees and customers from 49 different countries, Nofima’s turnover in 2014 was £527 million The company is currently engaged in 620 projects worldwide.

Nofima has several laboratories and pilot plants, which it uses for research, including: BioLab – an accredited contract and research laboratory; NAMAB – a flexible minifactory; and Patogen Pilot Plant – Europe’s first highsecurity production hall.

Nofima carries out research for the fisheries, aquaculture and food industries, including: breeding and genetics; capture-based aquaculture; fish health; and consumer and sensory sciences.

Each year Nofima organises several symposia, courses and seminars in which its scientists share their expertise.

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y issues affecting Meanwhile many of you will no doubt be involved in, our resident design or affected by, the forthcoming Aquaculture and FisherAndrew Balahura, ies (Scotland) Bill and we have been fortunate enough to ring it more upsecure an extensive interview with Scotland’s recently apl columns from pointed Minister for the Environment, Paul Wheelhouse.

Trade associations – ASSG est aquaculture Looking further afield there are also interesting insights – ASSG SG and SSPOTrade – to Associations into oyster growing around the globe and also an t topics of the day overview of the Hungarian aquaculture industry, which is ors respectively. beginning to evolve from production of carps to higher d we hope you’ll value predatory fish. We hope you enjoy all the changes. FF

has 0 years of the stry. Now ournalist, er food magazine.

ry Board

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ons culture

BY JANET H BROWN

Rob Fletcher News Editor

Paul Wheelhouse is Scotland’s Minister for the Environment and Climate Change and is an MSP for the South of Scotland.

Janet Brown works to support and promote all aspects of sustainable shellfish culture and restoration via The Shellfish Team and edits The Grower.

The other side of the pond Benefi ts culture Can the Association of Scottish Shellfish Growers learn anything from 8 the Opportunities to provide ‘environmental way America’s East Coast Shellfish Growers Association is organised? services’ with Euro funds

TD

he new European Maritime and Fisheries The guidance notes do not give a huge amount of information as to r Robert B Rheault – more commonly substantial research grants to shellfi address Fund (EMFF) grant informati on only went what is covered in this, but to me thisfederal says shellfi sh culture and sh critical industry research known as ‘Skid’ Rheault (Rheault being priorities. live on the Scottish government website restoration. pronounced or Bob set up 100 the theonECSGA grown and is it still on January 18,‘row’) yet there are–already A great deal of work hasHow beenhas done the benefi ts of restorati on growing? of East Coast Shellfish Growers Association native species of shellfish inWe grow in membership by about 10 to 20 per cent a year and we businesses registered. the US and they have a great deal of inforols (ECSGA) in 2004 and allocated has been to itsthe executive hadcan a sharp increase this past year, but we still only have a small fracWith €243.1 million UK there mation on the benefits that accrue. director for six years. tionimprovements of the industry members.

Of theons, estimated 1,300 farms on the d is plenty of reason for interest in this proThese include measurable in as certain fish populati Skid became involved in the idea of an asEast Coast, we only have about 15 per cent.

The nature of the industry gramme. increased recruitment of shellfish, and improved water quality, but there sociation he had been working an is such manymeasured. farmers are very small, part-time operations who While in because the previous European FisheriesasFund are other benefits that cannot bethat so easily oysterscheme farmerthere in a state an Interest’ aquaculwon’t paysh dues. are fewhabitat large farms, (EFF) was awithout ‘Common Aquaculture structures and shellfi reefsThere can provide for and several of these believe ture industry at the time – Rhode Island. theyspecies, don’t need to join association.

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‘Aquaculture providing thespend degreea of for transient growers’Herve association with a few allies, started issues. Vibrio parahaemolyticus control seems to of dominate much sh of my Atlantic Shellfi juvenile stages. environmental services’. asurer, Steve Bracken, Miguad, Sunil Kadri and Ken Hughes writing an industry newsletter and sent it to all puttithe ng the We are also trying rectify the trade EU young so we can The ecosystem services time. that shellfi sh provide are to not, however, solelywar with n: Andrew Balahura out in Cork five the state legislators, brought in guest speakers restore some ofshthe lucrative connections in EU markets or on shellfi growing in their natural we hadspat wds wdowds@fishupdate.com Publisher: Alister Bennett dependent on native species The spat from other states where things were going years ago. We are trying to get acknowledgementHarbour. for the ecosystem setti ng.

Fax: +44 (0)well 131and 551where 7901 e-mail: editor@fishfarmer-magazine.com have sett led on conmussel nary a negative word was services we provide through nutrient trading, and we are The environmental benefi ts of shellfi sh can be provided equallycredit well for shellharvest provided for the .com www.fiheard. shupdate.com Eventually we got some traction and stantly working to improve water quality and expand areas. the most part by farmed shellfish. in the spatting regulations thatEH5 were2DL holding back ettes Park, 496fixed Ferrythe Road, Edinburgh Are there different in the ECSGA orbyarepurpose members mainly They can reduce nutrient load by feeding onchapters the plankton stimulated ponds; spatting industry.’ oyster er’, P.O. Box 1, the Crannog Lane, Lochavullin Industrial Estate, Oban, Argyll, PA34 4HBwhich extraneous nutrients is, offolk? course, the idea behind multi-trophic ponds constructed by We represent about 60 per cent clam farms, 40 David per cent oyster farms 0) 1631 568001This led on to a larger consortium, with a aquaculture.

Hugh-Jones of from there top right:be otherand number of growers getting together at various Clockwise there is a nascent mussel industry.

But could benefi ts that may be parti cular to the Scotti sh Atlanti c Shellfi sh in f world £95 including postage. All Air Mail.

ECSGA meeting; oyster; I have heard you talk at conferences about the importance of lobbymeetings and the idea of establishing an East situati on?

Alex Adrian of the Crown Estate has advocated the use of Cork Harbour.

Use of ietors Wyvex Coast MediaShellfish Ltd by Headley Ltd., Ashford, ISSNB0262-9615 Dr Robert Rheault.

GrowersBrothers Association was ban- Kent ing –barriers what do advise? spatting ponds could be shellfish farms as biosecurity foryou salmon farms, but could there died about. They had seen how well organised be other benefits besides just It isusing reallymopping important ensure and thatproviding the regulators don’t youway outtoof a very effput ective up to nutrients the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association a security barrier? business. If you are not involved writing the largeregulanumbers 3 in the process ofproduce m (PCSGA) had become, how effective they could of nativethat oyster spat; tions, then the of unintended consequences dictates they will Mussels have been shown to ingest verylaw young stages of sea lice mini reeftoofparticipate five native be in meetings with regulators, how they probablyIan; hurt you ifSally; you don’t protectMichael, yourself. You need (Bouchard, Deborah A; Bricknell, Malloy, and Pietrak, showing of theyour focused government research dollars toward in the scientific the public the education ‘Ingestion of Lepeophtheirus salmonis byresearch, the blue mussel Mytioutreach lus edulis’andoysters rich habitat it can key problems – they wanted that. legislators.

By demonstrating the growth in green jobs, the sustainable 08/02/2013 11:24:01 (2010). provide; Dr Andy While setting up the ECSGA, Skid continued and the ecosystemonbenefits, we can enlist the help In the US, the National seafood Oceanic production and Atmospheric Administrati Woolmer with some of to run his own company, farming and marof politicians when the regulators get crazy, or if we have a need of re(NOAA) has just announced a $9 million programme for community the native oysters from keting oysters trading as Moonstone Oysters dollars.

Educating legislators is a constant task. There is huge based habitat restorationsearch to focus on projects thatthe improve protected the Mumbles Oyster working out of Narragansett, Rhode Island, turnover and theyfisheries. know nothing about your industry.

If yourestored don’t have species recovery and support sustainable Company site. and he is still an adjunct faculty member in time to do it then you need to pay someone to do it for you.

This is why They do have the benefit there that the aims are made so much more the University of Rhode Island’s Department busy professionals are members trade associations. explicit because they have already got the results to showofwhat can be of Fisheries and Aquaculture. He established Is exportbeen a major interest forthe your achieved. There have however successes from lastgrowers? round of the East Coast Shellfish Research Institute We are experiencing an explosion in the market for oysters right and has been successful in attracting several now, so there is not a lot of surplus production to send overseas, but

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04/03/2016 15:20:56

Benefits culture

EFF that show what can be achieved in the UK. One such is the native oyster restoration in Swansea Bay. This is the project established

by Dr Andy Woolmer, as the Mumbles Oyster Company.

The company obtained EFF funding for a project to provide ‘proof of concept’. Its basic aim was to produce seed oyster to put out on the sea bed to gradually restock the area, with additional assistance in the form of habitat restoration by provision of shells to provide cultch for spat settlement when the oysters come to reproduce.

The firm also had to obtain a Several Order to provide the legal protection for the relayed oysters and for security of tenure.

Due to difficulties in obtaining native oyster seed they also introduced some full grown oysters sourced from Loch Ryan, but the concept is basically for what Andy Woolmer refers to as ‘Restoration Aquaculture’.

There would certainly seem to be scope for similar ventures under the new EMFF (some of which I referred to in the last issue of Fish Farmer, February 2016).

There would also be scope for assistance to hatcheries in support of native oyster restoration, which would have addressed one of the key problems experienced by the Mumbles project.

There is, however, an alternative to hatcheries which might qualify for support from a slightly different source. Tristan and David Hugh-Jones

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

ASSG.indd 19

There “ have been

successes that show what can be achieved in the UK

”

of Atlantic Shellfish have been successfully producing native oyster spat from their spatting ponds in Cork Harbour and last year alone produced eight million spat that were placed out in Cork Harbour.

The fishery there is closed due to norovirus and is also a Bonamia area, so movements outwith the area are severely limited. But there is expertise here on how spatting ponds could be used and which might be eligible for funding under ‘the restoration of existing aquaculture ponds or lagoons through the removal of silt or investments aimed at the prevention of silt deposits’.

We may not be in a position to do the large communal projects the US seems to manage but is there scope for the fisheries community led projects to include shellfish restoration – not for aquaculture but for fishery enhancement, so bringing in another area of the EMFF funding?

It could well be that in the long term they can also harvest native oysters but in the process there should be a measurable benefit to the local fishery production.

There remain people sceptical about the reef building properties of the native oyster, but just viewing the photos of ‘mini-reefs’ found in the west of Scotland seems to indicate that they provide a good infrastructure for the establishment of a rich habitat.

There is therefore an argument for the use of the category of ‘Protection and restoration of marine biodiversity and ecosystems in the framework of sustainable fishing activities’.

There would seem to be a number of ideas that should be explored further with the new EMFF funding available. I am very much hoping there can be scope for more native oyster related work and for more support of the benefits of shellfish aquaculture as a whole. FF Janet H Brown is editor of The Grower (www.assg.co.uk)

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04/03/2016 15:21:15

Trade Associations – SSPO

Trade Associations – SSPO

BY PROFESSOR PHIL THOMAS

As Scots Underpinning provenance might

say I

Do we think enough about what gives the industry its edge in key markets?

t may not be politically correct to say so at present but farmed Atlantic salmon would not have become Scotland’s leading food export without the Crown Estate’s positive engagement with aquaculture development back in the 1980s.

Now, aquaculture is a significant part of the agency’s marine portfolio and is reguhe Scots haveleasing some wonderful idiomatic larlywords celebrated by the Crown Estate’s Scottish and phrases which can be applied Marine Aquaculture Awards event.

This year’s in widely divergent situations. event Iinhave Edinburgh on the 11 June was the always liked the word ‘fankle’ (tanusual highly successful showcase Scottish gle), which can be used to describefor anything aquaculture rareofopportunity for indusfrom the stateand of aaball string to a confusion to join together mark its success. intry someone’s ideas ortodemeanour.

The Crown Estate is presently at the Likewise, the word ‘guddle’ (mess) cancentre be of further devoluti on discussions between the applied to anything from the chaos of a teenagUK bedroom government and Scotti sh government.

The er’s to ideas or proposals presented of key way.

Scottish functions reinlong-term an untidyfuture or confusing mains unclear and professional se could This brings me to the complexlyexperti titled ‘Draft be squandered in the process of organisati provisions for a Wild Fisheries (Scotland) Bill/onal change.

Draft Wild Fisheries Strategy: a consultation’ Bothwas thepublished Crown Estate’s core Scotland expertiseinand which

by Marine the Marine Aquaculture Awards are imporFebruary. tant in maintaining the disti ncti ve coherence I have read this document and related papers of Scotland’s aquaculture and it would be a with deep interest and significant disappointtragedy if they became casualti es of politi ment. I suspect a good number of interestedcal change. people will feel that the underlying policy This year’s Awards was hosted by objectives have got in event a fankle and the outcome actress, writer andofcomedian proposals are a bit a guddle. Jo Caulfield, an inspired the booking.

I hasten choice to add by thatwhoever the needmade for better and She was very funny and entertaining and kept more nationally accountable recreational the proceedings goinginwith a swing. once fisheries management Scotland is a Only signifidid she stray,But when what ‘provecant priority. the she draftwondered strategy and draft Above: Atlantic salmon nance actually meant’. legislation will not result in that.

In a room full of folk whose livelihoods Historically, recreational fisheries in Scotland

Muddled wild fisheries bill fails to measure up

T

We should ““This simply be organperpetuates ising our the major training and deficiencies education ofprovisions the past much better

”

(which in economic and political terms are 12 dominated

by Atlantic salmon fisheries) have been in a policy vacuum or, in the case of salmon fisheries, managed in a very peculiar way.

SSPO.indd 12

20

SSPO - Mar.indd 20

”

depend on the provenance of their products she quickly sensed an audience response and moved to safer comedic material: there are some things you just don’t joke about!

However, her remark left me asking myself whether we think enough about the underpinning of the provenance of Scottish farmed fish – and for me that’s farmed salmon.

There is no doubt that Scottish provenance is important to our industry – it gives us the edge in all our key markets.

Scotland is blessed with an internationally significant population of Provenance can be defined in various ways but most people will agree Atlantic salmon. As wild creatures, they are among our most iconic and that it goes beyond the appearance and sensory qualities of the final nationally important ‘environmental goods and services’. They fall into a product: flavour, texture, visual presentation and product consistency socio-economic sub-category of national ‘public assets’. are always key factors in consumer appeal but provenance is about However, the right to fish for salmon in a particular locality is a legally much more. heritable title; it may be held separately from the ownership of the It reflects a wider concept of consumer quality assurance, including: riparian land. the place where the fish is grown and processed; the professional Those holding the rights to fish control the exploitation of the fisheries: integrity of the production and processing methods; and the quality, in effect, conducting a private, sometimes elite, but generally commercommitment and care of the people involved – the professional skills, cial, activity by exploiting nationally important public wildlife assets. expertise, passion and dedication of the producers themselves.

