Fish Farmer Magazine October 2018

Fish Farmer VOLUME 41

NUMBER 10 OCTOBER 2018

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Serving worldwide aquaculture since 1977

WELCOME TO WESTERBISTER

LICENCE TO GROW

WINNING TRUST

INNOVATION GAME

Scottish Sea Farms celebrates 10 years in Orkney

Stewart Graham on bringing all stakeholders on board

Make farms more accessible to the public says the SSPO

Best of the start-ups pitch their ideas to investors

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Contents 4-15 4-14 News

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

16-21 16-17 16-22 Industry pioneer News Extra platform Parliamentary inquiry

JENNY JENNY HJUL HJUL –– EDITOR EDITOR

Fair hearing French connection Farmers must Uphold the codefight back

TIA

Steve Bracken SSC’s record results Stewart Graham The final sessions

salmon farming sector in Scotland, when it was to he focus this month istopictures on Europe, the internati T HE is coincidence that andwhere videos of unhealthy Sno Fish Farmer went press, there was sti lltold no offi cialonal be thewere subject ofScotti a be parliamentary inquiry, embraced industry willsent soon gathering the EASinto (European salmon to news outletsfor just asjoint the Scotti shthe news from the sh parliamentary inquiry salmon opportunity this would provide explain how it month. operated.

Aquaculture Society) and WAS (World Aquaculture Society) parliament back to work atto the start of this These farming, went conducted earlier this year by the Rural Economy The industry had nothing to hide and, if given a fair hearing, conference, tovity beto staged over days in theof southern images had litt le do with thefive current state Scotland’s ficould sh and Connecti (REC) committ ee.

MSPs have now heldFrench five address much of the criti cism levelled against it. city ofngs, As well asare highlighti ng the latest technological farms -Montpellier. where sea lice in decline and, inwe fact, at abe fivemeeti in private, tolevels consider their report and must Fish Farmer supported this at times salmon advances in our fast moving sector, Aqua 2018felt willthat alsohas feature year low (htt p://scotti shsalmon.co.uk/monthly-sea-lice-reports). pati ent.

However, waiti ng forview, theirbut recommendati ons been farmers were being drowned out by the noisier elements offarming the sessions onpropaganda emerging andwhich lookREC atinvolves the role-salmon fishusual This campaign, allofthe madelatest harder by leaks markets from within the to anti angling lobby, which had called foras the investi gatiRural on.

But asngs farming inThe alleviati ngof poverty.

Increasingly, industry anti -aquaculture suspects, came Holyrood’s Economy activists. latest these (see our news story onmeeti page 4)the sessions progressed, and eventually farmers’ voices were heard, are broadening their scope, subjects such asthat the committ social and Connecti vity committ eetackling returned the summer recess we to makes grim reading for the industry asfrom it suggests ee became more misti c.into Weand now believe MSPs, perhaps with acceptability ofopti aquaculture the contributi on it farming. makes toto global consider its draft report the future ofthat salmon members have been willing to listen to those campaigning food security and saving the planet, aindustry move is toanti welcomed. the excepti on ofvaluable one two Greens cahoots with -farming Those who want toor shut down thein asbe expected, shut down this sector, rather thanthat tohave, those who operate Also investi gati ngacti initi aties, veswhich inregard thenow developing world, Harrison campaigners, will, on balance, the industry in a Dr favourable stepped viti involve breaching the within it.up their Charo Karisa ofhopefully WorldFish writes thesnatch farming al inthe light.

They will that farmers take their environmental biosecure environments of farm sites to photographs in Of course, such storiessee may beabout inaccurate and, inpotenti any case, Nigeria, both in catf ish and ti lapia culti vati on. responsibiliti es seriously and that businesses will only ever invest the hopeee’s of fifinding ng evidence against farmers.

Onein committ ndingsincriminati are not binding.

Scotland’s fish farmers In Scotland, the summer of aofwaiti ngminister, game growth that isfibeen sustainable. campaigner lmed himselfhas searching, unsuccessfully, for dead have always fortunate tobeen havesomething the support their while the parliament is in recess and thethose members of Holyrood’s If the committ ee members, especially who have yet to of fi sh at aEwing, Marine site. Another said he saw ‘hundreds’ Fergus toHarvest grow sustainably.

Rurala Economy and Connecti vity committ ee conti nue tosubject weigh up visit salmon farm, would like to learn more about the of infested salmonnot in go a pen, but we only have his MSPs word against that But it should unchallenged that some on the REC the evidence in their inquiry into salmon farming.

We don’t expect their we have plenty of good stories ourgrowth May of theinquiry, professional vets andagendas biologists who in manage theissue. welfare of committ ee, with their own against the of theEven their report until the autumn but hope the MSPs are using the time bett er,farms they could headbasis. to the Highlands later this month, where these on a daily industry, are in breach of Code of Conduct for MSPs. As they to become fully acquainted with the facts about fish farming. they meeton the aquaculture industry en masse Scotland’s If the proud ofreti itsthe high standards, as itsalmon says itlongest is, it are inwill aindustry positi inflthe uence future course ofat farming, This month alsoisto sees rement of Marine Harvest’s biggest fish farming show. must mount a much more robust defence of itself, through its and of businesses vital to Scotland’s economy, we have a right serving employee, Steve Bracken. We had no trouble collecting will certainly be at Aquaculture UK inindustry, Aviemore and representati vethey body, the SSPO, than itthe has done tothrough date.

The toWe know who are, and weand hope its warm tributes from his friends colleagues to mark thelook forward toand, seeing many of the you there too. campaigners, we now see, willrest stop at representati ves, will pressure the parliament toand investi gateatbefore milestone along with of thenothing, industry, thefarmers team Fish should prepared to fivery ght back. the RECbe report published.

Farmer wish himisall the best for the future.

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Editorial Advisory Board: Steve Bracken, Scott Landsburgh, Hervé Steve Bracken, Scott HervéLandsburgh, Migaud, Migaud, PatrickJim Smith and Jim Hervé Patrick Smith, PatrickMigaud, Smith, Treasurer and Treasurer, Wiliam Jim Treasurer and Dowds William Dowds William Dowds Editor: Jenny Hjul Designer: Andrew Balahura Advertising Manager: Team Leader: Dave Edler dedler@fishupdate.com Advertising Executive: Scott Binnie sbinnie@fishupdate.com Publisher: Alister Bennett

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Cover:Steve Alisonsh Hutchins, Dawnfresh Cover: Bracken explains Lumpsucker Scotti Sea Farms regional farmingfarming director, Loch Etive. salmon toon Prince Charles producti on manager for Orkney, Picture: Scott during his visit Binnie to Marine Richard Darbyshire (left), Harvest and the in 2016. Photo: Iainat Ferguson Westerbister team Scapa Pier

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Contents – Editor’s Welcome

48-49 41-43 42-44 38-39 Brussels Aqua 2018 Innovation Aquaculture Salmon market Montpellier preview From shrimp torobust salmon Investor advice

50-55 44-46 46-49 40-41 Brussels Aqua 2018 Innovation Aquaculture New processors’ groupon Sti rling course Pictures atmarket the exhibiti Insurance

22-23 18-19 24-27 Salmon market SSPO

Current trends In good Julie Hesketh-Laird Meet thehealth new chief executive

56 48-49 50-58 42-45 Book review Training Aqua 2018 Innovation Aquaculture Focus cleaner fish Martyn Haines Conference round-up Best ofonthe start-ups

57 53-55 60-63 48-49 Aquaculture Nor Fishing Aqua 2018 UK Net cleaning

24 20 20-21 28-29 BTA Shellfish Comment

Introducti onons Farming angle Focus Africa Robot on soluti

What’s in a name?

Dr Nick Lake Phil Thomas

58-59 60-63 68-69 51 Aquaculture Australia Training Sea bass UK

26 22-23 30 Shellfi sh Comment BTA

Chris Mitchell Barramundi boom Martyn Haines European leaders

Doug McLeod Montpellier report Dr Marti n Jaff a

28-31 24-25 32-33 SSPO Comment Scottish Shellfi sh Sea Farms Rising stars Marti nBrown Jaff a Orkney anniversary Janet

32-33 26-27 26-30 34-35 Shellfi shfiSea Cleaner sh Farms Scottish Comment Janet Machrihanish Orkney farm Marti nBrown Jaff a visit

13

34-35 28-29 32-33 36-41 Comment Cleaner Orkneyvisitfish Farm Marti nofJaff a era Vaccines New player Dawn new

36-39 32-35 34-35 43-45 Wild salmon Cleaner fish decline Orkney IoA careers

69 64-67 70-73 52-54 Aquaculture Nigeria Networking Research UK Meet the team on Boosti ng producti Dave Chris Conley Mitchell

81-82 76-77 56-59 Aquaculture UK From Archive Value the chains Awards David LittinleChina reports Growth Developing trends

91 78-79 63 Retail & Marketing Processing & Retail News

Figure 9. Development of salmon nominal catch in southern and northern NEAC 1971 to 2016.