Over the years, Scotland’s salmon fisheries systems have come in for a In Scotland our ‘place of production’ gives us a huge natural advanbattery of criticisms. Among others, these include: a lack of transparency tage because we grow fish in the pristine coastal waters of some of and public accountability; shortcomings in statistical recording and rethe most beautiful and wild scenic areas of the world, and our brand is porting; failures to adopt best scientific management practices; conflicts protected by its PGI status. of interest between commercial exploitation and stock conservation; and, Likewise, adoption of the Scottish Finfish Code of Good Practice for some people, questionable fishing practices. allied with the industry’s deep commitment to a range of independent Space does not allow extensive comment on the shortcomings of the farm quality assurance programmes, including the RSPCA fish welfare consultation proposals, so let me make just one point. Under the draft scheme, builds on the underlying strength of our statutory regulatory bill, ministers will have the right to ask fishing rights holders for informasystems to assure our production systems. tion on the type and amount of fishing undertaken (that is, fishing effort) Finally, the skills, expertise, passion and dedication of our farmers and on fish catches. However, the ministerial powers are only enabling can be demonstrated in abundance day in and day out – and they were rather than a statutory duty on the ministers. showcased by the recent awards event.

This simply perpetuates the major deficiencies of the past. Statistics on However, being wholly objective and forward looking, it is this third fishing effort and on catch, including catch and release, are fundamental area of provenance where the Scottish industry has greatest scope for to any national oversight and public accountability of our national fishersystematic development. That is not to say that our industry’s skills ies resource. and professional expertise are not of the highest calibre, but it is to If you don’t measure things, you can’t manage them – and that’s exrecognise that our vocational educational and training structures, and actly the position in which ministers, the public, local authority planners, public agencies and marine developers will remain. FF

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

Phil Thomas was chairman of the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation from 2008 until the end of last year.

03/07/2015 14:31:33

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

04/03/2016 15:14:44

Training and education – Introduction

Shaping the future Investing in skills ensures industry reaches its full potential

O

ne of the success stories of aquaculture training and education in Scotland over the past four or five years has been the increased number of apprenticeships.

In fact, Scott Landsburgh, chief executive of the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation, said that Modern Apprenticeship programmes are shaping the next generation of talent in aquaculture.

Salmon farmers reported at the end of last year that 88 employees had successfully completed Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) at levels two and three, while a further 74 employees signed up to new MA programmes.

As the industry in Scotland celebrated the success of its MAs during Scottish Modern Apprenticeship Week at the beginning of the month, Landsburgh said: ‘Thriving businesses need a workforce to help them face the future with confidence.

‘Recruiting people on Modern Apprenticeships helps farmers fill skill gaps within the workforce, safeguarding business sustainability while arming the younger generation with the specialist knowledge they need to succeed.

‘Living and working in remote areas of the Highlands and Islands can make finding longterm and well-paid careers challenging.

‘However, MAs offer employees formal education, transferable qualifications and career progression opportunities where they live and work and choose to raise their families.

‘These opportunities are open to school leavers and to existing staff, with a number of experienced staff who have already completed this path to further study and potential career advancement.

‘From an industry perspective, MAs have been key to developing a committed and competent workforce, helping to increase productivity and improving business performance.

‘Investing in skills and training demonstrates we are looking after our businesses to ensure they have every opportunity to realise their full potential in years to come.

‘Scotland’s economy continues to benefit from a highly skilled workforce using the latest technological advancements.’

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Training Intro.indd 21

Above: Skilled workforce

Helping to run the apprenticeship programme in Scotland is Ishbel Crawford of Lantra, who explains (page 28) how the industry continues to invest in its new recruits.

But while learning on the job is invaluable in training the future workforce, there is a place too for full-time college courses, and for accredited national qualifications. Martyn Haines explores (page 26) the opportunities to improve aquaculture training, especially in light of possible cuts in public funding.

While there is a lack of college based provision in Scotland, Sparsholt College in Hampshire offers a wide range of courses for school leavers, as George Hide reports, as well as degree programmes up to Masters level. (page 34) The proliferation of aquaculture courses in Scotland’s universities is another success story for the industry. Liz Cook at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) enthuses about the first cohort of the Erasmus + joint Masters that has taken students from Oban to Crete so far( next page).

Scholarships are available for this programme, and for the series of Masters funded through the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre, which has seen 20 students embark on courses in Dundee and Stirling. (page 36) Finally, Dr Alastair Lyndon of Heriot-Watt has news of another milestone in his university’s marine training, with the opening last month of the £25 million Lyell Centre (page 38). Such investments offer reassurance that the next generation will be well prepared and the industry will be in good hands. FF

and working in remote areas can make “Living finding well-paid careers challenging ” 21

04/03/2016 15:16:16

Training and education – Industry pioneer

Aquaculture ACES Model new Masters course draws on ‘phenomenal network’ of SAMS

BY JENNY HJUL

T

he small group of students who became the first intake of an acclaimed SAMS (Scottish Association for Marine Science) joint Masters programme, launched last year, are being trained as the aquaculture leaders of tomorrow.

But for now they are getting to grips with the next stage of their course, which has just seen them relocated from Oban to Crete, and from temperatures of around three degrees (at the time of going to press) to something a little balmier.

The ACES (Aquaculture, Environment and Society) course is unique in that it is run in conjunction with two other European universities.

Students, who are selected from high achievers around the world, spend part of the two-year degree in Crete in Greece and Nantes in France, after an initial six months at SAMS, which is part of the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), in Oban.

This allows them to study a range of specialisms, including finfish and shellfish aquaculture, and create networks across Europe.

The programme director and its creator is Dr Liz Cook, senior lecturer in Marine Invasives at SAMS. She said the students on the Erasmus+ degree are offered generous scholarships by the EU, which makes it ‘one of the most prestigious education awards in Europe’.

But that means that SAMS can select from a pool of excellent applicants -‘the quality of the students we’ve had in this first intake has been unbelievable,’ she said.

The course was recently held up as a model for the future by two visiting scientists, who were particularly impressed by its ‘phenomenal networks’ and links between research and Above: Liz Cook working industry. with SAMS students Building up such a good reputation in just six months is attributable to the SAMS team, which has many years’ experience, said Dr Cook.

‘Professor Kenny Black has worked in the industry for about 30 years; there’s Dr Maeve Kelly who has been there at least 25 years; and then there’s Dr Adam Hughes, who did his PhD with Maeve, and has probably been in the business for 15 years.’

Dr Cook also did her PhD at SAMS with Dr Kel-

The “ quality of

the students we’ve had in this first intake is unbelievable

”

22

Industry Pioneer - SAMS.indd 22

ly (on sea urchin aquaculture) and has been involved in the industry for 18 years. Like her colleagues, she has either led or been part of several European aquaculture projects.

‘You just get to know the industry because a lot of the European grants need SMEs and industry collaboration,’ said Dr Cook.

And that is where the ACES course stands out, with its emphasis on training for a job in aquaculture. For the final six months students choose where they want to go, either Scotland, Crete or Nantes.

Although they can opt to carry on with their research, there are placements available from a wide range of companies in the sector to immerse them in the industry.

‘We’re very much student led,’ said Dr Cook. ‘If they want to stay in academia that would be along the lines of a traditional Masters. One of the module leaders would choose a subject and they’d stay in the lab and work with them.

‘But the Erasmus call was predominantly about getting the students ready for the working environment, that’s why we run a whole course on transferable skills. It’s all about getting them ready for a career.

‘They can choose where they want to work – we have over 18 companies including Sainsbury’s, Marine Harvest, Scottish Sea Farms, Unesco, feed manufacturers, and Selonda and Andromeda (in Crete).’

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04/03/2016 15:18:34

Aquaculture ACES

ACES FACTS The deadline for scholarship applications for the September 2016 intake has now passed but self-funded students can apply up until June.

Dr Cook said the deadline has to be early, in February, because of the scholarship requirements and the fact that the international students need to get visas.

The scholarship is very generous – it pays for fees, travel (both to Scotland then between the different countries), and it gives students 1,000 euros a month in living expenses.

The course can accommodate up to 20 and there are still up to 38 scholarships to be awarded over the next two years.

There were more than 40 applications for the first intake and of these 11 were accepted. For various reasons – such as choosing other courses or going back into industry – just three scholarships were awarded in the first year.

‘We wanted to make sure that the students who come on to the course are not going to struggle from the start and will know how to study,’ said Dr Cook.

When Dr Cook wrote the proposal for the course she had just read a big European study that said if aquaculture in Europe was to grow and to be sustainable over the next 30 years, thousands of graduates would be needed.

‘Aquaculture in Europe has stagnated…and one of the things in this high profile document was that we were not producing enough of the sort of managers of the future, the creators of new businesses.

‘A lot about the course is thinking about sustainability, it’s not just about producing the next salmon farmer. It’s about teaching people to think about doing things a little differently or thinking about producing different species maybe. And about them becoming the next leaders in the industry.’

Part of the goal of the ACES programme is to send graduates out not just into Europe but into the developing world too.

‘Some 75 per cent of scholarships have to go

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Industry Pioneer - SAMS.indd 23

to students outside the EU as part of this particular funding core,’ said Dr Cook. ‘I think for the following year they are dropping that stipulation but it has been great for our reach globally because we’ve been in contact with research organisations and universities all over the world.

‘So we now have a database of over 600 institutions and universities and colleges and technical colleges that have an aquaculture degree.’

Students from overseas may well want to go back to their home country, said Dr Cook, ‘and take the skills they’ve learnt here and adapt them to their own environment… and potentially form multi-national companies.’

There’s a lot resting on their shoulders then?

‘Oh absolutely, we have high hopes! The students all move at the same time so they stay together as a cohort and what we’re going to try and do is build relationships between cohorts too.

‘So you can imagine if Patricia (a current student) is back in Brazil and sets up a shrimp farm there and Francesco (another student) is back in Italy or stays in Scotland they will still communicate with each other and share experience and potentially form international companies. We hope that’s what will happen.’

Dr Cook studied biology at Bristol, then a marine resources management Masters at Heriot-Watt in Edinburgh, before going to SAMS, but she

All students must be able to speak English, and have a BA, though not necessarily in marine biology. They also have to provide a motivational statement with their application explaining why they want to do the course.

If people have, say, 10 years in the industry and want to return to study they will be considered, so long as they have a bachelors’ degree and speak English.

To apply for a place on this year’s ACES intake visit http://www.sams. ac.uk/erasmus-masteraquaculture

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04/03/2016 15:18:55

Training and education – Industry pioneer

really been a blue skies researcher, “I’vejustnever doing research for the sake of it ”

Above: Dr Cook with the first ACES cohort

24

Industry Pioneer - SAMS.indd 24

is from Birmingham -‘as far away from water as you could possibly get’.

‘I’d always wanted to learn how to sail and to dive and at the Freshers Fair at Bristol the diving team were shouting the loudest and looked the most fun so I paid my £14 to join the club and learned to scuba dive and the rest was history.

‘I loved under the water, I took everything I could on marine biology though there wasn’t much at Bristol. And then while I was doing my Masters project in the Scilly Isles, there were people there who were selling the shells of sea urchins and I heard that people in France ate the roe.

‘Then I found Maeve was putting in for an EU grant to culture sea urchins for their roe and I liked that whole applied thing – I’ve never really been a blue skies researcher, just doing

research for the sake of it.’

Dr Cook now heads up a team looking at invasive species and led the development of biosecurity guidance for non-native species, which is now being used by environment agencies across the UK. She manages to balance her research work with overseeing the ACES course thanks, she says, to the ‘fantastic Dr Helen Berry’ who is the education administrator at SAMS and does the day to day running of the course.

‘I lecture and module and programme lead. I would say at the moment it’s fifty/fifty between my education and research roles.’

Now she calls Scotland home and is here to stay.

‘I have two young children and we’re not planning on moving anywhere yet. My husband has an adjunct professorship up in Tromsoe, in Norway.

He’s an Arctic oceanographer, and we sometimes spend a month there a year. I see that as another way of developing good contacts.

‘Our next selection panel is in Crete at the beginning of March which is also nice because the students would have been out there for a couple of weeks. We’ll hopefully get out for a retsina or two with them.’ FF

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

04/03/2016 15:19:20

Aquaculture ACES

Degree an ‘adventure’

A

student from the first ACES cohort reflected on her Scottish ‘adventure’ before moving on to Greece with her fellow academics.

Brazilian Patricia Alves Pereira said: ‘Looking back on my first six months with ACES, it has been a real adventure.

‘In Scotland, I have enjoyed learning about aquaculture and the environment, sustainability and how we can help make the industry greener.

‘In Crete I hope to study more about finfish aquaculture but I have already learnt so much.’

The 24-year-old graduated in biological sciences from the Federal University of Above: Patricia Alves Paraiba, in Joao Pessoa, Brazil, but sought a Pereira Masters degree abroad.

An internship at a marine conservation laboratory inspired her to pursue marine science research and, as she searched for international courses, the Erasmus+ ACES joint Masters degree stood out.

‘I wanted to study abroad, I wanted to see

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Industry Pioneer - SAMS.indd 25

different places and I wanted to work with prestigious academic centres,’ said Patricia. ‘I also needed a scholarship, so the ACES programme was perfect for me.

‘SAMS UHI is a small university campus, so it was really nice to have a community that embraced me so easily.

‘I have found the lecturers very approachable and lectures are more participative than I have been used to, so it encourages you to engage with discussions rather than just take notes. I really enjoyed that.

‘The close links between research and industry is something we don’t really have in Brazil and I feel that the ACES programme prepares you for a career in both sectors.

‘I particularly enjoyed looking at how we reduce the environmental impacts of aquaculture, because my real passion is in conservation.’

Her advice to interested students is: ‘If you are looking for an adventure, then go for it. You won’t regret it.’ FF

“

It was nice to have a community that embraced me so easily

”

25

04/03/2016 15:19:49

Training and education – Priorities

BY MARTYN HAINES

New ball game Scottish industry rejects status quo in consultation on course provision

T

imes are hard right now in the public sector and budgets have been incrementally reduced over the past four to five years. Senior managers will be striving to squeeze out every last drop of efficiency gains that they can as the resources under their command continue to shrink, including their workforce.

But what does this have to do with fish farming? Well, the industry has always depended on the public sector for much of its education and training and, as with most things in life, occasionally it becomes apparent that a complete overhaul and renewal is required.

In May 2015 a consultation meeting was held with representatives of the Scottish aquaculture industry, led by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), following a questionnaire survey to establish industry education and training needs and priorities.

The main recommendations that found their way into Scotland’s National Strategy for Land based Education, published last summer, can be summarised as follows.

1. Centres currently delivering part-time programmes should work collaboratively with industry representatives, Lantra and the awarding body to: • explore the national demand for at least one full-time introductory course in aquaculture; • review the existing suite of short courses, examining the possibility of converting these into accredited programmes; • explore the demand for online flexible delivery material and the funding of its development.

2. Further market research needs to be undertaken to investigate the requirement for training and qualifications within the aquaculture fish processing sector.

Leaving fish processing to the side for now, I will try to unpick these headlines, based on discussions I was privy to during the consultation.

As a general caveat, it should be pointed out that all of the recommendations can be considered to be tentative. They are not an expression of commitment on anyone’s behalf, which perhaps reflects the realities of a shrinking public purse.

Firstly, regarding the call for a full-time introductory course in aquaculture, some companies were concerned that, since the total demise of full-time college courses in aquaculture, they were often faced with keen, unqualified 16-year-old school leavers who wanted to enter the industry but were too young to legally operate essential farm equipment.

This led to the conclusion that the interests of school leavers and industry would be better served if they undertook a suitable full-time college course, between the ages of 16 and 18, preparing them for entry to the industry while allowing them time to mature.

26

Martyn Haines.indd 26

This is precisely what our aquaculture colleges used to do in the 80s, 90s and early part of this century, a practice that served the industry very well, as it put down its roots, and remains prominent within the Norwegian education system today.

Reliance on short courses The recent growth and reliance on short course provision, delivered in company or sourced externally, was discussed at length.

Arguably, this phenomenon is related to the demise of full-time provision. If you can no longer take well qualified and mature college leavers to fill vacancies at operative level within your growing farm operation, what do you do?

Find recruits yourself and develop them as best you can, generally speaking.

During this century, we have seen Scottish aquaculture companies become increasingly self-reliant, through necessity rather than choice in many cases.

By taking on mature but unqualified entrants, training them ‘on the job’ and certificating them when necessary to produce legally compliant operators, the workforce development problem appears to be solved. Many progress to company bespoke development programmes, subsequently.

Growth in Modern Apprenticeships One success story that became apparent was the recent growth in Aquaculture Modern Apprenticeship recruitment, reaching 50 to 60 learners annually, latterly.

This is most encouraging as many adults seriously considering an aquaculture career have great difficulty attending a college fulltime, making work based qualifications the way forward for them, once they have an employer willing to take them on.

However, there is a catch, unfortunately.

The public sector funding underpinning the

Who is “going to

plug the future funding gap, the private providers or the industry?

”

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04/03/2016 15:24:18

New ball game

delivery of MAs is allegedly under threat and may reduce by 50 per cent over the next two to three years.

Who is going to plug the future funding gap, the colleges and private providers currently delivering MAs or the industry? Their sustainability is a real issue and concern.

Satisfactory status quo?

So, does this all add up to an acceptance of the status quo? I’d say not. Although recognising the value of informal experiential learning and instruction and the useful role uncertificated short courses have played recently, there was a recognition by industry representatives last May that trusted and fundable National Qualifications should be phased in to complement, or potentially replace, ‘in company’ bespoke workforce development programmes.

Short courses that are currently uncertificated could become credit bearing and contribute towards ‘mainstream’ National Qualifications.

Why? National Qualifications, whether undertaken in the work place, at home, at a centre or through a blend of all three, can be relied on, as the assessment process is quality assured, upholding the industry’s own occupational standards upon which they are based.

We then enter a whole new ball game, as industry knows exactly what an individual’s knowledge and capabilities are when they consider taking them on, regardless of where they gained their experience and qualifications.

and in company workforce development, most attractive.

To date, some companies have been developing their own resources independently. They recognised that fish are not farmed in uniquely different ways in every company in Scotland.

While company standards operating procedures (SOPS) will always vary, the knowledge underpinning a learners’ understanding of the aquatic environment and the health, feeding and husbandry of a farmed species, does not.

It makes complete sense to create a shared high quality interactive learning resource that is accessible by providers and industry.

Shrinking public purse The challenge, of course, is how we raise the significant funding required to revise and update the aquaculture vocational qualifications suite and align it to modern, interactive learning resources held within a shared virtual learning environment.

Notwithstanding the shrinking public purse, there are potential answers and next month I will be reporting on the good progress being made through international collaboration and bidding to the various European funds that could become our future game changers.

Martyn Haines is director of Pisces Learning Innovations. Visit www. pisceslearning.com or contact Martyn at info@pisceslearning.com or on 01387 840697.

840697 FF Above: Students visiting a salmon farm. Left: There has been a recent growth in short courses

Scottish aquaculture learning resource Finally, industry representatives found the notion of a national learning resource base, designed to support ‘ICT enabled learning’, in support of the delivery of national qualifications

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04/03/2016 15:24:49

Training and education – Lantra

BY ISHBEL CRAWFORD

Investing in young talent Rise of the Modern Apprenticeship as the learning package of choice

A

A later review of the level 3 added a numhead of Scotti ceship 2016 the beginning of Andrew: table cansh beApprenti used but notWeek where it is.atMore pics to come (I hope…) ber of optional management units, allowing this month, Scotland’s Minister for Fair Work, Roseanna Cunningemployees earmarked for future promotion to ham, said: Apprenticeships form a significant part of our [Training and ‘Modern education] include management skills as part of their MA. work to address youth employment and…since 2007 more than By 2015, industry wanted further progression 190,000 MA in starts have talent] been delivered, which is a fantastic achieve[Investing young opportunity. With funding secured from the UK ment.’

Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES), [Rise of the Modern as the learning package It is encouraging to noteApprenticeship that aquaculture businesses are playing their of choice] Lantra facilitated another series of reviews of part in the growth of the MA. [‘We givein them the opportunity tolearning continue working in the communities in which they the NOS, then the SVQs and Modern ApprenThe MA Aquaculture is a package of which aquaculture busihave up’] as a key element in their training solutions. ticeships at levels 2 and 3. nessesgrown have embraced At the same time, the industry worked with With training costs supported by Skills Development Scotland (SDS), By Lantra to develop a new Technical Apprenticeit is Ishbel the onlyCrawford vocational training in Scotland which attracts sustainable ship in Aquaculture, SVQ 4. Pitched at level funding.

8/9 on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications There has been a sharp rise in uptake since 2011 (see table), following a Opposite page from top: Framework (SCQF - http://www.scqf.org.uk/ review prompted by a need to tailor the National Occupational Standards Dawnfresh farm Ahead Scottish Week 2016 at the beginning month, Scotland’s framework-diagram/Framework.htm) with a (NOS) toofaddress newApprenticeship legislative requirements for predator control and of this manager Andy Moore; Minister forthe Fair Work, Cunningham, said:fish.

‘Modern Apprenticeships form a progression route up to level 9, it has been apalso reflect agenda to Roseanna improve containment of farmed assistant manager significant part of our work to address youth employment and…since 2007 more than proved and will be offered from August 2016.

Throughout 2011, Lantra consulted with industry to review the NOS, Matt hew Anderson 190,000 starts have ceship been delivered, which a ons fantastic Employers like the structured training the MA SVQs and MA Modern Apprenti to ensure the qualifiiscati were achievement.’ programme offers new entrants in their workaligned to the developing needs of the industry.

It The is encouraging to note that aquaculture place, where they are learning industry skills single level 3 MA was streamlined from a businesses cumbersome are and playing confus- their part in the growth of the MA. specific to the company they work for. ing framework with multiple pathways, to a straightforward framework Roger Peters, organisational development with two pathways, shellfish and finfish, and the level 2, which until then The MA in Aquaculture is a of learning which aquaculture businesses have coordinator with Dawnfresh Seafoods, said: was incorporated in the level 3, package was separated to a stand-alone MA. embraced as a inexperienced key element new in their training solutions.

‘Like many organisations in the food and drink Level 2 allowed entrants to come into the industry industry, Dawnfresh recognises the importance on a training programme. At the same time, many employers registered With training costs Skills Development Scotland of investing in young talent. existing employees onsupported the level 3, by with the opportunity to achieve a (SDS), it is the only vocational training Scotlandqualifi whichcati attracts sustainable funding.

‘For instance, Andy Moore did a MA level 3 in nationallyinrecognised on.

Aquaculture and since then has progressed to 2015become a farm manager.

2016 up ‘A key contributing factor to Andy’s progresto Jan sion was the link between his MA and his day 2016 to day role. Andy now has the opportunity to MA Aquaculture (stats for pass on his knowledge to other members of the 2009- 20102011- 2012- 2013201410 mths team.

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 only) ‘Matthew Anderson is the assistant manager * ** * ** * ** * ** * ** * ** * ** on the same farm as Andy and came through our graduate programme. His experience gained level 2 4 3 3 9 0 0 0 8 15 48 39 43 35 36 from working with Andy is apparent in the fact level 3 0 0 0 0 2 5 4 12 4 36 24 25 42 40 that he is up for a Lantra award this year. *certificates ‘In developing and investing in young talent, issued Dawnfresh has seen the contribution to busi**registered on ness success.’

MA

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There has been a sharp rise in uptake since 2011 (see table), following a review prompted by a need to tailor the National Occupational Standards (NOS) to address new legislative requirements for predator control and also reflect the agenda to improve containment of Lantra.indd 28 farmed fish.

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04/03/2016 15:25:59

Investing in young talent

operations and six based at freshwater sites.

‘We are passionate about our people and, as such, we are always on the look out to identify and nurture new talent to grow within the organisation.’

Development of a Foundation Apprenticeship in Aquaculture is in the pipeline. Pitched at level 4 on the SCQF, it will offer a starting point in S5 in school, with a vocational progression route up to SCQF 10 (the same notional band as a degree programme).

Trainees enjoy receiving a wage while they learn. Further to that, trainees can often find a modern apprenticeship in aquaculture without having to travel far from his/her, sometimes very remote, local community.

Debra Nichol-Storie, HR director at the Scottish Salmon Company, said: ‘We take an extremely active role in secondary schools and colleges across the areas in which we operate, as we have found that young people have a limited knowledge of the aquaculture industry and the diverse range of job opportunities available.

‘Our partnership with Lantra aims to raise the profile of aquaculture and provide young people with choices, giving them the opportunity to continue working in the communities in which they have grown up.

‘We are proud of our efforts to support young people into aquaculture and in 2015 the company had five Modern Apprentices in its marine

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Training providers delivering the Modern Apprenticeship: Inverness College – email: Murray.Stark.ic@uhi.ac.uk or Kirsty.

Buchanan.ic@uhi.ac.uk Tel: 01463 273254 Polaris Learning Ltd. – email: gordon@polaris-learning.com Tel: 01651 873398 or Mobile: 07739 591228 NAFC – email: stuart.fitzsimmons@uhi.ac.uk Tel: 01595 772103 For further information contact Ishbel.crawford@lantra.co.uk. FF

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04/03/2016 15:26:27

Training and education – Creating careers

Climbing the learning ladder Scottish Sea Farms develops talent with tailored skills

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cottish Sea Farms has a high proportion of youngsters on its staff and a strong focus on training. The company tries to recruit locally where possible, providing opportunities for people to remain in their communities, if they wish.

To this end, it has worked closely with Scottish training providers to tailor programmes to its needs, an approach that appears to be paying dividends, given the high number of apprenticeships that have been successfully completed in the company.

And last November SSF’s efforts to create careers in remote areas were recognised when it won a gold award from Investors in Young People.

Below: Shetland’s NAFC Natalie Dalgleish, who manages the training within SSF and looks after its Marine Centre apprenticeship programmes, said they had about 21 apprentices last year and already this year a further eight are signed up in Orkney, five on the mainland, and several more are anticipated in the coming months.

‘We’ve been involved in Modern Apprenticeships for the last six or seven years but over the last two or three years we’ve had a better relationship

“

We equip them for each level as they move up roles

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”

with the colleges and the programmes have been more streamlined,’ said Dalgleish.

‘We work with the NAFC Marine Centre in Shetland, Orkney College and Inverness College and I try to touch base with them at least every quarter and go to the colleges. We try to work out that the courses are tailored to us and we also work with Lantra.’

There are mandatory modules and others the students can choose within the framework, and the assessors – who observe apprentices at work – ‘know our ways of working’, said Dalgleish.

SSF listens to feedback from its employees and asked them last year if they thought there was anything missing from the course or anything they’d change. Some of their suggestions were then included in a redesigned framework by Lantra and approved by the SQA. ‘They wanted more core skills and more managerial skills, soft skills as well as the aquaculture training.’

‘There’s a level 2 and a level 3. Someone like Liam [Tulloch], with a degree, has done the level 3, and there’s going to be a level 4 in aquaculture coming out this year. This is degree level and is being drafted now and should be ready at the end of 2016,’ said Dalgleish.

‘It has been devised in response to demand. A school leaver could work his way through level 2 and 3 and then embark on level 4, supported by the company, and end up with a degree level qualification.’

SSF also has its own ‘learning ladder’ and employees get a lot of training on top of the Modern Apprenticeship.

‘There’s essential training they need in order to be operational on site, and then they go to a senior husbandry level – that’s a supervisor level so they have to help the manager on the site.

‘And then after senior husbandry they can go to trainee manager and then up to a manager.

We equip them with skills for each level as they move up roles.

‘A lot of this is more managerial skills, more training in Microsoft Office, Excel, finance, peo-

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Climbing the learning ladder

Going far Liam hopes to build big career from his Shetland base

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hetlander Liam Tulloch, 25, says he ‘sort of fell into’ fish farming by working summers with his father-in-law Colin Hughson, who is a long-term employee of Scottish Sea Farms.