Text at top inserted by author. Filled symbols and darker line southern NEAC.

The mackerel hypothesis Transport Leask Marine Sti rling students

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Eat more fishchallenges Save Pinneys jobs Carlisle jobs Recruitment

92-93 80-81 64-65 Aqua Source Directory

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46-47 40 37 36-37 Brussels Innovation Cleaner fishconference Aquaculture Innovation

94 82 66 Opinion

Figure 10. Examples of the young mackerel currently growing up ‘all over’ the North Sea, Norwegian Sea and along the Norwegian coast at the moment. These were caught in a ‘washing set’ by the purse seiner ‘Brennholm’ at an arbitrary position 100 nm west of the Lofoten Isles in January 2018. At this stage these small mackerels are competitors to the postsmolt salmon, Printed Printed in in Great Great Britain Britain for for the the proprietors proprietors Wyvex Wyvex Media Media Ltd Ltd by

by JJ Thomson Thomson Colour Colour Printers Printers Ltd, Ltd,later they will be both competitors and potential predators. The new and abundant availability of juvenile mackerel in the multi sea winter salmon feeding areas may be a good explanation to Glasgow Glasgow ISSN ISSN 0262-9615 0262-9615 why the MSW fishes have such a good condition at present despite their poor early sea growth.

Photo JC Holst.

Introducti on Novel technology Temperature Introducti on

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By Nick Joy

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09/05/2018 08/08/2018 15:36:28 06/09/2018 16:32:15 04/10/2018 18:05:09 09:15:28

United Kingdom News

NEWS...

MSPs ‘to demand tougher rules for salmon farms’ THE Holyrood inquiry into the future of salmon farming in Scotland will demand extensive changes to how the industry is regulated, according to a report in the Sunday Post on September 30.

Quoting a source close to the Rural Economy and Connectivity (REC) committee, which conducted the probe, the Post reported that MSPs are concerned about the industry’s complex regulatory regime.

The source said:‘The current situation creates confusion, with lots of different regulations and various enforcement agencies struggling to cope with the industry’s expansion.’

The committee is expected to call for tougher regulations

Above: Farmed salmon - under investigation

to cut down on waste pollution from farms, the number of sea lice cases and harm to wild salmon.

But MSPs will leave it up to the Scottish government, working in conjunction with the industry, to achieve such outcomes.

The REC committee,

which finished taking evidence from interested parties, including salmon farmers and anti-farming campaigners, in May, has now met four times in private to discuss its findings.

There has been no word, officially, of how the deliberations are

going, but they were described as ‘passionate’ by a parliamentary spokesman.

However, at least one MSP on the REC committee appears to have been leaking information from the private sessions to anti-salmon farming campaigners.

Asked by Fish Farmer to confirm whether the latest leak was accurate or not, a Scottish parliamentary spokesperson said:‘Committees do not comment on leaks of draft reports or other issues discussed in private meetings.The leaking of such material is a breach of the Code of Conduct for MSPs.’ Meanwhile, a motion lodged by Green MSP Mark Ruskell calls on the Scottish government to support a moratorium on the expansion of salmon farming ‘until the industry can guarantee that farmed salmon have a good life that is worth living’.

The government is committed to growing the salmon farming industry, which is worth £1.8 billion and sup-

ports thousands of jobs.

The rural economy minister, Fergus Ewing, has again pledged his support for the sector, assuring farmers in Orkney last month that he would continue fighting for them. He said he and the government would offer ‘every support we can to deal with the detractors, to get the positives across, and together see even greater success in the future’.

The Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation said: ‘We are awaiting with interest the report from the Rural Economy committee and will study its recommendations carefully. We will reserve comment until the report is published.’

Crest of a wave: Page 26

SSPO strengthens lobbying team with two new appointments A SEASONED Scottish political journalist is to be the new voice of the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation (SSPO).

Hamish Macdonell will lead public affairs and communications at the organisation in the newly created role of director of strategic engagement.The SSPO represents most of Scotland’s salmon farmers.

And Anne Anderson of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has been appointed director of sustainability, the second new position to be announced at the salmon body last month.

Macdonell has covered the Scottish parliament since its inception for various titles, most recently for The Times, and has also worked as a political journalist at Westminster.

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He brings a wealth of engagement experience that will be crucial as the industry continues to build its global reputation for excellence, said the SSPO. Macdonell said:‘I am thrilled to be joining the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation at such an exciting time for the sector.

‘Scottish salmon is already one of the country’s most well-known and valuable exports and I am looking forward to playing my part in helping the industry cement its already excellent reputation for sustainability and high quality produce.’

Julie Hesketh-Laird, SSPO chief executive, welcomed the appointment: ‘I am delighted to bring Hamish on board to bolster the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation’s

strategic engagement.

‘He will strengthen the SSPO’s expertise at a busy time as we continue to grow the reputation of Scottish salmon and shine a light on industry good practices and achievements.’

Anderson, meanwhile, will ‘develop and coordinate an industry strategy for sustainable business to support responsible growth’, the SSPO said.

She has worked at Sepa, the organisation that issues fish farm licences, since 1996, latterly as chief of compliance and before that as head of regulation.

She said:‘I am delighted to join the SSPO and have a leading role in helping this exciting and important Scottish industry develop sustainably.

‘The sector holds a strategic position in Scotland’s and the UK’s

food and export economies and I am looking forward to helping it demonstrate its significant production achievements and innovations.’

Anderson will join the SSPO later in the year, and Macdonell will start at the beginning of November.

Above: Hamish Macdonell

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03/10/2018 16:31:31

All the latest industry news from the UK

Brexit deal ‘imperative’ for vet medicines TO ensure continuity of supply of veterinary medicines in the UK and throughout the EU, a final agreement on the future relationship between the UK and the EU remains imperative, said the National Office of Animal Health (NOAH).

The organisation, which represents the UK animal health industry, said it was pleased to have more information for businesses on the action the government will take in relation to registration and regulation of animal medicines should there be no Brexit deal.

The government advice, published on September 24, covers issues such as veterinary medicines batch testing and certification; regulation (marketing authorisations, veterinary generics, parallel imports and MRLs); the important drug safety pharmacovigilance systems and the development of IT systems that help with the regulation of veterinary medicines. There is also a notice on pet travel.

But NOAH chair Gaynor Hillier said as the deadline becomes closer, the sector, like other businesses in the UK, needs clarity.

Above: Gaynor Hillier ‘These notices do show some welcome pragmatism from the UK, such as on batch testing and certification, which will be helpful in maintaining continuity of supply.

‘We also welcome the restating of the government’s commitment to negotiating terms in which we can remain active in the European Medi-

Now Gael Force expands to Canada

FAST growing Inverness based Gael Force Group is planning to expand its aquaculture business overseas, by establishing a base in Newfoundland in Canada.

The company, which revealed a £7 million increase in turnover and a quadrupling of its profits last year, said the move forms part of its strategy to enter overseas aquaculture markets.

The announcement follows research into the current and future opportunities on the eastern side of Canada.

Gael Force will supply customers in the region, which has targets to double salmon production, with a full product range, including pen and barge moorings, plastic fish pens, concrete and steel feed barges, offshore feeding systems and pellet detection software, and underwater technology

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including cameras and lighting.

The company announced the move as managing director Stewart Graham was due to address Newfoundland’s Cold Harvest aquaculture conference in St John’s.

Graham, who was instrumental in driving forward Scotland’s plans to double aquaculture production and co-chairs the Aquaculture Industry Leadership Group, offered an insight into Scottish aquaculture’s growth vision.

Marketing manager Marc Wilson said: ‘Our visits to Atlantic Canada have revealed a commitment to aquaculture with a real appetite to grow the industry substantially.

‘Every person we have spoken to has welcomed the prospect of Gael Force making an inward investment in Newfoundland.

‘We fully understand the need for us as a supplier to have a highly skilled and dedicated service team on the ground in Canada to be ready to respond to the specific needs of those customers, and that is something we are totally prepared to commit to.’

Industry platform: Page 16

cines Agency (EMA) and European regulatory network – which is of course dependent on an overall deal.

‘We admire the hard work and planning that aims to ensure that there will be a fully operational IT system in place that will enable companies to submit information electronically for marketing authorisation applications and in relation to pharmacovigilance.

‘But a practical mechanism to share, receive and communicate alerts with the European regulatory network in relation to potential pharmacovigilance issues remains imperative, to help support animal, human and environmental safety here and in Europe.

‘Much of the government advice applies to the short to medium term, to cover the immediate period after March 29, 2019, if there is no deal.

‘If no deal happens, then moving forward there would be concerns relating to potential impact on innovation and potentially on product availability and choice for UK prescribers and animal keepers, as there may be fewer new medicines entering the UK market and fewer improvements to existing medicines,’ she said. NOAH is also concerned that there is no advice yet relating to those products currently regulated entirely through the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), such as specified feed additives, for which there is no direct UK equivalent.

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03/10/2018 16:32:00

United Kingdom News

Farm plan opposed by Jura deer stalker Ferguson team scoops excellent award

PLANS by Kames Fish Farming to build the first fish farm off the Isle of Jura’s uninhabited west coast are being opposed by campaigners.

Kames submitted its proposals to Argyll and Bute Council last month, after withdrawing an application late last year to site a farm in the Sound of Jura.

The company is ‘screening and scoping opinion’ for a 14-pen fin fish farm north of Corpach Bay, 15km south west of the Gulf of Corryvreckan, with the prospect of six jobs.

However, Jura residents Craig Rozga, a deer stalker, and Louise Muir, an RSPB warden with a background in environmental conservation, have collected a petition against the move, the Oban Times reported.

They are said to be concerned about the impact of a fish farm on wildlife on Jura.

Kames’ previous application, opposed by a 3,000-signature petition collected by the Friends of the Sound of Jura, was for a

trout farm at Dounie.

The new plan proposes two rows of 14 x 38m diameter circular pens, in a 70m square grid per pen, with a 43.4m by 15m and 10m high feed barge, 100-120m offshore.

The Kilmelford based company is a family business and local employer that has been operating in Loch Melfort for 45 years.

The company’s managing director, Stuart Cannon, who has been involved in fish farming for 50 years, told the Oban Times: ‘We are very much aware there is a balance to be struck, and would not want to place a site where there would be a risk to the amazing biodiversity we have on the west coast.

‘We have withdrawn applications in the past where the scientific assessment of the site has suggested the site is not suitable.

‘We require new sites to meet the growing demand for our product and want to place these sites in areas deemed suitable by the application process.’

Rozga is head stalker on Ruantallain Estate, described on its website as a ‘spectacular sporting estate of 20,000 acres’ which offers ‘excellent stalking’ for stags and wild goats and ‘superb wild brown trout fishing and sea trout fishing’.

FERGUSON Transport won the Crown Estate Award for Excellence in a Marine Business at SCDI’s (the Scottish Council for Development and Industry) annual Highlands and Islands Business Excellence Awards last month.

The award is presented to the business which has best demonstrated successful working in the region’s marine environment.

The awards ceremony, a highlight in the Highlands business calendar, was held in Inverness

and attracted 350 guests from the Highlands business and economic community and across Scotland.

Ferguson was recognised for services to the aquaculture industry and the wider marine supply chain, through bulk vessels, work vessels, port, craneage warehousing and integrated supply chain management.

Pictured are: group managing director Alasdair Ferguson and group financial director Carol Mackinnon (centre) and guests at the ceremony.

First for Cooke man in Shetland JOHN McCulloch from Unst has become the first person in Britain to complete a ground-breaking professional development programme in aquaculture management, developed by the NAFC Marine Centre UHI. McCulloch completed the Technical Apprenticeship in Aquaculture Management just over 18 months after it was launched, while working as assistant site manager at Cooke Aquaculture Shetland’s Quoys salmon hatchery in Unst.

The technical appren-

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ticeship enables senior fish farm staff to gain a degree level qualification in aquaculture management while

Above: John McCulloch

working in the industry.

McCulloch said that he had found the apprenticeship programme educational

and interesting, and praised the professionalism of the NAFC staff, who had supported him throughout the programme, as well as his employer.

‘I have no doubt it will allow me to continue in assisting Cooke Aquaculture in producing what I think is the best salmon on the market in what is such an important industry to the Scottish economy, maintaining and supporting rural communities such as Shetland.

‘I would recommend this apprenticeship to anyone who gets the

chance to complete it.’

Course leader Stuart Fitzsimmons said that McCulloch’s completion of the apprenticeship marked an important milestone for the programme, which was developed

by NAFC and launched in March 2017.

‘Following the successful introduction of our Modern Apprenticeships in Aquaculture for new and experienced fish farm staff, we had a lot of interest from aquaculture companies in a training programme for their managers,’ said Fitzsimmons.

‘The use of distance learning, supported by NAFC staff, means that people from anywhere in Scotland can undertake this training at times and places that suit them, without having to attend college classes.’

NAFC currently has 25 other senior aquaculture staff throughout Scotland enrolled in the Technical Apprenticeship in Aquaculture Management.

A further 48 students are enrolled in the Centre’s Modern Apprenticeship’s in Aquaculture at Levels 2 and 3.

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03/10/2018 16:32:21

All the latest industry news from the UK

Historic Howietoun fish farm for sale

Photo Bell Ingram

SCOTLAND’S first fish farm site has been put up for sale, along with its ponds and outbuildings, set in about 27 acres in Stirling.

Historic Howietoun Fishery was established in the late 19th century by Sir James Maitland – described as the father of scientific aquaculture – on his estate near Sauchieburn.

In the 1870s, Sir James pioneered scientific trials into trout breeding and rearing to create what became an internationally renowned fishery.

At nearby Milnholm, fish were bred in the hatchery and reared in the numerous ponds at Howietoun, with Sir James Above: Howietoun Fishery setting the standard for modsmall commercial basis. But in recent years ern fish farming. the university stopped using the facilities.

This part of the farm, which includes one The category-A listed fishery, being sold of the oldest commercial hatcheries in Euthrough Bell Ingram, includes a series of rope, is now being leased by Aqualife. now redundant fish ponds, channels and culThe University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture bought Howietoun in 1979 and verts, including a broodstock pond on which sits Sir James’s summer house. used it for the practical training of British He would climb on to its roof and watch and international students in modern aquaculture techniques, as well as operating on a the farm from his elevated position, as well

as observing fish underwater from a glass cylinder from the centre of the summer house.

According to an article about Howietoun, published on the website of Sepa (the Scottish Environment Protection Agency) in 2012, the site is fed with water from Loch Coulter via the Canglour Burn and features terraces of ponds built with linking channels designed to prevent siltation and provide sufficient aeration of water.

Scientist Iain Semple, who ran the fishery for many years, was quoted saying: ‘Using these ponds in a sustainable way is why these ponds are still functioning.

‘The process here is very, very natural. We’ve learnt over the years that we have to work within the constraints of the surrounding environment.’

The Institute of Aquaculture was awarded £17 million in the recent Stirling city deal to redevelop its campus and its other facilities, which include freshwater and marine units at Buckieburn and Machrihanish.

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UK news.indd 7

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03/10/2018 16:32:36

European News

NEWS...

Poles show potential of land based farming

Above: An AquaMaof installed trout farm in Moscow

A POLISH land based salmon farm has successfully grown several batches of harvest size fish since it was established two years ago.

Global Fish, based near Warsaw, has a 600-tonne capacity recirculation aquaculture system, producing fish from eggs to smolts and up to 5kg marketable salmon.

It runs commercially, with a small-scale production for the local market.

The facility has been equipped with Israeli RAS technology from AquaMaof Aquaculture Technologies, which describes the Polish operation as partly an R&D and training centre.

David Hazut, CEO of AquaMaof, which

is based in Rosh Ha’ayin, said: ‘We see significant growth potential in the supply of recirculating aquaculture systems to salmon production companies.

‘The investment in Poland will serve two main purposes: first, we are operating this facility as an R&D centre, collecting valuable information

and analysing it, for further innovation in the RAS area.

Secondly, it serves as a training facility for our customers’ staff.’

Global Fish houses multiple RAS rearing units, with tank space ranging from 1-200 m3, all under strict standard operating procedures, which maximise growth conditions for salmon.

AquaMaof said that its advanced Zero Discharge Technology utilises proprietary water reuse techniques. And efficient power consumption dramatically reduces the costs of energy.

AquaMaof is also the company behind Grieg NL’s hatchery and nursery RAS facility in Newfoundland, which has capacity for seven million smolts.

Spain to grow salmon on land

Above: AquaMaof built this trout production facility, with an annual capacity of 500 tonnes, 100km from Moscow

SPAIN is not known for its cold climate but in a region of Cantabria, on the northern coast, the temperature drops and heavy snow is not uncommon, said Juan Emilio Cano, CEO of Norcantabric.