Liam joined the company fulltime in April 2013, after graduating from Aberdeen University with a BSc in physics, and has since completed a Modern Apprenticeship with the company.

He decided when he’d completed his degree that he wanted to go back home, the initial plan being to work there for a while in fish farming and then try to ple management, disciplinary, employment law find a job in his field. and so on.

‘But I kind of got to enjoy it ‘The idea of the level 4 is that it will incorposo I stayed,’ he said. ‘Apart from rate some of these managerial skills. It’s more wanting to work outside, I’m aimed at a site manager – and it makes the job quite interested in marine bioleasier for SSF if the college is teaching these ogy, though I didn’t study that skills.’ at university.’

There is also funding from Skills Development He did the SVQ level 3 Scotland which all helps SSF train its managers of Modern Apprenticeship after the future. working for about a year for Dalgleish said the level 4 course would suit the company, attending the an employee like Liam who, although he has NAFC at the start but mostly a degree, needs specific skills for being a site working through the course manager. assignments on his own.

While SSF has more people applying now His wife, Keira, is employed than they can take on, most will require some

by SSF on the same site and training. she embarked on an apprenticeship at the ‘Some of them have come from university same time. and have a PhD in sustainable aquaculture but ‘There were quite a few of us in our group, they’ve never worked on a fish farm so we need all working for SSF – I think they decided to to equip them with the basic skills to be operaroll it out. tional on the site.

‘The course work could be done in college – ‘There are other guys who come from other they said if it’s bad weather and you can’t get fish farms who have the essential training but out on the site you can come to college and don’t have the background the graduates have – get help if you needed it. you very rarely get both, they’ve either got the ‘You carry on doing your job and if you’re practical knowledge or the theory so trying to doing something like a harvest or a lice get both can be difficult.’ treatment the assessor would come from the The firm tries to recruit locally but sometimes college and watch you doing that job.’ has to cast the net wider – for example, at its But the actual on the job training is from a new site at Eday in Orkney, a remote location colleague, said Liam, and the company has a with a small population. There was a great rehuge input into the training. sponse, said Dalgleish, with 22 applications (from He finished his Modern Apprenticeship as far afield as South Africa) for five jobs. course work in just three months and has One of the positions went to a woman, and been described as an ‘outstanding’ student.

SSF has its first female site manager, Kimberley ‘I went into it open-minded and tried my Izdebski, in Shetland, but there is still a big genbest to do well. I don’t think having a unider gap in the industry. versity degree really made a difference and ‘We’re trying to make it more attractive to a school leaver could be outstanding on the women coming into the industry so we’ve recourse too. designed the uniforms and we’ve redesigned the ‘I think by having a degree I look at things employee handbook. In one of three of our sites more analytically but I don’t believe it helped there is at least one female. It’s good to have a me that much in what I‘m doing at the balance and to have different views.’ FF

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moment although some of the skills I learnt at uni might be useful later on.’

Last summer, he was named the Marks & Spencer Apprentice 2015 at the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh.

Would he recommend the apprenticeship scheme to others coming into the industry?

‘If you’re a brand new employee it would be very informative, but there was a lot I knew, which is probably why I got through it so fast.’

A fish husbandryman now, Liam would like to stay in Shetland if possible but is ambitious to take on more senior jobs in the company.

‘Ideally, I’d like to climb the ladder and get a site management role, or above that, in the future. I like being in a relatively new industry, where you can contribute to developing it so much more.’ FF

“

I went into it openminded and tried my best to do well

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04/03/2016 15:30:12

Training and education – Awards

Lisa is Lantra winner

Aquaculture trainees are named as Scotland’s Learners of the Year

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alented aquaculture apprentice Lisa Askham, 24, from Lochcarron won the aquaculture category at Lantra Scotland’s annual Land based and Aquaculture Learner of the Year Awards. The runner-up spot went to Hayley Eccles, 31, from Strathcarron.

Lisa was joined on the podium by other winners from the aquaculture industry. Martin Mladenov, 29, from Lerwick in Shetland, and Marcos Garcia, 23, from County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, were both Council of Awards of Royal Agricultural Societies winners (CARAS).

Matthew Anderson, 23, from Oban won the Higher Education Award but was unable to attend the event.

CARAS awards were presented by the organisation’s national chairman Keith Redpath, while other accolades were presented by keynote speaker and former Lantra Learner of the Year, Finulla McCloskey, at a ceremony on March 3 at Above: Lisa Askham with Finulla McCloskey, left, the DoubleTree by Hilton Dunblane Hydro Hotel and Hayley Eccles, right near Stirling.

Lisa Askham has completed her Modern Apprenticeship SVQ level 2 in aquaculture at Inverness College UHI while working as a freshwater operative at the Scottish Salmon Company’s Russelburn Hatchery in Kishorn.

A fast learner, she understands the importance of fish health, fish husbandry, and the importance of a stable environment to maximise production and ensure the fish are stress free and healthy.

After picking up her award, she said: ‘Thank you to Lantra Scotland for giving me this fantastic award. It’s great to be recognised for your efforts, and it’s a real boost for my self-belief and confidence in my abilities.

‘Thank you to everyone at Inverness College UHI and Alasdair MacDonald, my manager at Russelburn Hatchery. Without the support and help of those around me, I wouldn’t be where I am today.’

Murray Stark from Inverness College UHI said: ‘We are all delighted Lisa has won this award. She has approached her MA qualification with a level of quality and seriousness that is second to none, and used the skills she has developed to improve herself.

‘She is meticulous with her detail in all aspects of her work and thoroughly deserves to be recognised for her efforts.’

Matthew Anderson did a BA (Hons) degree in aquaculture and is now working as an assistant farm manager for Dawnfresh Farming. He is looking to develop his technical and managerial skills with a view to stepping up into a farm manager’s role. He also has plans to attend other leadership programmes.

Matthew said: ‘Thank you Lantra Scotland and

“theWithout support

and help of those around me, I wouldn’t be where I am today

”

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CARAS for this great award, it is the culmination of a lot of hard work over the past year. I hope it will help encourage others to start a career in the aquaculture industry in the future.

‘I’d like to thank all involved in the Dawnfresh Graduate Programme for giving me the opportunity to gain experience within the aquaculture industry and also everyone who I have worked with in Dawnfresh Farming.’

Martin Mladenov has completed his Modern Apprenticeship SVQ level 3 in aquaculture at Scottish Sea Farms (SSF) and NAFC Marine Centre, part of the University of Highlands and Islands. He is working as a husbandryman for SSF, which involves feeding and monitoring salmon, observing behaviour, taking weekly samples and making sure they remain healthy. His ambition is to become site manager one day.

‘Winning the CARAS award is a real honour,’ he said. ‘Thank you to Lantra Scotland and CARAS for giving me this award and to everyone who has helped me along the way, particularly my tutors at NAFC and my employer, Scottish Sea Farms. I hope I have done Shetland proud!’

Marcos Garcia studied zoology at Cardiff University, before completing an MSc in Sustainable Aquaculture at Stirling University. He then went on to join the Dawnfresh Graduate Programme where he now works as an assistant farm manager.

This enabled him to gain hands-on experience within a successful, growing aquaculture business. In September 2015, Marcos’ site won the Dawnfresh Team of the Month award. His ambition is to become a farm manager one day.

‘It is great to be an award winner tonight and it makes all the hard work worthwhile,’ said Marcos. ‘I’d like to thank Gideon Pringle, Lyndsey Gaja, and everyone involved with the Dawnfresh Graduate Programme for all their support and guidance over the years.

‘I’m sure it will help to give me the confidence to go on and succeed in what is a highly competitive industry.’

Organised by Lantra Scotland, the sector skills council for the land based, aquaculture and environmental industries, the Learner of the Year Awards are vital for recognising the efforts of trainees, Modern Apprentices, students, pupils, teachers, tutors, training providers and schools involved in the rural sectors.

They also play an important role in encouraging employers to invest in skills for the future, a vital prerequisite to a healthy, vibrant rural sector.

As an indication of how the talent pool is growing, this year’s nominations came in from across Scotland, from the Borders to Shetland.

This year’s ceremony was attended by some of the sector’s leading figures and was hosted by Jim McLaren, former NFU Scotland president and current chairman of Quality Meat Scotland. FF

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04/03/2016 15:37:45

DON’T MISS THE UK’S LARGEST AQUACULTURE EXHIBITION AND CONFERENCE 25 & 26 MAY 2016 AVIEMORE, SCOTLAND An international event where you can: Meet

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04/03/2016 13:32:07

Training and education – Sparsholt College

Foot

in the

door

Sparsholt College includes industry experience in its specialist aquaculture programme

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t is very well documented that aquaculture is by far the fastest growing sector of global food production. This has created a high demand for trained, experienced staff to work in this dynamic industry.

However, there are relatively few universities and colleges in the UK that offer specialist aquaculture courses that also include industry experience as part of the programme. Sparsholt College in Hampshire is one of them.

In the world of aquaculture and fisheries education, Sparsholt College has an unrivalled reputation. Set in the heart of the Hampshire countryside, close to the city of Winchester and the iconic river Itchen, the college has been training professionals for the aquaculture industry for more than 30 years.

Today, Sparsholt graduates are employed widely, both nationally and globally.

Courses in aquaculture and fisheries are available at all levels, from Introductory Diploma up to Masters, and combine a balance of scientific and vocational skills.

All courses contain a strong practical element and real industry expe-

rience, both on and off site, underpinned by technical lecture content. The strong industry links ensure courses remain industry relevant and improve graduate employability.

What sets Sparsholt apart from other colleges Above right: Students are its extensive fish facilities, which are uncount trout. Below: matched in the UK. Spawning African catfish The National Aquatics Training Centre is a unique 650m2 fish house with stocks of carp, catfish, tilapia, barramundi and an extensive range of ornamental species.

The building includes a dedicated research room which is used for projects such as feed trials, biofilter efficiency testing and aquaponics.

The newly built Salmonid Rearing and Trials Centre is a £500,000 investment where students experience commercial production of brown and rainbow trout.

The trials area, with 72 identical tanks, is a perfect environment for undertaking fish nutrition research and is used commercially in collaboration with many international feed manufacturers.

The College Fishery is a one hectare lake well stocked with coarse fish and is used both recreationally and as a teaching resource.

These unrivalled facilities are used extensively in the course programmes for both training and student research, often with industry collaboration, which is very important for the vocational emphasis.

Every year, the salmonid feed trial centre is used by final year students to undertake a research project for the food manufacturer Skretting, a collaboration that gives the students responsibility for relevant cutting edge commercial research which they then write up.

Skretting sponsors the project which then funds a study tour to visit the aquaculture industry of Northern Spain.

As they “progress

they are introduced to the diverse career opportunities

”

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Foot in the door

Student's view:

Zane Pretorius Previous: BSc Aquaculture and Fishery Management student Current Position: Seawater manager at Kames Fish Farming

Staff at Sparsholt have substantial experience of working within aquaculture and fisheries and are known experts in the industry, regularly presenting at conferences and undertaking industry research.

They maintain extensive links with the industry, nationally and internationally, which they integrate into their teaching.

In 2016, the aquaculture degree programmes at Sparsholt include three dedicated study tours to visit fish farming operations in Scotland, Malta and Spain.

George Hide, course manager of the Aquaculture and Fisheries degree level programmes at Sparsholt, said: ‘Most of our students choose Sparsholt because they are keen anglers and have a passion for fish.

‘However, as they progress on their course they are introduced to the diverse career opportunities available in the fish world, particularly in aquaculture.

‘All courses have a vocational emphasis and industry integration, which develops these career opportunities.

‘The block work placements during each year of the course give students essential industry experience, which is often a foot in the door to full-time employment.

‘For example, for the last three years over 60 per cent of the BSc (Hons) Aquaculture and Fishery Management students have been employed immediately after graduation, directly from their work placement.’

The career opportunities are fantastic and diverse, both nationally and internationally.

Ultimately, said Hide, the aquaculture and fisheries world desperately needs more trained professionals with experience.

For more information on the programmes offered at Sparsholt visit www.sparsholt.ac.uk FF

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After 15 months working as a fish farm worker for one of Scotland’s leading portion trout farming companies, Torhouse Trout, I decided that I wanted to improve my theoretical understanding of fish farming in order to develop my career.

After considering a number of courses and institutions, I enrolled on the BSc (Hons) Aquaculture and Fisheries Management course at Sparsholt College.

Sparsholt offers students a fantastic mix of theoretical and practical training; the degree course covers a variety of theoretical subjects, everything from fish health and nutrition to business and human resource management.

The college has extensive aquaculture training facilities, including the Salmonid Rearing and Trials Centre (SRTC), a purpose built hatchery for the rearing of salmonids, and the National Aquatics Training Centre (NATC), an indoor warm water recirculating aquaculture facility housing a variety of warm water fish species.

As well as the outstanding on campus facilities, Sparsholt has links to the aquaculture

industry throughout Scotland, which gives students the opportunity to undertake work placements at all of the major aquaculture companies.

I believe that graduates leave the college as well rounded individuals, who after gaining sufficient relevant experience, are capable of being exceptional fish farmers.

I was fortunate enough to leave Sparsholt and move straight into employment, working my way up through the ranks to my current position as the seawater manager for Kames Fish Farming.

At Kames, we have six marine fish farms and produce both Atlantic halibut and rainbow trout for UK and international markets, as well as contract growing Atlantic salmon for a large multinational.

I am very lucky to work for such a fantastic company and be part of such a devoted and hardworking seawater farming team, an opportunity I would not have had, had I not attended Sparsholt College.

SPARSHOLT LEAVERS Recent BSc Aquaculture and Fishery Management graduates’ destinations: Farming salmon, halibut, trout, lumpfish, wrasse and seaweed in Scotland Farming carp, ornamental fish and trout in southern England Farming bass and bream in Malta Farming catfish in Africa Farming warmwater prawns in Lincolnshire Fishery consultants and fishery managers River keepers on prestigious chalk streams Officers for government agencies such as the EA, CEFAS and IFCA River bailiffs with the Canal and River Trusts International fishing guides and angling journalists Aquarists for public aquaria in the UK and abroad Product developers for the aquatics industry Laboratory and research technicians Designers and installers of ornamental ponds and water features

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04/03/2016 15:41:45

Training and education – SAIC

Making connections New MSc programmes aim to boost employability

A

n innovative series of MSc programmes, supported by the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC), is delivering added benefit both for students and the aquaculture industry at large.