It is in this area that the company has decided to set up Spain’s first salmon farm, a recirculating aquaculture system using Israeli technology

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European News.indd 8

by AquaMaof. There is a tradition, going back 10 years, of rearing Atlantic salmon in a freshwater hatchery for conservation purposes, restocking the rivers that run into the sea along the northern coast.

This government run initiative is relatively small scale, though, said Cano, and the new RAS plant is on a more ambitious, commercial level, aiming to produce 3,000 tonnes of salmon a year.

It will become operational in April next year when the first eggs are stocked, and once environmental assessments are completed.

Water will be supplied by drilling down 20m into wells. Costing around 30 million euros, the project has been financed by government and private investment and was still looking for 2.1 million euros when Cano talked to Fish Farmer at the Aquaculture Innovation summit in London He said salmon was very popular in Spain and currently the country imports 75,000 tonnes a year, from Norway, Scotland and Chile.

Ireland Hatches new business initiatives IRELAND hosted the latest Hatch Accelerator programme, which invests in aquaculture start-up companies. The three-month long scheme, run by Bergen based Hatch, kicked off in Cork on September 18 and featured initiatives from the UK, US, Chile, Canada and India.

Funded under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, and supported by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), the Irish seafood development agency, Hatch was on a mission to find the latest aquaculture innovations.

The inaugural programme was launched in Bergen in June, and the Irish event hopes to achieve the same success. It provides participants with €25,000 in investment, as well as mentoring, office space for a year and a chance to pitch to a follow-on fund, which could invest between €100,000 and €1 million.

The companies involved are: IctioBiotic, which is developing environmentally friendly and novel oral biotherapeutics; MinnowTech, a US based imaging company that has developed a product which uses algorithms, AI and machine learning to measure real-time biomass and activity of aquatic species; Savitri Aquamonk of India, which has developed sensor based IoT devices to help farm management; Prospective Research, which employs specific beneficial bacteria to promote an immune response against harmful bacteria found in fish and shellfish; Wittaya Aqua, creators of a farm production management platform; and Alune, which claims to be able to regenerate damaged ecosystems.

Cork resident Wayne Murphy, chief operating officer and co-founder of Hatch, said: ‘We had a fantastic time in Norway. We had eight companies, and a number are now closing investment rounds, which is fantastic to hear.’

Hatch chief executive and co-founder Carsten Krome was one of several investors at the recent Aquaculture Innovation summit in London, which linked enterprises to potential funding streams.

(See page 34).

Above: Wayne Murphy

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03/10/2018 16:25:32

All the latest industry news from Europe

Pen ‘enclosed’ in new fight against lice

Photo: Cermaq

NORWEGIAN salmon farmer Cermaq transferred smolts into its sea based closed containment system late last month.

The 120m pen, in Horsvågen in Nordland, is encased in tarpaulin and will have water pumped in from a depth of 13m, preventing sea lice entering the cage.

The tarp wall is made of strong and flexible composite, which minimises the risk of escape, in what Cermaq describes as the world’s largest closed cage using flexible walls. Capacity is 400 tonnes and volume is 10,400 m3.

‘We have been working on this project for a long time, and we are happy that we now are ready to put fish into the pen,’ said Frode

Above: Smolts are put into Cermaq’s new closed containment system in Horsvågen

Holmvaag, manager seawater Nordland of Cermaq Norway.

‘This is new technology to us, and it will be very interesting to follow the growth and development of the fish in the new containment system.’

The system, which has been constructed in partnership with Botngaard and Serge Ferrari, is certified for locations with a wave height of 2m, and can be used at most existing sea sites.

Botngaard system delivery manager Magnus Stendal said: ‘The delivery and start-up of the closed cage in Horsvågen mark a milestone for Botngaard and our development programme for closed cages.

‘We will now work together with Cermaq and our industry partners to further improve the technology and daily operations of the cage.’

Serge Ferrari, world leader in innovative flexible materials, has developed the membrane wall that makes the containment system flexible and safe.

The company’s Gabriel Faysse said: ‘After six years spent on R&D on various topics such as non-toxic formulation, as little elongation as possible and excellent lifetime, Serge Ferrari has come up with a new membrane dedicated to flexible closed cages: our Biobrane Aqua 2050.

Shock as Iceland salmon farming licences revoked TWO Icelandic coastal communities have expressed dismay after licences to allow a major expansion of fish farming were suddenly revoked.

Late last year, the Icelandic Food Administration gave the green light to the companies Fjarðarlax (owned by Arnarlax) and the Arctic Sea Farm to produce up to 17,500 tonnes of salmon in Patreksfjordur and Tálknafjörður, both in the Westfjords region.

But the country’s Environmental and Natural Resources Complaints Committee has just overturned that decision. It argued that an environmental assessment by the companies and the administration’s planning agency on the impact of the proposed developments did not have a sufficiently sound basis or the right information.

Fjarðarlax had planned to develop facilities to produce 10,700 tonnes of salmon, while Arctic Sea Farm had been granted a licence for 6,800 tonnes. Both companies are thought to be seeking legal advice.

The ruling has brought a sharp response from the affected communities, which together barely number 1,100 inhabitants.

They said in a statement that the decision would have ‘an enormous impact on employment and business’ in the area.

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03/10/2018 16:25:57

European News

Norway seafood push in Middle East THE Norwegian Seafood Council is organising two missions to the Middle East this autumn but, significantly, Iran is not on the itinerary.

The Tromso based national marketing organisation is planning a major presence at the Seafex fair in Dubai, and Saudi Horeca in Saudia Arabia, with an open invitation to all Norwegian seafood exporters.

Both Seafex and Saudi Horeca are the largest exhibitions of their kind in the region, attracting tens of thousands of visitors from the food and hotel industry.

Ingelill Jacobsen, project manager for new markets at the Seafood Council, said: ‘The Middle East region is an important part of the focus on new markets for Norwegian seafood.

‘Norwegian presence is necessary to ensure that a larger proportion of the population puts seafood from Norway on the menu.’

The council says that, according to large store chains such as Carrefour and Lulu, there are still more people who want seafood from Norway.

In particular, the customers ask for Norwegian salmon, but there are also potentials for shrimp, shellfish, cod and mackerel. In the United Arab Emirates, for example, people eat an average of 23 kilos of seafood a year, with most of it imported. The main species is hammour, a type of grouper, but it is heavily overfished.

Jacobsen said this opened up opportunities for more sustainable, northern hemisphere cod.

Seafood consumption in Saudi Arabia (population 32 million) is much lower than the UAE, averaging just 13 kilos a year, but there is a growing demand for farmed salmon, trout and mackerel in particular.

The Saudi authorities, worried that the population is becoming overweight, are also encouraging their people to adopt a healthier diet. The region has also invested millions in recent years in developing its own aquaculture operations.

Seafex will be held in Dubai from October 30 to November 1, while Saudi Horeca takes place in Riyadh between November 27 and 29.

Bakkafrost seeks cause of 750,000 dead fish BAKKAFROST reported the death last month of hundreds of thousands of fish at one of its salmon farming sites on the Faroe Islands, with the precise cause still unknown.

However, it is beginning to look as if the spread of a potentially harmful algae could be at the heart of the problem which has so far killed 750,000 fish.

The big Faroese salmon company said in a statement that it had recorded an ‘elevated mortality level’ at farming site A-81 Kolbanagjógv on September 20.

Bakkafrost added: ‘Approximately 750,000 fish with an average weight of 500g live weight died within a couple of hours. The fish at farming site A-81 Kolbanagjógv was released into the sea in June - August 2018.

‘It has not been possible to confirm the cause of the incident, but algae phaeocystis, pseudo-nitzscia and heterosigma were registered in the sea at farming site A-81 Kolbanagjógv on September 20 2018, and the algae are suspected to have caused the mortality incident.’

All three possible causes are forms of algae with heterosigma which is also known as harmful algal bloom.

Former minister Sandberg launches seafood consultancy PER Sandberg, who resigned as Norway’s fisheries minister last month over a controversial holiday to Iran, is planning to start his own company – and, unsurprisingly, it is connected to seafood.

He will work with his girlfriend, Bahareh Letnes, a former Miss Iran, who already has her own fish business.

According to the company register in Norway, his new venture, which is simply titled Per Sandberg, is involved in ‘consulting, marketing, communication, counselling, courses, lectures and publications within a wide range of nutritional interests and policies’.

He says he also works with various marketing and food safety organisations in the Norwegian seafood industry and with technology companies related to seafood production.

Sandberg resigned his post under intense political pressure when he took his

Above: Per Sandberg

girlfriend to Iran on holiday in July.

Although dubbed in Norway as the ‘Iran affair’, that was not the offence. He was brought down over a breach of protocol because he took his ministerial phone with him and did not inform the prime minister’s office about his trip to a country with a poor human rights record until he was already on his way.

The United States, which is a major buyer of Norwegian salmon, was also planning sanctions against Iran and action against any country which trades with Iran.

A popular fisheries minister, Sandberg was replaced by Harald Tom Nesvik.

Fish farming communities in the money Geir Ove Ystmark, chief executive of Seafood Norway, said NORWAY’S remote coastal communities are reaping huge sums the fund was giving significant sums of money to many coastal of development money from the country’s Aquaculture Fund, communities. recent official figures suggest.

‘The seafood industry wants strong and robust local Small towns with fewer than 5,000 people have been handed communities, and the Aquaculture Fund now shows that the amounts normally beyond their dreams, with one receiving municipalities receive cash as promised. more than 100 million kroners (around £9.2 million).

‘This also shows that it is not necessary to introduce new The total distribution of Aquaculture Fund money from the special taxes on aquaculture companies.’ most recent round of licences granted to salmon farming comBut Harald T. Nesvik, Norway’s new fisheries minister, has panies has totalled at least 2.3 billion kroners (£213 million). told local politicians that they should not expect such large And this is on top of the additional employment and economic sums every year. benefits the new fish farms will bring in their wake.

Above: Harald T. Nesvik The Aquaculture Fund was established in 2016, when the Currently top of the list is the Frøya municipality in the TrønOslo government decreed that those communities where fish delag region, one of the main fish farming areas. farms are based should benefit directly from any new growth plans. The first The town has just 4,900 inhabitants, but it has been handed NOK 103 payment, totalling NOK 60 million, was made last year. million to help finance its future development.

The country’s fish farmers spent tens of billions of kroners at auction over Another community, Smøla in the Nordmøre region, with a population of three days in June this year, buying new salmon production licences.

2,100, has netted NOK 44 million (£4.1 million).

Licences capable of producing 15,000 tonnes were up for auction and two Meanwhile, the slightly larger municipality of Møre og Romsdal will thirds of that allocation was snapped up in under two days. receive NOK 190 million (£17.5 million).

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All the latest industry news from Europe

Danes take technology to next level DANISH aquaculture businesses are collaborating in an initiative to improve the use of new technology in the industry.

A project under the umbrella of the Danish Green Development and Demonstration Programme (GUDP) aims to develop an advanced tool that can gather and process data from stakeholders throughout the sector, including suppliers and fish farmers, in a shared, cloud based database.

The project is led by OxyGuard International and builds on con-

Above: Advanced aquaculture tool

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European News.indd 11

tributions from many of the most innovative companies in Danish aquaculture, such as BioMar, Danish Salmon, AquaPri, Danaqua, Aller Aqua, Kongeåens Dambrug, DTU-Aqua, University of Copenhagen.

For data processing, the software will build on technologies such as big data, internet of things and machine learning.

This will lead to enhanced husbandry in the farms and optimised usage of feed and oxygen, and will help reduce the environmental impact of aquaculture.

Paw Petersen, managing director of Oxyguard International, said: ‘The GUDP project aims at combining IT and aquaculture to develop smart, easy-to-deploy, user friendly tools that can lead to a new era of connected, responsible and efficient, and thus, sustainable aquaculture.’

Ole Christensen, vice president of BioMar’s Europe, Middle East and Africa division, said: ‘For BioMar, the aim is to help our customers to become more efficient and more sustainable in an economically viable way.’

New standard for bream and bass THE Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) has launched its new standard for sea bass, sea bream and meagre.

The standard was developed in response to demand from the sector, which has grown in recent years, particularly Above: Chris Ninnes in Turkey and practices for farming Greece. the species.

There is also inChris Ninnes, CEO creasing demand for of the ASC, said: the species in mar‘The release of the kets such as Japan, sea bass, sea bream the Middle East and and meagre standNorth America. ards is an exciting The standard covers the use of antibi- development and another milestone otics and measurefor the programme. ments of dissolved ‘The introduction oxygen levels, and of this standard establishes best

helps further our mission to drive widespread improvements in the aquaculture industry and provide lasting benefits that will protect the environment, farm workers, and local communities.’

During the next six months, farms can read the newly released standard and use the resources on the ASC website to review the requirements necessary to become certified.

They can then find qualified auditors to begin the certification process.

Sea bass report: Page 49.

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03/10/2018 16:26:36

World News

NEWS...

Canada has potential to double production: report

Above: Timothy Kennedy

FIRST Nations communities stand to gain from aquacul-

ture development in Canada, according to a federal government

report published in September.

More than 40 First

Nation and indigenous communities are now directly or indirectly involved in farming seafood in Canada, SeaWestNews reported.

Aquaculture was highlighted in the government’s Agri-food Report – from Canada’s Economic Strategy Tables - as one of the four priorities requiring immediate action, with the potential for the sector to nearly double production from 200,565 tonnes in 2016 to 381,900 tonnes in 2028 to meet rising demand.

The Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) said the report found stifled growth and lost

opportunity for the aquaculture sector as a result of a complex regulatory framework.

And it called for an economic growth approach for the sector via a new federal Aquaculture Act. Timothy Kennedy, CAIA executive director, said: ‘CAIA is very pleased with the report’s provisions for the aquaculture sector.

It’s clear that the voice of Canadian seafood farmers was heard during the consultations.

‘The recommendations, when implemented, will enable our sector to meet its economic potential.

‘Canada can regain lost competitive

ground and become a true global sustainable aquaculture leader.

‘With a supportive policy and regulatory environment, our industry is ready to seize the opportunity, creating new middle class jobs and growing our economy, much of that activity in coastal communities and with indigenous partnership and engagement.’

He added: ‘We encourage decision makers to enact the recommendations of this report as quickly as possible to ensure Canada can achieve its full potential as a leading competitor in global seafood production.’

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AKVA group is to supply Canadian salmon farmer Grieg NL with at least eight feed barges, as well as feed systems.

Grieg recently won clearance to proceed with its planned $250 million project in the Placentia Bay area of Newfoundland, following an environmental review by the Supreme Court. The development is expected to create 250 new jobs, including in procurement.

AKVA, which like Grieg is Norwegian owned, has entered into a supply and sales contract with Grieg NL, becoming the salmon farmer’s exclusive supplier of feed systems and feed barges up to 2026.

The barges will be built locally, through AKVA’s wholly owned Canadian subsidiary, AKVA group North America. The final number of barges is dependent upon the final number of licences/sites issued and approved by the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and the federal authorities, but there is scope for a minimum of eight. The delivery is estimated to begin in Q2 2020.

After the Placentia Bay decision, Grieg NL’s general manager, Knut Skeidsvoll, said: ‘Grieg NL is a willing partner with the provincial government in its strategy for advancing aquaculture, with the goal of increasing salmon production to 50,000 tonnes annually, and doubling employment in an industry that is year-round and long-term.’ Above: AKVA feed barge

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18/02/2015 11:57

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

03/10/2018 16:18:18

World News

Newfoundland celebrates Aquaculture Week THE Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador celebrated Aquaculture Week in September, with a ringing endorsement of the sector from the province’s fisheries minister, Gerry Bryne.

The provincial government has backed the industry in a ‘Way Forward’ plan that aims to remove barriers to growth in the industry, which is now worth more than CAD $200 million (about £118 million) annually to the local economy.

As part of the scheme, the province has a target of increasing salmon production to 50,000 tonnes (up from around 25,000 tonnes in 2016) and mussels to 10,750 tonnes (3,211 tonnes in 2016).

Byrne said: ‘In partnership with the aquaculture industry, we are pursuing opportunities and removing barriers to support sector growth and cultivate conditions that will foster new and expanding business activity and stimulate private sector employment.

‘The growth of this industry translates into real socio-economic benefits for our rural, coastal and inland communities. This is indeed a year to celebrate.’

The government recently gave Grieg NL the go ahead to expand its farming operations in Placentia Bay as part of its commitment to growth (see opposite).

Aquaculture Week was held in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA) Cold Harvest conference and trade show.

Alongside speakers from academia and indus-

Above: Newfoundland fisheries minister Gerry Byrne (right)

try in Canada, Scotland’s Stewart Graham, managing director of Gael Force Group, addressed delegates, in a session titled Aquaculture Social Licence and Public Trust.

The conference brought research updates on lumpfish vaccination, genomics, and novel feed ingredients, plus talks on technology advances, exposed aquaculture, certification, and interactions with wild salmon.

There was also a session with community leaders, including local mayors and a First Nation chief, who have each been given 20-minute slots to talk about aquaculture in their areas.