The SAIC Scholars Connect Plus programme, funded by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), is equipping aquaculture students with industry relevant skills and knowledge that will boost employability and contribute to the sustainable growth of the industry.

Currently in its first academic year, the programme has so far funded 20 students: four studying the new MSc in Geotechnical Engineering in Aquaculture at the University of Dundee; the remaining 16 studying Sustainable Aquaculture, Aquatic Pathobiology or Aquatic Veterinary Studies at the University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture.

Heather Jones, CEO of SAIC, said: ‘What is exciting and new about the SAIC Scholars Connect Plus programme is that it is specifically designed to create connections between academia and industry, and build skills to help Scotland’s aquaculture companies innovate and grow.

‘By creating a cohort of young industry-aware researchers, SAIC is contributing to the industry’s future growth plans looking towards 2030.

‘We asked our industry consortium members to put forward ideas for applied research, then we gave students the opportunity to choose the one they were most interested in undertaking as a four-month research project.

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SAIC.indd 36

‘The result is that students will get an insight into how their science is relevant to industry and industry will get challenges addressed that they might not have had the time or resource to tackle in-house.

‘At the same time, SAIC’s purpose of building beneficial new connections and deepening mutual understanding between industry and academia is progressed.’

This sentiment of forging connections is one that has been heartily embraced by the universities involved in year one.

Dr Jonathan Knappett, reader in Civil Engineering at Dundee, said: ‘For us at the University of Dundee, it is an exciting opportunity to apply our knowledge and experience, gained from working on structural and geotechnical problems within the offshore oil and gas and renewable energy sectors, to a new sector.

‘For industry thereafter, there will be access to graduate engineers with the transferable skills to work on the technical issues that the industry has to face, and who already have an awareness of the industry.’

Professor Trevor Telfer, MSc programmes director at the University of Stirling, said: ‘SAIC funded students are part of a 29-strong class of students at the Institute of Aquaculture, representing 15 different countries.

Therefore, not only are they contributing to the growing skills base within Scottish aquaculture, they’re also getting a truly international perspective and experience.’

Supporting industry The response by the aquaculture industry has been equally positive.

Stephen Cameron, managing director of the Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group – one of the first industry consortium members to propose a SAIC Scholars Connect Plus project, said: ‘The potential value of the MSc project we’re involved in to commercial shellfish producers is huge.

‘There hasn’t been a lot of applied shellfish research in Scotland up until now, unlike in salmon, so we see this as an exciting first step in the drive to establish best practice amongst our sector.

‘It’s also an opportunity to establish connections that may lead to further research in the future.’

As for the students themselves, the enthusiasm for making a real and measurable contribution to aquaculture is tangible.

Andrew Murchie, an MSc student at University of Dundee, is about to embark on a research project with Inverness based Gael Force Group, involving the modelling of clump weight anchors in sand.

‘More effective and efficient anchoring design is becoming more and more important in aquaculture as sites expand in size and move further offshore into deeper waters,’ said Andrew.

‘My project will give me practical industry experience, as well as allow me to work on and contribute to real technology which might be used in the field.’

Industry placed research projects are just one feature of the innovative MSc programme. Dr Corinne Critchlow-Watton, aquaculture innovation manager at SAIC, said: ‘We’re bringing together students and lecturers from different universities at ‘meet the expert’ style events, as well as hosting careers days where students can hear from industry representatives on how their MSc experience led to their current career.’

The team behind SAIC Scholars Connect Plus doesn’t intend to stop there.

Above: MSc students from Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture at Otter Ferry and touring Marine Harvest’s Blar Mhor facility (pictures: Andrew Davie)

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Making connections

‘For year two, we’re looking at adding specialist lecture exchanges, offering funded students the chance to hear from different specialists in the sector,’ said Critchlow-Watton.

How to apply for 2016/2017 Applications are now being invited for SAIC Scholar Connect Plus 2016/2017, which will see the list of eligible MSc courses expand to include Applied Marine and Fisheries Ecology at the University of Aberdeen, and Marine Planning for Sustainable Development and Marine Resource Development and Protection at Heriot-Watt University.

To check your eligibility or to apply, visit the postgraduate admissions department of your preferred university. FF

“

By creating a cohort of young industry-aware researchers, we are contributing to future growth plans

”

QUALITY FOR LAND AND SEA Storvik Aqua Ltd Equipment and Technology for Aquaculture Serving the industry for 30 years Providing support and solutions

www.storvikaqua.co.uk lc@storvik.co.uk Tel: 01546 603989

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

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Training and education – Heriot Watt

BY DR ALASTAIR LYNDON

Marine milestone New £25m centre cements Heriot-Watt’s scientific strengths

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his year marks the 50th anniversary of Heriot-Watt University gaining its Royal Charter, although its origins as a higher education provider extend before that to 1821, making the institution one of the older ones in the UK. For 43 of those 50 years, there has been an undergraduate BSc Marine Biology degree, again one of the oldest in the UK, the other two original ones being at Bangor and Liverpool.

The Heriot-Watt degree continues to be very popular, with around 20 students each year graduating with honours and going into a variety of marine related careers worldwide.

This year sees another milestone in marine

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training at Heriot-Watt: 30 years since the establishment of the MSc Marine Resource Development and Protection, which has a solid track record of providing skilled graduates to aquaculture companies, conservation bodies, regulatory agencies and consultancies, among others.

Significantly, a major new marine initiative also reaches fruition this year. The Lyell Centre, on the Heriot-Watt campus just outside Edinburgh, is a joint initiative between the university, the British Geological Survey (BGS) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), occupying a new £25 million building, which opened in February.

This venture will capitalise on strengths at Heriot-Watt and BGS in marine sciences and geosciences, related with the long standing oil industry interests of the university, from which the marine degrees originally emerged out of needs for environmental impact assessment and monitoring offshore.

The undergraduate Marine Biology degree is a four-year course which begins with general biology in year one, with increasing specialisation towards years three and four.

Direct entry is possible at all years, with a significant minority of students gaining second year entry with A-levels or equivalents.

While most students are from Scotland, including the west coast, Hebrides and Northern Isles,

there is also good representation from across the UK and Europe, with recent students from Ireland, Norway, Finland and Germany.

There is a particular emphasis on field work and hands-on practicals throughout the degree, with marine field trips in the first year.

In the third year there is a residential field course based in Oban, where the Centre for Marine Biodiversity and Biotechnology (CMBB, Heriot-Watt’s marine biology research arm) has its research vessel, RV Serpula, based in Loch Creran.

This field course is just one highlight of the course. Further fieldwork is done throughout the third year, with increasing use of the new St Abbs Marine Station in Berwickshire, since signing of a collaboration in September 2015.

In the final year, there are further opportunities for fieldwork, including a short residential course, and the option of a Maldives tropical reef field course (including diving or snorkelling).

Further practical experience is possible through field or lab based honours projects, which are another important step in the development of a work-ready marine biologist. Some of these may involve diving work for those suitably qualified.

Scientific diving is long standing feature of marine biology at Heriot-Watt, with research diving pre-dating the BSc degree by some 10 years.

There continues to be an active diving team of marine biologists, including staff, postgraduate students (both MSc and PhD) and undergraduate students. Recent diving contracts have included work in the Isle of Man, North Wales, Orkney, Shetland, North Uist, St Kilda, Norway, Qatar and Panama, as well as Loch Creran, indicating the geographic spread of work. In most cases, qualified students have the opportunity to undertake paid diving work.

Historically, Heriot-Watt diving was particularly associated with the International Centre for Island Technology (ICIT), based on the Orkney Campus in Stromness, and indeed there is still an active diving presence here.

ICIT provides a Masters degree in Marine Renewable Energy, being the ideal location, with the European Marine Energy Test Centre (EMEC) in the same building, and world leading large scale offshore testing facilities on the doorstep.

ICIT also gives an in-house base for marine related field courses and projects for Masters students, those from Edinburgh having the option of spending a part year in Stromness.

Subject areas covered by Heriot-Watt marine staff are diverse, ranging through oil-degrading microbes, marine biotechnology, shellfish immunology, crustacean and finfish fisheries, fish ecology, fish physiology, disease control and prevention, marine parasite ecology, marine conservation, deep-water corals, marine spatial

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Marine milestone

This gives a great opportunity to consolidate and expand marine biology training in new directions through the 21st century, and it is expected that Heriot-Watt Marine Biology will continue to go from strength to strength.

Contact Dr Alastair Lyndon, director BSc Marine Biology, at a.r.lyndon@hw.ac.uk; or Dr Mark Hartl, director Marine and Environment Masters cluster, at m.hartl@hw.ac.uk for more information.

BSc degree: http://www.hw.ac.uk/undergraduate/marine-biology.htm MSc degrees: http://www.hw.ac.uk/schools/ life-sciences/postgraduate/marine-science.htm CMBB: http://www.cmbb.hw.ac.uk/ FF

Top: One room of the CMBB research aquarium. Above: The new Lyell Centre.

Left: Long established university

planning, aquaculture policy and pollution biology (including micro- and nano-plastics).

Facilities include a marine and freshwater aquarium, GMP accredited for fish vaccine testing, supplemented by a new aquarium in the Lyell Centre.

As part of the exciting reorganisation around the new Lyell Centre, biology teaching (including all marine courses) is amalgamating into the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society (EGIS) which includes the world renowned Institute for Petroleum Engineering.

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“

Practical experience is possible - an important step in the development of a work-ready marine biologist

�

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04/03/2016 15:52:59

Ukraine – Future prospects

UKRAINE FACTS Ukraine gained independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and has since veered between seeking closer integration with Western Europe and being drawn into the orbit of Russia, which sees its interests as threatened by a Western-leaning Ukraine.

Growing problems

Enormous potential for aquaculture if industry can overcome its obstacles

BY VLADISLAV VOROTNIKOV

U

kraine could boost its annual volume of fish cultivation to 300,000 tonnes over the next few years, more than 10 times current levels, according to the Association of Fishermen of Ukraine (AFU).

The country has 1.2 million hectares of water reservoirs, one of the largest capacities in Europe, including some 250,000 to 300,000 hectares officially approved for aquaculture purposes.

The profitability of fish farming businesses also remains high, due to little competition within the domestic market.

The AFU’s CEO Alexandr Chistyakov said the official volume of cultivated fish amounts to 24,000 tonnes, but the actual volume is higher because a number of fish farms in Ukraine operate illegally.

It has been suggested that the ‘black’ fish market may receive up to 20,000 to 30,000 tonnes a year, a situation exacerbated by corruption in the country’s law enforcement agencies, as well as the inadequacy of the legislative base.

Altogether, these factors undermine the enormous potential of Ukraine’s fish farming industry, but even so, the country could become the largest supplier of fish in Eastern Europe, said Chistyakov, pointing out that the large water resources are perfect for the development of aquaculture.

‘Currently, almost 250,000 ha of water bodies in the country are suitable for aquaculture activities. Only half of this amount is involved in the sector, and out of this figure 60 per cent are inefficient.’

At the same time, given the lack of fish on the market after the loss of Crimea and the decrease in fish catching capacities, the profitability of fish farming in the country today is quite high.

‘Fish farming in Ukraine is primarily carp, silver carp and grass carp,’ said Chistyakov. ‘The profitability of their breeding today is about 30 per cent.

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Europe’s second largest country, Ukraine is a land of wide, fertile agricultural plains, with large pockets of heavy industry in the east.

While Ukraine and Russia share common historical origins, the west of the country has closer ties with its European neighbours, particularly Poland, and nationalist sentiment is strongest there.

A significant minority of the population uses Russian as its first language, particularly in the industrialised east.

In Crimea, an autonomous republic on the Black Sea that was part of Russia until 1954, ethnic Russians make up about 60 per cent of the population.

Russia once again seized and annexed Crimea in March 2014, amid the chaos following the fall of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, plunging Europe into its worst diplomatic crisis since the Cold War. Source: BBC

‘You can also grow channel catfish, pike and a number of other species. Profitability of the breeding of sturgeon and trout fish is slightly higher, with a minimum rate of 35 to 40 per cent.’

He said that, officially, the breeding of sturgeon in inland waters is banned by law, but Ukraine is operating more than a dozen hatcheries, which annually produce 200 to 250 tonnes of fish.

‘In general, this is a promising and profitable business. But we should not forget that the pay off period for the money invested in fish farming will not start for three to four years.’

Fish farming is mostly developed in Kherson, Nikolaev, Zaporozhye and Odessa Oblasts, where there is plenty of both salt and freshwater. The industry typically comprises small companies, producing 30 to 50 tonnes of fish per year.

‘The state owns strategic plants for the grow-

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Growing problems

“

For some amount of money, the local officials can resolve this issue quite quickly

”

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ing of valuable species of young fish, but these are mainly intended for the stocking of public reservoirs,’ said Chistyakov.

‘Among them are Novokakhovsky hatchery, Zaporozhye fish processing plant, Donrybkombinat, Kherson plant and a number of others,’ he said.

Since 2014, the industry has been hurt by the devaluation of the country’s currency, hryvnia, as most farms in the country largely depend on the import of seeding material, as well as compound feed production, from Europe.

However, the main problems of the industry are still associated with the imperfect legislation.

This is one reason why big investors are afraid to put their money in the industry, along with the lack of transparency and a large number of so-called grey, or not fully legal, schemes.

According to the vice-president of the

Above: The Ukraine fish farming industry is mostly made up of small companies; but it can still be profitable

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Ukraine – Future prospects

Ukraine Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Vasily Korotetskiy, almost 90 per cent of all fish farms are operating partly or fully illegally, due to the numerous administrative barriers and high taxes.

‘In particular, a common practice is when a farm of 1,000 ha is producing about 200 tonnes of fish a year, but declares only eight tonnes,’ he said.

‘The main problem for those who want to engage legally in fish farming is to find an investor who would agree to wait for four to five years for a payback.’

According to AFU members, the ‘shadow’ (illegal) industry is supported by widespread corruption among officials on a regional scale.

As Chistyakov explained, each head of the village council considers the nearby river as his own property, so there are cases where they are building a dam on the river and granting the right to use it for the cultivation of fish in exchange for bribes.

In some cases, aquaculture businesses may not even be registered at all, so they are not paying any taxes. When it comes to investigating these practices, which happens very rarely, it is almost impossible to prove who is

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Growing problems

payment of bribes in recent years “The has got out of hand, hampering the industry’s development ”

in charge of the business.