Mark Lane, executive director of the NAIA,

said Aquaculture Week was ‘symbolic of the close collaboration between industry and the government of Newfoundland and Labrador to grow the farming of our oceans in a sustainable and environmental responsible manner’.

As part of the Way Forward plan, the industry and provincial government are working to support economic growth and foster private sector job creation.

The government and NAIA have also jointly developed the Aquaculture Sector Work Plan, which includes actions that each of the partners will take to achieve the collective goal of growing the industry.

BC summit champions salmon sector FISHERIES scientists and chefs gathered in the western Canadian coastal city of Campbell River last month to discuss the latest advancements in aquaculture.

The British Columbia Salmon Farmers Association’s summit, Seafood West, focused on the value of independent science, partnerships, realising potential, and telling the story of salmon farming in the region.

As well as scientists, delegates heard from the federal government working on Canada’s agri-food and aquaculture’s strategy, and the BC Salmon Farmers Association’s new executive director, former provincial government deputy minister John Paul Fraser.

Shawn Hall, of the BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA), said: ‘Salmon farming is important to BC, supporting almost 7,000 jobs while providing about three-quarters of the salmon harvested in the province each year on just 0.05 per cent of our coast.’

The salmon farming sector in British Columbia has long been targeted by anti-fish farming campaigners, mostly lobbying on behalf of wild fishing interests.

The biggest producer in the area, Marine Harvest, had to resort to a court injunction recently to protect its sites and the welfare of its fish, after an invasion by protesters.

The company is awaiting the outcome of talks between the BC government and First Nations representatives over the future of aquaculture tenures in the Broughton Area off Vancouver Island.

There are over 400 jobs dependent on Marine Harvest farms in the area, said Jeremy Dunn, director of community relations and public

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affairs at Marine Harvest Canada.

‘We know the families that depend on those jobs are concerned but they are also hopeful that these discussions will lead to a workable solution, that will address concerns while allowing us to continue supporting good, local jobs and providing an important food source,’ he said.

Above: Campbell River

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03/10/2018 16:18:35

World News

Salmon and oysters drive Australian growth SALMON and oysters are the main drivers behind Australia’s impressive growth in fish farming, says a report from EUMOFA, the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture.

In 2008-09, the sector was producing just over 70,000 tonnes of farmed fish. By 2015-16, the last year for which figures are available, that total had risen to 97,000 tonnes.

Although a long way from the northern hemisphere, Australia’s aquaculture companies are using Atlantic salmon for their breeding, plus a limited amount of rainbow trout.

But the report says that, as in other parts of the world, trout production has declined in recent years. Salmon now accounts for 60 per cent of all aquaculture activity.

EUMOFA says: ‘Oysters are the second most important aquaculture sector in Australia, including both the culture of oysters for food utilisation, and for the production of pearls.

‘Moreover, both tuna and prawns rank among the top farmed species. While the value of prawn production has seen an increase over the past seven years, that for tuna fattening has been stagnating.’

Salmon production mainly takes place in Tasmania, accounting for 30 per cent of output, while other species are specific to various states.

The tuna fattening sites are located in Southern Australia, barramundi and shrimp operations are primarily located in Queensland, and New

Above: Oyster farming Australia

South Wales, Southern Australia and Tasmania are all home to edible oyster farming, while the farming of abalone and blue mussels is carried out along the southern coastline.

Vietnam is the main destination for Australian seafood exports of all kinds, worth (Australian) $682 million a year, followed by Hong Kong at $224 million and Japan at $205 million.

NZ King Salmon trials submersible pens NEW Zealand King Salmon is to launch a project investigating the potential of submersible salmon farms.

The pilot, in around 1,700 ha in Cook Strait, will take about a year and is being supported by the Cawthron Institute and Blue Planet Marine.

The underwater pens are based on Norwegian technology, NZ King Salmon chief executive Grant Rosewarne told local news agencies.

Six monitoring buoys will measure temperature, current, sound and other characteristics, and hydrophones will monitor whales and dolphins.

The data collected from the research project would partly determine how many farms would be built within the area, as would the current strength and other factors.

In July, Rosewarne estimated that 100 extra pens in Cook Strait, over 80ha, and

with each holding 1,000 tonnes, could lift the company’s annual revenue from $136 million to $2.5 billion.

He said the technology coming out of Norway was designed to go into the open ocean in the North Sea, taking on the harsh conditions with steel.

‘They have quite a big structure above water but ours would only have a few buoys above water and you would have a boat come in to tend and feed the fish.’

Above: Salmon could be reared in submersible pens

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03/10/2018 16:18:56

All the latest industry news from around the world

US sees future in offshore fish farming MOVES in the US to develop offshore fish farms in federal waters are being backed by the Trump administration.

The US Commerce Department is to hold meetings around the country throughout November to talk about its strategic plan for fish farms, according to a report

by Alaskafishradio.

The Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture (AQUAA) Act was introduced in the summer to facilitate the permitting process for aquaculture farms in federal waters, and fund research and development to advance the aquaculture industry.

The new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) director, Chris Oliver, said at a recent session in Juneau, Alaska, that wild harvests can’t keep up with global demand.

‘Aquaculture is going to be where the major increases in seafood production occur, whether it happens in foreign countries or in United States waters,’ he said.

Alaska bans fish farming in state waters, but Trump is pushing for sites in federally controlled waters, from three to 200 miles offshore.

Under Secretary of Commerce Timothy Gallaudet also backed the development of fish farms.

‘Some of the changes in the environment are affecting fish stocks,’ he said. ‘They are either moving or they’re not thriving and so this aquaculture, done the right way and scientifically based, provides a means for employment of fishermen who are losing some of their gain through these changing conditions.’

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03/10/2018 16:19:18

Industry platform

BY STEWART GRAHAM

Do the right thing

Building social licence involves all stakeholders – except extremists

S

tewart Graham, managing director of Gael Force Group and co-chair of the Aquaculture Industry Leadership Group, addressed the recent Cold Harvest conference in Newfoundland, on the subject of earning social licence and winning public trust. Here is an edited version of his talk.

Gael Force is 35 years’ old and I have seen this industry growing from nothing in Scotland and, in parallel to Newfoundland, replacing a lot of what was a traditional fishing industry.

I have seen, first-hand, the transformational benefits aquaculture has brought to rural and island communities in particular. It has been an incredible game-changer, the single biggest thing next to the oil industry.

Two years ago, we created an aquaculture strategy for Scotland to 2030. We did that without authority or without being press-ganged.

We felt that while we were getting past our teething problems, we’d never actually had a strategy.

We were really frustrated that in 2003 we were producing 170,000 tonnes of salmon and there we were in 2016, producing 170,000 tonnes of salmon.

Although we’d had a catastrophic implosion in 2003-2004 based on ISA, which took us down to below 100,000 tonnes, we had not moved on.

The first and early discussions took place with the

producers and, of course, the producers had a producers’ organisation so there were some hurdles to overcome there. We needed them to buy into the fact that there was, and always will be, a wide and diverse range of stakeholders.

Once that penny dropped, with the producers recognising and understanding the wider stakeholder needs, we then got the government, the regulators and other stakeholders to come to the table, including all sections of the supply chain, the logistics, shellfish, value added, companies like ourselves, and all the various agencies too.

Having identified all the stakeholders, we had to understand their needs, starting with the Scottish government. On a national level, we tried to understand what the government might want from this sector, and then appeal to them for some help, including with ministerial appointments.

And we assured them that, in our case, they didn’t have to spend any money!

They would be receiving money from this growth industry that they were keen to encourage.

With our strategy, we thought it was better to be under the umbrella of food and drink (which has been a massive success story in Scotland), rather than in a fisheries sector.

We established our strategic priorities, and then set out 20 recommendations. We’re now working through those, with five or six closed off, and another six or seven that we’re well through, and the others that we haven’t quite started yet.

The direction is absolutely forwards, with complete buy in from the many stakeholders who were there when we devised the original strategy.

The key has been collaboration and getting everyone aligned, with producers realising there was much more benefit if they allowed scope and consideration to other stakeholders, and also getting regulators and consenting authorities to understand that there was a government requirement and an economic

Left: Stewart Graham addresses delegates.

Opposite: Senator Fabian Manning and Senator Bett Marshall welcome Gael Force Group to Newfoundland.

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03/10/2018 16:16:20

Do the right thing

of “Some their

behaviour is subversive, and some of them are breaking the law

”

imperative that there were social and economic development needs within rural communities.

We excluded, quite specifically, the anti-salmon farming lobby because we didn’t think they had anything to contribute to the discussion. We would have liked to have included them but we didn’t. They lacked the will to collaborate or align with a wider stakeholder group.

Their behaviour in Scotland has become similar to that of extremists. They are not open to discussion, their views are not open to challenge, some of their behaviour is subversive, and some of them are breaking the law.

And like any extremist group, no sensible, legitimate stakeholder group could or should engage with them. They have no social licence and they haven’t won the public trust. They are fighting a war based on lack of facts, on untruths, not based on science, and they will remain marginalised and on the extreme.

However, that is the situation and we have to deal with it on an ongoing basis. Although their behaviour is becoming ever more radical, the invitation is still extended to them to come inside the tent and engage in constructive dialogue.

We, as a wider industry, have to think who our stakeholders are: it’s our workforce and families, it’s our customers, it’s our supply chain, it’s our host communities, it’s the municipal, provincial, national governments, regulators, other competitors for our resources – there are other people who want that patch of seabed.

And at the bottom of the list, and rightly so, we have people like myself, the shareholders.

In building social licence, it’s very important that we engage and listen to these stakeholders and that we align our own business objectives with their interests.

Our behaviours can change if necessary. Our actions need to reflect and deliver on what we say we will do. If we want to start building trust, we must listen to other people and try and get alignment, and if we say we’re going to do something, we do it.

Why do we need a social licence and public trust? We have a great story to tell and must tell it, but that’s not all we have to do.

You earn social licence and win public trust by understanding and delivering

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Stewart Graham.indd 17

on all stakeholder views, by treating all stakeholders with respect, by being transparent, open and honest, by admitting and learning from mistakes and doing so promptly, by building a satisfied workforce, putting back into your host community, and basically, doing the right thing.

Why is it important? If, like in Newfoundland, we have top level political support, we could charge on regardless and forget everybody else perhaps. But that’s hardly sustainable and in the long term that will come undone.

Social licence and public trust helps us attract and retain a motivated and proud workforce, and attract and retain key customers, and we won’t do that if we fall foul of public trust.

We can build community support for new developments, we can win regulatory approval for operations, and political support through policy making, and we can deliver stronger and more sustainable business performance.

There is nothing about earning social licence and winning public trust that is not in the interests of building a strong and successful business.

A good corporate citizen delivers for all stakeholders and a good corporate citizen earns social licence and wins public trust by doing things right and doing the right thing; there is nothing complicated about that.

But we need to not just say that, we need to all understand it and deliver on it.

The views expressed are those of Stewart Graham in his personal capacity and not on behalf of the Scottish Aquaculture Industry Leadership Group or the wider industry. FF

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03/10/2018 16:16:34

Trade associations – Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation

BY JULIE HESKETH-LAIRD

Trust is key to growth Winning the battle for hearts and minds

T

HE Scottish salmon farming industry has an exceptional story to tell; of health advancement, economic growth, job creation, repopulation and national pride.

Farmers have been farming fish for a few decades now, successfully and with the support of local communities.

But as Scotland’s rural affairs committee finalises its report on salmon farming, the sector’s critics have been vocal, directing media reports about farm raised salmon in an attempt to persuade public perception.

The tone has been harsh. We should expect the inquiry outcome to make difficult reading for the men and women who work hard to make this industry a success. The industry is at a crossroads, with choices to make on its future direction.

It will feel as if it is doing the right things. Farmers are working hard to increase survival rates, and lice levels are the lowest for five years, thanks to the continuous quest for improvement. The industry has invested enormously in innovative techniques, from advances in netting and automated cleaning, to in-pen cameras.

The basics of fish husbandry endure - look after your fish, keep them healthy and safe, and you’ll have a great product that consumers prize.

And that principle guides all the farms I have visited since I joined the sector six months or so ago.

So what has changed to have led to the current indictments from the growing chorus of critics? The salmon farming industry’s social licence is under serious question. It is no longer enough for farmers to fulfil the requirements of their operational licences – to grow fish and expect to gain public acceptance for their practices, no matter how compliant they may be with regulation or customer specifications.

It is no longer enough to do the work, make investments, adopt the best science and possess the evidence that industry practice is sustainable.

Successful modern companies have to work harder than ever to ensure that not only do they maintain their licence to operate, they also secure their social licence – the informal and unwritten ‘permission’ that society gives companies or organisations to operate.

Social licence cannot be self-awarded; it must be earned and maintained. And the consequences of breaching or losing social licence can be far harsher than breaching planning approval or environmental licences.

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Building trust takes time. It can’t be found or contracted in. It must be earned. Whatever the outcome of the Scottish parliament inquiry, the industry must take the path of building trust among important stakeholder groups.

The outcome of the inquiry has been years in the making and we cannot expect to change hearts and minds overnight.

This is not to advocate directly taking on those whose minds are made up. We can’t control what the activists do or say, though there is a lot in our control that we can manage – industry transparency, accountability, clarity about the benefits of the whole sector in Scotland and across the UK, and clarity about the benefits of eating healthy salmon.

Importantly, too, companies must be prepared to speak honestly, openly and promptly when things do go wrong and be clear what is being done to remedy issues and put in place further due diligence. The Scottish salmon farming industry must get better at this or expect more backlash.

When I joined the SSPO in the spring, I talked to this magazine about the ‘hidden gem’ of a sector I had joined. Tucked away in remote parts of Scotland is an absolute beauty of an industry that really powers lots of coastal communities.

People have no idea it’s so important and that the vast majority of farms run without issues.

We cannot, though, expect people to fully understand and connect with our industry if they cannot imagine, or have seen for themselves, a fish farm or its operations.

It is so important that people understand where their food is grown and we must be more

Above: SSPO boss Julie Hesketh-Laird wants farms to become more accessible to the public

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03/10/2018 16:13:50

Trust is key to growth

“

of farms achieve. And open to quickly holding its hands up when things go wrong, and demonstrate the remedies being deployed.

The industry is absolutely clear that any future growth must be steady and sustainable. Alongside the current, complex consenting regime and processing facilities will all help a generation for Scottish aquaculture, the industry’s ability to secure its social licence will be the over-riding grow up with an understanding of what it takes factor that determines sustainable growth into to farm our food locally. the future.

And, of course, ever more stories and images The expected report from the parliamentary online of the overwhelmingly compliant industry inquiry offers a great opportunity to re-engage will help paint a truer and more balanced with communities, engage with new audiences picture.

The industry must pay closer attention and lis- and demonstrate the real story behind Scottish salmon. ten to evolving social expectations of it. It must Julie Hesketh-Laird is chief executive of the be open to transparent reporting of practices to SSPO. FF show the world leading standards the majority

Companies must be prepared to speak honestly, openly and promptly when things do go wrong

and more open to making our farm sites and other industry facilities accessible, so they can see the fantastic industry that I see and make their own minds up. Otherwise, the narrative of the unbalanced activist reporting fills the knowledge void.

There is good progress being made, with visits to farms becoming more common. And the planned visitors’ centre on Skye will shine a light on how sustainable salmon is farmed.

School visits to hatcheries, freshwater sites

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”

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03/10/2018 16:14:21

Trade ASSG Trade Associations associations -–Association of Scottish Shellfish Growers

BY DR NICK LAKE

BY NICK LAKE

Planning everything Call for anisoverhaul Holistic approach marine resource will benefit shellfish growers Planning legislationtomust provide basisuse to further develop industry

TW

HATof a summer it was!

As I is write, the Met to take willoft beentied up to be overlooked in top try but this seems HE start the cultivati on year all about spat collecti onaiflong-term you are aview. Planning is everything as investments Office is still compiling the data to deterfor years in nurturing shellfish through to harvest; not only the growing condidown research proposals. mussel business and the weather conditions have been favourable so tions, but the logistics of gaining seed supplies and getting market Forproducts example,tothe academic study of climate far. mine if records have been broken, but it wascan hot ever and dry for extensive periods must environment be considered.but change will not be on the agenda for any individNothing be taken for granted in the marine you Scotland. operations can struggle with lack of public infrastructure, while ual producer butover requiring rapid testing or moniawherever good spatf allwere (andin retenti on) will provide the basis for Lone a further boost to the This was a great bonus for tourism and resultant development of a sea loch with too many sites may be biologically inefficient. toring technology to deal with possible associated industry’s outputs. local shellfish at hotels restaurants.

There is also therewider consideration of other developments, terrestrial everydayboth events will.

Thesales 2016ofScotti sh Culti vatedand Shellfi sh Production figures, announced Hopefully, those visitors returning home will have at sea, forScotti growing shellfish. sh shellfi sh sector has over the years cently, recognised the hard work of the sector.

Musseland producti onpotentially increased impacting the quality of the waterThe memories of Scottish shellfish al fresco in their Traditional planning consents under the Town and Country Planning Act research interventions of the benefited from the significantly and the quantity available in the system for on-growing also minds when they their supermarkets, and (TCPA) can consider the potential for over development in terms of individual Scotti sh Aquaculture Research Forum (SARF). Unbodes well for thevisit future. choose products over offerings.