Individual fish farmers also complain about the degree of corruption, saying that to do business they often need to make ‘non-official payments’ to the officials.

‘Due to the number of bureaucratic obstacles, it is almost impossible to get the right to use water bodies for cultivating fish,’ said the owner of a fish farming business from the Kherson Oblast who wished to remain anonymous.

‘We have to go through the long procedure with no guarantee of success. However, for some amount of money, the local officials can resolve this issue quite quickly and almost without any problems.’

Other market participants also indicate that, given the absence of any real control by law enforcement agencies, the payment of bribes in recent years has got out of hand, hampering the industry’s development prospects.

‘Fish farming in Ukraine is associated with huge investments, as well as with the imperfection of the current legislation, which makes it risky,’ said Chistyakov.

‘In addition, among the barriers to business development are a complicated procedure

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Clockwise from above: A large part of the industry is unregulated; there is an acute shortage of fish in the shops; producers call for legislative reform

for the registration of land, exorbitant rent for water reservoirs, lack of available loans for aquaculture, and so on.

Therefore, up to 70 per cent of cultivated fish in the country today are sold for ‘black money’.’

More than three years ago, in October 2012, Ukraine adopted a new aquaculture law – On Aquaculture, designed to be a basis for the development of fish farming in the country.

However, industry insiders say the law contains numerous mistakes, contradicts a number of other laws relating to water and land use and wildlife, and, as such, remains useless.

According to Alexander Chistyakov, many changes and amendments are called for.

The AFU believes the industry can only grow once the legislation is improved, and current hurdles, including high tariffs for aquaculture operations and the over-complex planning procedures, are removed.

Proposals for reforms to address these issues were prepared last year but have yet to be considered by government.

Chistyakov said the country could produce 250,000 to 300,000 tonnes of marketable fish a year and replace up to 50 per cent of imports, if proposals for zonal fish breeding grounds and biological standards are complied with.

When the law, On Aquaculture, was adopted in 2012, it was suggested that fish farmers could be included in the system of state subsidies that benefited agricultural production.

However, these plans have not been implemented, and probably never will be, as in 2015 the government cancelled its subsidies for livestock producers due to a lack of funds. FF

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04/03/2016 15:58:24

Land-based aquaculture – Halibut

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04/03/2016 16:01:31

The long haul

The long

haul

Patience pays off as third generation halibut farmer prepares to up-scale production

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an Brekke witnessed the beginnings of Norway’s halibut farming industry in the eighties, when his grandfather was one of the sector’s pioneers.

‘It was going to be the next big thing, after salmon, but then there were feed problems and that put the brakes on,’ said Brekke.

Now he is pioneering the second wave of halibut farming himself, and has high hopes that his land based venture will prove more viable than the efforts of thirty years ago – as well as being one of the world’s most sustainable farms.

As CEO of Sogn Aqua, Brekke has been investigating new production methods since about 2007, and for the past five years has been farming with ‘something between a commercial operation and an ongoing trial’ at his site in Sognefjord.

‘Five years is not a very long time to learn about halibut, it’s a slow process,’ he said.

He produced a harvest of 50 tonnes last year but now plans to upscale to 800 tonnes thanks to a major investment of $2.75 million at the end of 2015 from the Dutch firm Aqua-Spark.

The money, said Brekke, has ‘made all the difference’, and the diggers had already moved in to expand the farm when Fish Farmer spoke to him last month.

Concrete and plastic tanks will be replaced with more sustainable materials, a key factor in attracting support from Aqua-Spark.

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The 10,000 square metre site will host 10 new tanks of 150m by 50m, ‘much, much bigger than the existing ones’, said Brekke.

Sogn Aqua already has 118,000 juveniles and is confident of a high survival rate with its unique system.

‘Our main thing is to take the cold water from the deepest fjord, use it and then put it back again,’ said Brekke. ‘Our temperature is from eight to 10 degrees all year round. It provides very stable production and the halibut grows every day, slowly, but every day.

‘Then we have our own production system, which is a raceway, with the water going through the system many times. It’s a very stable system that works day and night with very little maintenance.

‘It’s not very expensive to make or to run but it’s a much more stable system than what other farmers are using in land based systems.’

Getting the feed right has been crucial to the company’s success. His family’s main problem in the eighties was, he said, ‘very much related to the starter feed for the juveniles’.

Below: Sogn Aqua’s site

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Land-based aquaculture – Halibut

“

They are like children, you have to nurse them at all times

”

‘That has been a very difficult thing and we didn’t know that. When we look back we can tell we didn’t have the knowledge. Now it is quite different.’

Clockwise from above: For the juveniles they have been using Halibut farming involves copepods, from C-Feed of Trondheim, and that patience says Jan seems to have made a difference, said Brekke.

Brekke; Sogn Aqua’s They have used an organic feed for the bigger system takes water fish, but a condition of the Aqua-Spark funding from Sognefjord; the is switching to the alternative ingredients 10,000sq m site will FeedKind feed from another of the Dutch host bigger tanks of group’s investments, Calysta.

150m by 50m Brekke said the domestic market is strong, as is Britain’s, and he hopes they will grab a share of the North American market too, with the

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04/03/2016 16:02:30

The long haul

HALIBUT FACTS Halibut farming started in the beginning of the 1980s, but problems with fry production gave the industry a difficult start.

Today there is a small commercial production of halibut in Norway. In 2012 Norwegian farmers produced 1,741 tonnes of halibut.

The species has a complex biology and it has been very difficult to establish a stable production of high quality fry.

It is only in recent years that sufficient knowledge concerning the technology and biology associated with halibut farming has been acquired to render profitable production possible.

In halibut farming, all phases of production require special solutions compared to farming of other species such as salmon.

The larvae of the halibut are very fragile and hence there are stringent demands with regard to hygiene and gentle handling during production.

As with cod larvae, halibut larvae are dependent on live feed after the yolk sac phase. Ensuring that the live prey contains the right nutrients has represented a big challenge in halibut farming.

drop in supplies of Pacific halibut.

‘We’ll look at the whole world. Not everyone is familiar with halibut. It’s a sushi product and this is where the future will be.’

Brekke stresses the long-term nature of his operation and said rearing halibut requires patience because of its lengthy lifecycle. They have to be observed very closely, every day.

‘It’s not like we’re sitting around waiting.

Feeding them correctly is the hard part, not too much and not too little. They are like children, you have to nurse them at all times!

They are very special.’ FF

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The grown halibut is a good hunter and a brilliant swimmer. When farming halibut, it is important to present the feed pellets in such a way that the hunter instinct of halibut is triggered as halibut will seldom eat pellets that have sunk to the bottom.

Halibut is a flatfish and needs flat areas where it can rest between feeding. To increase the resting area, many farmers now build shelves in the cages.

Source: Norwegian fisheries ministry

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04/03/2016 16:02:50

Land-based aquaculture – Halibut

AMY NOVOGRATZ

How to make a case Firm demonstrates sustainable credentials to attract investment

A

qua-Spark co-founder Amy Novogratz said Jan Brekke caught her and her partner Mike Velling’s attention by bringing them a halibut in his suitcase.

‘He brought out the fish and we cooked it and it was delicious,’ said Novogratz. ‘We were interested in farmed halibut because it’s a high market value species and it’s a spectacular animal with a good FCR and it’s new to farming.

‘So we were interested in their product and when they came and we ate fish together, we discovered our values were completely aligned.

‘They had been working for years, researching materials that would be recyclable so that the farm would have very little footprint. It’s at the point now that were you to take it down you’d never know a farm had existed. They cared a lot about sustainability.’

But halibut farming stills uses a lot of fishmeal, said Novogratz – ‘that would normally turn us off and we wouldn’t even open the conversation. But we had just made the investment in Calysta and we spoke to the Sogn Aqua guys about trying the Calysta product on their farms and they loved the idea.’

They are yet to incorporate Calysta’s fishmeal alternative (a methane-eating natural microbe that produces protein) as the feed firm is just building its market introduction facility.

‘At this point, it doesn’t have enough product for them to test, but it will in the next year,’ said Novogratz.

‘We haven’t figured out the whole trial but the growth cycle of the halibut is very long.

The plan is to start the trials as soon as possible.

‘Our whole portfolio works so that when we sign on a new company they also agree to shared values, and to work with other aqua companies towards a better aquaculture industry.’

Novogratz and Velling got together in 2010, with the goal of attracting investment to sustainable aquaculture enterprises. In that time, there has been a ‘huge change’, she said, in perceptions of the industry.

‘When you go to conferences trying to get investors connected with the industry there are a lot more investors showing up.’

This was noticeable in the two years between the first Fish 2.0 conference in the US in 2013

sign on a new company they “Whenalsoweagree to shared values ”

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The long haul

Clockwise from above: The current site; tending to the halibut; how the new system will operate

and the next one in 2015.

‘In those two years the difference between who was there and what level of investor and what type of investor was really dramatic.

‘A lot of people are still in the learning phase and that’s what is so exciting about Cargill making this move. [The American feed firm and owner of EWOS invested recently in Calysta.]

‘It’s because we’re still in a sector where there’s not a huge track record of outside investors so people want to see other people going first. ‘ Apart from Calysta and now Sogn Aqua, Novogratz and Velling have backed two other

companies and hope to add another six to the portfolio this year.

‘We’re in active due diligence now with two. We’d love to get some more feed ingredients firms, and are looking at insects, algae, and so on.’

They have in their fund investors from 10 different countries, with about 40 per cent of them in the US, and 60 per cent in the other nine countries, with a big base in Europe.

‘We’re mostly approaching them ourselves – we did a really intensive round of fund-raising in the first year and started a tonne of conversations and those conversations are continuing. It takes time to get people on board, we have to show our own track record, show people what we’re doing.’

They maintain a ‘hotlist’ of about 500 companies, which they are ‘paying attention to’, and hope to make an announcement about their next round of investment, of six to ten million euros, in April or May. FF

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04/03/2016 16:04:00

ACUI-T

Breath of fresh air Oxygen management solution finds global applications

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XYGEN management in fish farms has long been a serious concern in the industry. Now French company ACUI-T, under the stewardship of its founder Didier Leclercq, has developed its own range of Low Head Mixers, which can be customised to fit any fish farm situation.

After developing a considerable amount of expertise working for France Turbot SA, one of the leading finfish production companies, Leclercq decided to branch out as a consultant.

He then went on to form ACUI-T in 2005, based in Nantes on the French Atlantic west coast. Using consultations and trials, always underlined by economic results, ACUI-T developed complete solutions for various water

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issues within fish farms.

As well as operating in western Europe on intensive land based freshwater and seawater fish farms, ACUI-T also moved towards the tropical world with clients in the shrimp and tilapia industries.

ACUI-T’s expertise in the latest technologies for use in the field of water recycling and biological water treatment in fish farms gives it a competitive edge when dealing with water re-use and intensification in aqua farming activities.

The company has also developed applications in ozone treatment at shrimp and crocodile farms.

Within the UK, Trafalgar Fisheries was one of

Above, clockwise from left: Low head mixer at sturgeon tank inlet; onsite oxygen production using VSA technology; 250l/sec ozone treatment parallel lines at a shrimp farm inlet; 300l/sec unit at a new trout farm.

Left above: PCI oxygen producing multiple units serving an ozone station. Left below: Gravity fed low head mixer in an earth pond

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Advertorial

the first to use ACUI-T’s products when equipping numerous earth ponds. ACUI-T made use of as little as half a metre of existing head to dissolve oxygen while also reducing the total water extraction from the river.

It is well known that most rivers suffer from diurnal DO variations with strong late night oxygen depletion and as low as 60 per cent saturation. Once pure oxygen is made available at each pond the farmer benefits from more stable conditions and this in particular helps to improve feed conversion and survival rates.

Invicta Trout also applied ACUI-T technologies with the low head mixers adapting to fit most situations.

At Glen Oak Fisheries vertical shaft low head pumps were added to generate head and improve dissolution. As a result much better conditions for juvenile trout were obtained.

These examples on the British Isles confirm the great successes recorded by ACUI-T

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oxygenation tools in continental European fish farms, where units from 10 to 300l/sec have been installed at numerous locations since 2005. For more specific uses, such as transport tanks or safety tools, ACUI-T also manufactures its own ceramic oxygen diffusers.

With LOx (Liquid Oxygen delivered in bulk) not always available or affordable, ACUI-T brought its technology into Northern Ireland, where bulk LOx by truck is not practical or cost effective.

With an energy cost of 0.6 KWh/Kg the O2 produced represents unbeatable value and becomes an excellent solution for isolated fish farms.

The same technologies can be installed on board workboats or barges for the salmon industry and ACUI-T have seen successful installations in Chile and Canada.

Using its knowledge of oxygen transfer into fish farms, ACUI-T became active in ozone

mixing into seawater as early as 2012.

Shrimp hatcheries, shrimp breeder production units and shrimp on-growing farms are now all successfully applying ACUI-T’s low energy consumption techniques to disinfect their water inlets in order to keep pathogens at bay.

Treatment units were designed and built from three years ago with a working capacity of 4500m3/hr. They have now proven repeatedly their ability to protect shrimp harvests from white spot syndrome and early mortality syndrome.

ACUI-T will be presenting its tools at Aquaculture UK, which takes place in Aviemore in May, alongside its Spanish co-enterprise Fish Farm Feeder. The latter will be presenting its state-of-the-art pneumatic centralised feeder for micro-feeds within hatcheries.

Didier Leclercq can be reached at contact@ acui-t.com. FF

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04/03/2016 16:06:17

Brussels – Preview

Go Global

Scottish firms out in force at the world’s biggest seafood show

BY KIRSTY HUNTER

T

he world’s largest seafood show returns to Brussels next month with record numbers of visitors expected.

The 23rd Seafood Expo Global and the 17th Seafood Processing Global take place at the Brussels Expo from April 26-28, and more than 1,700 companies from over 70 countries have booked stands.

Last year, 26,652 seafood professionals from 144 countries visited the exhibition, spread across eight halls, to see the latest innovations in the industry, buy and sell their products, renew acquaintances and make new contacts.

The exhibiting companies displayed a variety of seafood products, both fresh and frozen, sourced from aquaculture and fishing, along with services relating to marine products, transportation, refrigerated logistics and packaging equipment.

Increasing international sales is a priority for Scottish seafood producers, and following the huge success of last year’s Scotland Food Above right The busy Scottish pavilion at last and Drink pavilion in Brussels, Scottish Development International (SDI) will be hosting year’s show more than 20 Scottish companies this year.

Supplying both the retail and foodservice sectors, Associated Seafoods (ASL) is just one of the Scottish companies travelling to Brussels in April. In 2015, it secured many new customers from around the globe. Victor West, ASL managing director, said: ‘Customers across the world seem to have a real connection with the Scottish brand name.

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a great platform for us “It’s to promote our brand ”

Seafood Expo Global provides a great platform for us to promote our brand to a global audience.’

Dawnfresh Seafoods, one of the UK’s largest producers of fish and seafood and the UK’s biggest trout producer, will be exhibiting again in Brussels this year. In addition to its farmed trout, Dawnfresh, which employs around 550 full-time staff, works with many other species and produces for food service and retail outlets around the world. At last year’s show, its R. Spink & Sons Loch Etive Trout was shortlisted in the Seafood Prix d’Elite awards.

Highland Smoked Salmon is a privately owned specialist smokehouse that has been manufacturing and suppling finest quality smoked salmon for more than a quarter of a century. It has made major investments in new smoking kilns, filleting, slicing and packaging technologies to deliver traditional, naturally smoked, products.

MacDuff Shellfish (Scotland) processes more wild shellfish than anyone else in Europe. MacDuff’s ‘focused on four’ promise means it works specifically on processing only wild scallops, langoustines, crabs and whelks, in order to specialise in bringing the best to the customer.

International Fish Canners (Scotland) focuses on the production of premium quality canned seafood. Fish is handled and processed either by hand or mechanically and all the company’s sauces are made in-house using natural and preservative free ingredients.

Loch Duart Salmon has its own unique salmon, grown in Loch Duart,

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Go Global

next to its hatchery. The stocks are grown from broodstock which have been developed since the 1970s. On several occasions at the Brussels Seafood show, the Loch Duart team have been asked what species their fish are. They reply that they are Atlantic salmon, but bred to look streamlined and beautiful like wild salmon.

Scottish Sea Farms is a pioneer in the farming of superior quality Scottish salmon and exports to over 25 different world markets. In order to provide customer assurance, there are rigid quality and environmental systems in place. This approach has established Scottish Sea Farms as a market leader in quality.

The Scottish Salmon Company operates from about 60 locations and employs more than 480 people. The company values good husbandry and farming methods and believes this results in its premium quality salmon.

St James Smokehouse is one of Scotland’s few remaining independent, family owned traditional smokehouses. Its premium quality salmon is hand-picked fresh from the water, filleted and dry cured using a blend of demerara sugar and natural sea salt.

Based in Musselburgh in one of the largest and most modern seafood processing plants in the country, is JK Thomson. Sourcing fish from sustainable stocks, its product range extends from the main species of haddock to fresh salmon fillets, lemon sole fillets and many more. FF

STEEN

®

w w w . s t e e n . b e

STEEN 700T SERIES TABLE TOP SKINNER Steen is driven by the search for excellence for more than 50 years. The focus to achieve goals and challenges set by clients and the determination to strengthen long lasting relationships in confidentiality with customers. That is why we introduced the new ST700T table top skinner. A range of different versions is available for skinning a variety of whole fish and big fillets and also for fine and rough work.

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Electronically monitored guards and foot pedal help for controlled use.

The knife holder can be taken out without any tools.

The knife can be set and locked at different heights.

The in-feed plate can be opened without any tools, as well as the rear side.

A brand new concept that has already proven itself in the skinning industry.

STEEN WORLDWIDE FPM INTERNATIONAL NV/SA Belgium (head office): +32 3 665 04 00 • Fax: +32 3 665 34 58 • info@steen.be • www.steen.be

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Brussels – Preview

Best of the rest B ased in the UK, MacAlister Elliott & Partners (MEP) has been at the forefront of fisheries consultancy for decades. The company has developed an extensive international network of consultants who have the ability to respond rapidly to the needs of clients across the globe. MEP’s aquaculture specialists focus on the sustainable development of the industry.

Marine Harvest, the world’s largest producer of Atlantic salmon, will take over a section of Hall 5 again this year to showcase its products. The company supplies healthy and sustainably farmed salmon and processed seafood to more than 70 markets worldwide.

Ocean Quality (Scotland) is a sales company established and jointly owned

by Bremnes Seashore AS and Grieg Seafood ASA. Farmed salmon and trout from Grieg Seafood and Bremnes Seashore has traditionally been sold to exporters and large wholesalers. Ocean Quality aims to complement this with a focus on retail customers such as supermarkets, restaurants and catering providers.

Trangs Group of Vietnam is a multicultural corporation aimed at providing high quality goods and services to the worldwide markets. It was among the first global companies to achieve four-star Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) status and at last year’s Brussels show it had four products selected for the finals of the Seafood Prix d’Elite.

Blue Star Seafood Company is a leading international seafood supplier, exporter and importer in China. Blue Star has offices and plants in all three

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of the main processing areas in China, covering re-processing products, wild caught products and farmed products. Species include white vannamei, red shrimp, squids, Atlantic cod, pacific cod, salmon, tilapia and yellowfin sole.

Ocean Treasure Foods supplies a wide range of seafood from Asia, specifically mainland China and Vietnam, to customers throughout Europe, North Africa, Latin America and the US. The company’s main office is located in Nantong, Jiangsu, on the coast of the East China Sea, and is famous for seafood such as squid, red/pink shrimps, tilapia and salmon.

Andromeda Group is the fastest growing group of companies in the Mediterranean aquaculture industry, with activity across Europe and with worldwide export power as well. The Greek group produces a variety of fish including gilthead sea bream, European sea bass, meagre-corvina, sharp snout sea bream and common red sea bream.

Bakkafrost is the leading producer of farmed salmon from the Faroe Islands. It is one of the

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

04/03/2016 16:18:29

Best of the rest

world’s most vertically integrated salmon farming companies, controlling all aspects of production, from feed to finished value added products.

Aqua Blue Co of Japan raises yellowtail and amberjack in Kagoshima Bay and processes its fish at its own factory. It also processes other species, such as sea bream, from its plant.

National Aquaculture Group (NAQUA) of Saudi Arabia returns to Brussels this year after winning a ‘Commitment to Excellence’ award from the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) at last year’s event.

Images: Some of the stands at the 2015 exhibition

The award recognised NAQUA’s achievement of four-star Best Aquaculture Practice (BAP) status, the highest goal in the BAP certification process. The company produces shrimp and barramundi.

First time exhibitor Alpha Group, a conglomerate, engages in marine and logistics, and seafood operations in Kenya and internationally. The company operates lake fishing and processing, deep sea fishing, and aquaculture businesses. It processes, distributes, and exports fresh water and seafood products that include Nile perch, black tiger prawns, banana prawns, octopus, crabs, lobsters, squid, cuttlefish, fin fish, and cultured shrimp. The company is based in Nairobi, Kenya, with subsidiary operations in Uganda, Tanzania and Dubai.

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Brussels – Processing

Latest products from around the world Leading manufacturers line up for April exhibition

S

eafood Processing Global will showcase new equipment, products and services from exhibiting companies specialising in categories such as cutting machinery, freezing systems, slicers, temperers, formers and many more.

Steen is an export oriented company which brings specialised machines for the fish industry on to the market from Belgium. Being active for more than 55 years in fish processing, it has both experience and know-how, which are brought to bear in its new generation pinbone remover.

Noticing a gap in the market, development began for a machine with a powerful motor and reliable propulsion. As with all its machines, Steen uses the best available materials, ensuring quality and durability for a longer lifetime.

Now, the new model ST591 is in full production and available worldwide. It helps companies to remove the pinbones faster while ensuring a high quality of finished product.

Apart from working perfectly on salmon, the machine can also de-bone certain other fish species with very good results.

Marel, based in Iceland, is one of the leading global providers of cutting edge machinery, systems and services to the fish and meat industries. Its advanced equipment and software enables fish processors to optimise yield, Above: Steen returns to throughput and product quality. the processing hall Baader is a leading manufacturer of fish processing machinery and solutions from Norway.

It plans, designs and sets up complete processing lines as well as fish processing facilities ashore or on board ships.

Global supplier of turnkey systems for the gutting of both farmed and wild fish, Boleto, based

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in Denmark, has sold more than 400 gutting machines around Europe. In recent years, its fish gutting machines have been developed to include trout, sea bass, sea bream, Arctic char, herring and mackerel.

Kaj Olesen specialises in the design and production of tailor-made equipment, such as pinbone removers, fish turners, fish distributors, salmon and tuna slicers, adjustable work stations and packing tables. The company exports more than 85 per cent of its turnover, partly through agents and partly directly from the factory in Denmark.

German company Nienstedt’s sawing and shaping equipment enables frozen seafood processors to optimise yield, throughput and product quality and create novel products. With innovation and methodological development, Nienstedt continuously tries to extend the range of possible solutions to seafood processing.

Hermasa is one of the largest manufacturers of canning machinery

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04/03/2016 16:19:53

Latest products from around the world

in the world. The Spanish company seeks to lead the design, production and installation of canning lines, as well as the development and management of all the necessary engineering to build complete canning factories.

Specialising in the manufacturing of injectors for curing and marinating fish, Fomaco’s excellent machine design has produced remarkable results, providing accurate, reliable and intelligent machines. The company, from Denmark, is known worldwide for its high quality production machines for a range of fish.

Interga is a Chilean owned company dedicated to the processing and marketing of salmon and trout. Currently exporting to more than 30

Some follow the stream.

Others don’t. www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

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countries, the company is always looking for new ways to expand and enhance its business. business Heinen Freezing has been involved in the international food industry for 30 years, specialising in industrial pasteurising, proofing, cooling and freezing systems. The company boasts its own design, construction, manufacturing and pre-assembling at its factory in North Germany, in order to produce the highest quality and dependable products.

Using the latest processing technologies, Innotec Systems is passionate about designing and manufacturing equipment and machines for the food processing industry. The Dutch company strives to meet processors’ needs when it comes to the highest possible yields, optimal product quality and lowest costs.

Turnkey Food Technologies (TFT) is a cluster of manufacturers of machinery and equipment from Belgium. TFT members are committed to practising sensible environmentalism and respecting the latest international standards regarding quality, ergonomics, safety and hygiene.

Gaictech Canning Machinery Company, based in Spain, is a leader in the sector of alimentary machines. It specialises in the design, manufacture and installation of complete lines for fish and mollusc processing; fresh, canned and frozen.

At Nutriad, swimming upstream is a way of life. First example: we want to stay small enough to keep a personal relationship with our customers, suppliers and colleagues. Second example: we’re so passionate about our business, we’ll even share our knowledge with you. Because we’re convinced that’s the best way to create solutions for the problems of tomorrow.

Would you like to swim upstream with us? Visit nutriad.com for your local contact.

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Processing News

American looks to ‘expertise and passion’ of Grimsby for smoking advice

Saucy on show again in the US

Florida based caviar producer and expert flies almost 4,000 miles to learn the art of fish smoking

Great seafood heritage This has been a great “experience and I will highly recommend the course

”

MICHAEL Jalileyan, president of Sasanian Caviar in Sunrise, Florida, which produces a wide range of exclusive caviars and fish roes, is now planning a major expansion into the smoked salmon sector.

He was in Europe when he heard about a two-day fish smoking course run by the Seafood Skills Training School, based in the Grimsby Seafood Village.

The school has two purpose built mini

kilns from Afos in Hull which specialises in smoking equipment.

Sasanian Caviar’s product range includes much sought after Kaluga hybrid caviar, which it calls River Beluga. It also markets several other types of caviar.

Jalileyan said: ‘We already have a smoker supplied by Afos and we will be branching out into salmon and perhaps some whitefish.’

He said he came

to Grimsby because the port had a great fishing and seafood heritage.

‘It was also recommended to me by Afos which has an international reputation.

I was planning a trip to Europe so it was the right thing for me to do.

‘This has been a great experience and I will highly recommend the course – the obvious expertise and passion that goes into the course is fantastic and

the opportunity to have hands on experience in an operational environment is highly beneficial – especially when the finished products can be tasted.’

Talking about his company’s plans he said smoked salmon will be the main product, but he was also looking at hot smoked mackerel and smoked haddock.

‘We sampled the products. The taste is great and I know we

can sell products of that quality.

So who knows? The equipment is very versatile and possibilities are there.’

The course was delivered by Ivan JainesWhite, director of the Seafood Skills Training School, together with Lee Cooper, head of Onshore Training at Seafish.

Cooper revealed that there were plans for further courses, in south-east England and in Grimsby.

Sainsbury’s contract ‘costly move’ says MH WINNING over the Sainsbury’s salmon contract from Young’s Seafood proved to be a challenge ‘a little beyond our capability’, Marine Harvest CEO Alf-Helge Aarskog said last month.

Presenting the company’s fourth quarter results, he said the £100 million deal was costly, but the company managed to deliver to the retailer’s expectations.

Marine Harvest expanded production facilities at its plant in Rosyth, Fife, to accommodate the contract, increasing the number of employees from 90 to 350. Deliveries to Sainsbury’s began before Christmas.

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‘We took on a challenge that was a little beyond our capability, and failed in many areas, particularly costs,’ said Aarskog. ‘However, we succeeded in delivering as we were supposed to, and the customer is very pleased.’

In the fourth quarter, Rosyth made losses of NOK 95 million (£7.7 million) due to start-up costs.

‘We underestimated perhaps that we took on such a huge challenge with a new customer,’ he said.

The company faced a poor yield, as well as recruitment problems. The Rosyth factory was included in Marine Harvest’s earlier acquisition of Morpol.

Aarskog said: ‘There are still tasks to tackle with the operation, and we anticipate a loss of around NOK 50 million (£4 million) for the first quarter.

We’re expecting a zero result toward the end of the second quarter.’

SAUCY Fish, which now claims to be the UK’s leading chilled seafood brand, was at the Boston Seafood Show.

Over the past year the firm has moved into Europe, the US and Dubai, partly due to listings with Wholefoods Market stores, which sell its Ready to Eat range.

The Grimsby based brand has retained its CoolBrand Award for the third year.

Young’s wins design award YOUNG’S Seafood has been recognised at the Design Business Association’s (DBA) annual Design Effectiveness Awards for its new packaging.

The brand won a bronze in the Food Producers section of the awards, which were held in London last month.

Springetts Brand Design consultants created Young’s Seafood’s new packaging, which features an iconic landscape of Grimsby, the brand’s home town, with a design budget of £250,000.

The awards celebrate the power of design to drive business success.

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

04/03/2016 16:47:57

Processing News

Stock Exchange honour for seafood firm

Above: The inspiring team at Flatfish

THE Grimsby seafood company Flatfish has been listed by the London Stock Exchange as one of its ‘1,000 Companies to Inspire Britain’.

The list is a celebration of the UK’s fastest growing and most dynamic small and medium sized businesses.

To be included, firms need to show consistent revenue growth over a minimum of three years, significantly outperforming their industry peers.

Flatfish is a family owned company, founded in 1979 by Steve Stansfield. He heads a multi-million pound business from a modern processing facility in the heart of the town, which is one of the largest centres of fish processing in Europe.

A continuous programme of investment has enabled it to remain at the forefront of current advances in fish processing technology, improving both its processing capacity and manufacturing efficiencies.

The company says it is committed to upholding the integrity of its supply chain.

Stansfield said: ‘’I am thrilled that Flatfish are featured in the London Stock Exchange 1,000 companies to inspire Britain.

‘This is testament to the commitment of the whole team at Flatfish. We will continue to innovate, invest and inspire within the seafood industry.’

Xavier Rolet, chief executive of the London Stock Exchange Group, said: ‘High growth SMEs are the driving force behind the UK economy, developing the skills, jobs and growth we need. But ambition alone is not enough; their success must be highlighted and their growth properly supported with appropriate finance.’

Farmed trout on exhibition menu

Norwegian fjord trout – described as one of the country’s best kept secrets – was exhibited at the Casual Dining Show in London in February.

FJORD trout is a sea farmed trout raised in the cold Norwegian fjords, where seawater meets fresh meltwater from the glaciers and snow.

It has red-orange flesh and rich nutty flavours, after being fed a nutritious, balanced and sustainable diet. This helps the fish grow slowly, producing excellent quality

and the deep colour, which is also common to the species. Together with its white marbling, this gives the flesh a luxurious feel and rich flavour. As it stores most of its fat on the belly, and less in its flesh, the fjord trout fillets are also lean and firm.

The Norwegian Seafood Council and Direct Seafoods exhibited the product at the show.

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Markets & Retail News

SSC extends Label Rouge range

Above: The new product will be available this month

THE Scottish Salmon Company (SSC) is launching a new addition to its premium Label Rouge range – fresh Scottish salmon fillets.

The company, which has more than 60 farms across Scotland, secured Label Rouge accreditation in 2014 for its Scottish

Baby boomers eat more salmon

PEOPLE over 55 are the most likely consumers of seafood in the UK according to a survey by YouGov for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

The survey found that three quarters of the baby boomer generation bought fish to eat at home the previous month, compared to 18 per cent of 18-24-year-olds.

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salmon.

It has seen significant interest, including from its French and German customers, to further develop the range and provide premium, pre-rigor fillets.

The premium quality fillets are vacuum packed and presented in an innovative sleeve

Key export markets

“

We are keen to evolve and develop our offering

”

designed specifically for the product. They will be available in key European markets from mid-March.

Craig Anderson, SSC managing director, said: ‘Label Rouge accreditation is very much a premium mark for quality food and we are keen to evolve and develop our offering, to ensure we meet client needs and demonstrate our ability to innovate and deliver added value.

‘Our new Label Rouge premium fillets guarantee customers the freshest Scottish salmon, presented in a ready-to-use format, which we know will appeal to leading restaurateurs, foodservice providers and supermarkets in some of our key export markets.’

The Label Rouge Fresh Scottish Salmon Fillets are available in 500g or 1kg packs.

Shellfish marketing group expands team THE Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group has appointed Nicola Cargill as national account manager.

She joins the company from Langmead Produce, where she held a senior commercial position. Prior to that, she worked with the marketing team at Angus Soft Fruits.

She said: ‘I am delighted to be joining SSMG at such an exciting time in the development of the business and where product innovation and new market development runs at the very heart of the operation.’

Stephen Cameron, managing director of SSMG, said: ‘We are pleased that Nicola has joined the team at a time when demand for our high quality mussel and other shellfish products is growing.’

SSMG is a co-operative of mussel and oyster farmers located on the west coast of Scotland and Shetland.The business supplies the multiple retail and food service sectors.

Above: Nicola Cargill

Young’s Gastro range worth £44m a year Young’s Seafood revealed last month that its Gastro sub-brand has grown by more than 50 per cent during the past year and is now worth over £44 million.

THE restaurant inspired dishes have attracted £20 million incremental value to frozen fish, breathing new life into categories that have seen some shoppers leave, such as battered fish (Nielsen & Kantar 52 weeks to January 31, 2016).

Young’s says it is now launching products to attract even more shoppers to frozen fish, with two new limited edition Gastro Coated options.

Now in store, they are Gastro 2 Smoky Paprika Tempura Battered Basa Fillets and Gastro 2 Lightly Dusted Sea Salt & Balsamic Vinegar Cod Fillets, both available in Asda.

The new coated options are perfect for ‘date night’, the theme of Young’s multi-channel advertising campaign, and are designed to provide more variety Yvonne Adam, marketing director at Young’s Seafood, said: ‘Everything we do is about making the best fish simple and delicious, supporting our mission of encouraging people to eat more fish.

‘Gastro has been a huge success, attracting more shoppers to try frozen fish, and we’re now looking to encourage even more people to try seafood with our new innovation.’

Pete Ward, chief executive of Young’s Seafood, said: ‘We’re pleased with the phenomenal growth of Gastro, which is now worth over £44 million, and its success in drawing in more new shoppers to try frozen fish.’

Young’s says it has also been developing new feel-good food, to help shoppers add variety to their weekly menu.

Young’s Crispy Prawns, launched at the end of February, have been created for dipping and sharing at parties and at home.

Celebrity chef fronts fish oil campaign

THE Master Chef judge John Torode is fronting #superfishoil, a consumer campaign aimed at encouraging people to eat more fish rich in omega-3. Spearheaded

by Seafish, it will motivate consumers to look at what they eat.

Loch Duart’s salmon at the BAFTAs SOME 2,000 guests at last month’s BAFTA awards ceremony at the Royal Opera House in London were served Loch Duart’s salmon.

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

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Archive – Employment: from January/February 1990

The finer points of staff management Patrick Haughton of Sparsholt College on getting the best from the workforce

I

n an ideal world employees would work with total commitment, maximum productivity and complete job satisfaction. How to manage one’s workforce to achieve this ideal is a subject that has exercised ‘work analysts’ since the industrial revolution.

When an employer takes on an employee, he/ she is making a major investment in an ‘asset’, a highly complex asset that can operate with a wide variety of performances varying from hard working and creative to idle or even destructive.

To ensure that employees operate at their hardworking/creative level it is necessary to ‘service’ them as one would any other fixed asset. No person expects their car to run at top performance without regular servicing. The same applies to humans, hence the need for man management.

The problem in managing personnel is that, unlike a car, it is not easy to find an effective instruction book or repair manual since individuals are unique and must be managed as individuals.

Moreover, fish farm owners and managers are busy individuals running high-risk, stressful businesses. When one’s livelihood is in the form of livestock than can so easily become deadstock, it is difficult to take the time to worry about other people’s problems. Unfortunately, the health of one’s stock and the health of one’s workforce are inseparable and interdependent.

To find the time to manage one’s workforce is never easy. An important first lesson in man management practice is that it is not the amount of time that is critical, but its quality.

The ABC of man management, as described by Blanchard and Lorber (1984), is the foundation to successful performance and stands for: A Activator (targets) B Behaviour (work) C Consequence (reward) For a workforce to perform, it needs to be activated or given goals/targets. Too often this is interpreted as giving out a list of jobs to be completed as soon as possible. This is not enough.

The job of grading a pond of fish is satisfying if done well when one does not do it very often, but repetition soon makes it monotonous and unrewarding. The real target of the business, and the worker’s impact on that target, needs to be clear to the worker if he/she is to continue to want to grade effectively every day, often in cold, wet and hazardous conditions.

How many fish farm workers know what the business’s targets are, and their contribution to them? How many workers know how well they are performing in measurable terms, that is, the annual production, the FCRs, the fishes’ growth rates, and so on?

How involved is the worker in setting his/ her contribution (goals) to meet the business’s targets? A workforce cannot be effectively employed and motivated without being involved.

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“

When one’s livelihood is in the form of livestock that can so easily become deadstock, it is difficult to take time to worry about other people’s problems

”

If employees are relegated to the level of vegetables, they will vegetate.

So goals are vital, and they need to be realistic, achievable and negotiated.

Unfortunately, this is not enough. Goals activate behaviour but only consequences maintain behaviour.

For example, a new worker is given the task of cleaning the screens. After an initial instruction period he is left to carry out this performance on his own. At first he does a good job but the manager does not comment (that is what the worker is paid to do).The worker’s initial attitude to not being noticed is to work harder and clean the screens meticulously. However, this reaction is short lived. It is a boring job and, because he receives no reaction, he becomes despondent, as it seems his performance is of little significance.

He becomes increasingly slapdash with time. Then, after a couple of months perhaps, there is a heavy rainfall one night and the farm floods.

This example shows that ‘no feedback’ to someone’s performance is the same as ‘negative feedback’. For ‘good behaviour’ to continue, a person must be rewarded, and the most effective reward is praise.

The basic principle of man management is to set goals and reward their achievement by praise. However, there is a major flaw to this. It is very time-consuming to be following one’s workforce around catching them doing things right and praising them.

As a manager, the important thing is not what happens when you are there but what happens when you are not there. In order to be a successful man manager, one needs to create an environment where the personnel reward themselves by self-praise.

This sounds too good to be true, but it can be done. It involves setting goals and making the results visual so that they give positive feedback to the workforce. An example of this in fish farming would be for management to agree with the workforce, on a quarterly basis, the growth rate targets for the stock. The actual growth rates could be plotted each week after sampling, and pinned up in the ‘tea room’ and office. The workers would be getting regular results and would ‘feel the praise of their successful performance.

Clearly, if the targets were not being met it would be pointing up a problem that would need active management. The slow growth may or may not be due to labour, but whatever the reason, targets would be reassessed, renegotiated and pursued.

I imagine that many fish farmers will read this and think: ‘The usual academic theory from a college lecturer. Workers will only work hard in the long run if you pay them more, not if you put up fancy graphs.’

If you think this, you are missing my point. Of course workers expect to be paid more if their performance is better than company targets. Surely the business is more profitable and can afford to pay more.

But do not make the mistake of thinking that pay is the only effective motivator. Pay is just one small component in a manager’s armoury and needs to be used carefully, because if used carelessly it does little to motivate. FF

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

04/03/2016 16:29:02

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04/03/2016 16:30:59

Opinion – Inside track

Why does fish farming matter?

BY NICK JOY

I

suppose all people think their job is important and that their careers are justified by the greater good. But maybe each industry should look closely at the reasons for its existence, and try to understand its role in the world and what its purpose for the human race is.

No industry exists by right. If you think it should then look at the coal, car manufacturing and boat building industries.

When I started in aquaculture at the dawn of the Jurassic era (or so it feels), most of the people I knew joined either because of idealism or pragmatism.

Let me explain. The idealists believed that the world would need more food, the seas were overfished even then, and that farming the sea was an inevitable consequence of the size and growth of the human population.

The pragmatists lived on or close to the west coast of Scotland and were watching the decline in fishing and agriculture and knew that, if they wished to live where their forbears had, they would have to find a new way to earn a living.

I, of course, was a complete idealist. I didn’t see that I would become besotted by the idea of keeping salmon as close to the wild version as possible, or that the taste would become central to everything I did.

I just wanted to find a new way of farming and supporting a burgeoning population. I suppose, put simply, I wanted to do my bit.

I am not so sure, even now, that my ideals were so far wrong. But I think perhaps that the pragmatists have not had quite as much to be grateful for.

Though the industry has grown on the west coast, many of the jobs have come to rest in the conurbations rather than in the fragile rural areas.

So, getting back to the original point of this piece: why do we exist as an industry? I admit that these are my priorities and many of you may disagree: to produce a high quality healthy food, rich in omega 3 oils; to keep salmon recognisable as the king of fish; to create and maintain employment in the fragile rural areas of Scotland; to sustain the local communities in these areas; to contribute strongly to Scotland’s economic success; to innovate to ensure that we improve our performance in terms of environment and food production as the industry grows; to find new species and new forms of aquaculture.

I am sure many people’s views would involve profit and stakeholders and some such but that is the justification of individual companies, not of an industry.

In the beginning, the Highlands and Islands Development Board saw the industry as a potential to replace and augment crofting, with small pens in every sea loch. Clearly, this was a misjudgement but it was right to think of this as a way to stave off the decline in rural employment that has affected Scotland’s coastal communities.

So here we are in the early part of the second millennium and we need to develop a vision about aquaculture for Scotland’s long-term future.

It is useful to start with why we are here and what our role is because this gives a clear steer on how we should pilot the ship for the future.

I realise that some readers will think that an industry justifying itself on employing people and sustaining communities is just a bit too touchy feely but I think it is truly relevant. Agriculture and aquaculture depend on knowledge of the local area, its strengths, weaknesses and dangers.

Without local communities and their intrinsic knowledge our industry would be lost.Yet without salmon farming, a large number of coastal

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Opinion - March.indd 66

need “toWedevelop a vision for Scotland’s long-term future

”

communities would be in fairly dire straits.

So the relationship is symbiotic but the communities cannot create economic structures the size that our industry can, thus the responsibility for the future lies with the industry.

In local communities, salmon farming has gone through phases of popularity but is now a very much accepted part of the social and economic infrastructure. Both the local communities and the industry need to remember how much we need each other.

There will be those in the community who do not care or wish that salmon farming continues and there will be those in the industry who think that small local communities are not important.

For those who have families and need employment in these communities, aquaculture can be the economic base that gives your children the option to stay, rather than leaving, as has been the way for many a year.

For the industry, I would suggest that these communities offer you the employees of the future and the long-term strength that you need.

We all need to work together for a secure future for all. FF

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

04/03/2016 16:32:10

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04/03/2016 13:38:50