However, they typically do not take a wider fortunately, with diminishing budgets from the key Pacificour oyster producti onother is equally encouraging, withcarrying outputscapacity up. Thisdeterminations. reTo every upside there is often aofdownside, andseed from viewour of requirements, publiclimited sectorlocations bodies involved, including the former flects the conti nued availability good quality UK hatcheries.such as access to wild seed supplies, with the weather we have had this year, there has having appropriate water depth, or wave exposure, or potential interactions Crown Estate, SARF is now entering the last round While king and queen scallops, together with the native oyster, continue been apparent occurrence of harmful with other stakeholder of research funding guided by the practical needs to be an culti vated ingreater Scotland, very limited outputs are available to the market. activities. algal supply bloomsand (HABs). of industry.

Spat length of grow-out are factors, and the scale of production spatialScotti planning With the investments made the industry in case forMarine The most recent shellfish related work underhas always made it difficult toby argue a business a dedicated sh monitoring such events, thisonhas not caused The introduction of Marine Planning Partnerships (under takenthe

by Marine SARF was with respect to the planning hatchery focusing outputs these speciesmajor alone. disruptions in national market supply.

(Scotland) Act 2010) through the establishment of statutory Scottish Marine regime under the Town and Country Planning However, the mussel hatchery stepping stone project continues apace in (SMRs) provides the opportunity for a more holistic approach to at a local authority level the However,soindividual producers may have had may Regions Act which regulates Shetland, options for a multi-species hatchery be a future developmarine resource use. to restrict product to local market outlets during requirements to establish an aquaculture site. ment. certain periods.

The first mainland Marine Planning Partnership (MPP)The has fibeen established nal shellfi sh related report available on This is all part of operating a safe and secure for the Clyde SMR and the preparation of a marine plan for the area is underthe forum’s website (SARF 110) indicates the Native oyster food business result in benefit to industry of having this sort of research Partiproduction cular interest in thebut natican ve oyster is wasted typically seenway. in the specialist highharvesting operations.

Along the other stakeholders- such as shipping, harbours, renewaapproach which has dealt with issues fundamental end restaurant sector and equally among conservationists as itwith is a all Biodiversibles, cables, fishing, recreation, nature conservation the potential to accomWhat would be ideal would be testing for algal to business start-up and success. ty Action Plan (BAP) species. toxins in real time seanati to ve gain quantitative modate shellfish needs to be considered within spatial It isthe hoped thatplanning the legacy of SARF will in part The potenti al foratthe toabe re-established in the Dornoch Firth cultivation and result to make andisti immediate harvestprocess.headlines – be a better understanding of the general needs the linkupon withwhich the Tain whisky llery created some amazing ing decision.

Unlike many other sectors, shellfish cultivation is uniquely the respect natu- to the requirement for of ourlinked sectortowith such as ‘Raising a glass to the return of oysters’. ral productivity and hydrographic features of an area and can be detrimentally Well, good news is potentially on the way – with applied research which may not directly relate to Clearly, some commentators are unaware that there is a successful native affected by changes in water quality, incidence of HABs, lack oforaccess to a successful UKinconsortium to the biology environmental factors but nonetheless oyster fishery Loch Ryan –bid which is BBSRC/NERC after all in Scotland! natural so on.

Funding Council’s aquaculture initiative, ledaby Rob- reef is extremely important to future industry develGreat that this work to try and establish biogenic and seed supplies, and Opposite page: Mussel ert Gordon’sthe University the ASSG. The cultivation industry is how do we get these opment. reintroduce speciesand intosupported the northby is going ahead and attproblem racting for our shellfish farming Theve research investigate, through diverse influences recognised within any marine spatial planning positi media proposes attention,tothough.

But while the‘lab volume sales controlling of on a chip’ technology, if a range of algal toxins can system?

Permitted Development Rights mussels and Pacific oysters are driven by an expanding market, it We are Planning Partner-consents and ability to be detected realoff time at sea on a quantitative The issue of planning seems someinway before general consumers (or the multi pleat the start of what will be a series of SMRs Marine ships covering the entire Scottish coastline- 11 in totalexpand (Shetland already a basis. will be prepared to pay a premium for the additi producti onhas is currently to the fore with Maretailers) onal work required comprehensive Marine Plan and Marine Planning Partnership in place).

If the requirement for in-water and within the rine Scotland undertaking a public consultation on to cultivate the native.

The as ASSG, being small trade association, is going tothe findissue it extremely diffishellfish determinations canwater be achieved, of Permitt ed Development Rights There isflesh a need to ensure that quality is maintained pristi ne if awe Below: Fresh raw(PDRs). oysters thisto could improveThe shellfish cultbetothe engage withtoeach MPP as they develop over time.

Butability it is important The to expand within strict limits are havesignificantly a viable industry. nativeharvesting oyster may well species with lemon the strategies during HAB occurrences. we positi do, ason any site under the Town or to change the shellfish ty of equipment drive this message home within Scotland as we are stillthat in the ofplanning decision for a new shellfishquanti and Country Planning Act has to take account of the marine planning proviWhile we are possibly several years away from species cultivated at any site consented under the having over half of our designated Shellfish Waters Protected Areas rated by sions recognised in the SMR plan for spatial developments. this becoming a commercial reality, it does show Town and Country Planning Act (TCPA) is fundathe Scottish government as degraded. that priorities resultproducers in applied and re- consumers and we are inmental to business development.

Thisindustry has implicati onscan for both Clyde pilot search being undertaken and of hopefully improving Equally, operators will be aware that with time creasingly seeing a clear lack understanding from the Scotti sh agencies of the commercial success of our sector in the longer In conjunction research andpursued improved knowledge of their site conditions the scope and implications of failing to proactively address this issue. with the Crown Estate Scotland, we have term. looking at the factors contributing to the success or otherwise of shellfishes may arise from those first other opportuniti cultivation businesses operating within a localised area. envisaged. Hence this consultation is important in Aquaculture research of the initial study, looking at mussel farming operations Healthy environment order to look at- and building a degree of flexibility into There ismarine a real need for applied research for the benefiThe t of results the wider indusAny shellfish grower establishing a farm site needs scale of production required to achieve viability, were reported at last year’s

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06/07/2017 14:26:55 03/10/2018 16:12:14

Planning is everything

ASSG annual Oban conference (more about this year’s conference below).

Not only was it evident from this initial work that a minimum size of mussel farming operation was required to achieve viability, but also that scaling up production was not straightforward.

Access to seed supplies and the logistics of operating and financing modern harvesting vessels are critical factors in business success. Such information is considered important to input into the regional planning process.

It is extremely encouraging that the Crown Estate has decided to further refine this study and consider all of the relevant factors which may impinge on the development of a mussel farming industry within a defined area.

Given the current formulation of the Clyde Marine Plan, it makes sense to base the shellfish study on this particular area. The intention is not only to inform the Clyde marine planning process, but provide a template which can be used to engage with any other Marine Planning Partnerships as they form.

While mussel cultivation has formed the core of this work programme, it would be hoped that- with a favourable process by which industry requirements to operate successfully can be identified within the Marine Planning process- a similar model for oyster farming considerations could be developed.

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Shellfish.indd 21

Access to seed supplies and the logistics of operating “and financing modern harvesting vessels are critical factors in business success ”

ASSG conference 2018 Preparations are very much underway for this year’s conference, to be held as usual in the Corran Halls, Oban, but rather earlier than usual, from October 4-5.

With the theme ‘Scottish cultivated shellfish – our role in saving the planet!’, we can guarantee great presentations, informative trade stands and a fantastic opportunity to sample seafood at our lunches and dinner.

This year, we have decided to focus on some of the interactions of shellfish aquaculture with the environment and society, and seek to consider any potential solutions the cultivation of shellfish can and should increasingly deliver.

‘Our role in saving the planet’ may seem to be a grand title but it is probably not an over-estimation if world production is taken into account.

On a more parochial basis, our own industry has a key role to play in many aspects of securing social and environmental benefits for Scotland.

We are delighted that the conference will be

opened by Roseanna Cunningham, Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform. These portfolios are all key areas which impact our sector as a whole and some individual businesses specifically.

The industry must continue working closely with the Scottish government to secure solutions to some of the more pressing issues, including the protection of shellfish growing waters from increasing man-made pressures.

This is one area where regional marine spatial planning could start to deliver real benefits to protect natural assets – which cannot be replicated if lost or unable to be accessed.

I should not forget to add our thanks to Marine Scotland and Seafish for their continued sponsorship of the event. It is entirely appropriate that October 5 is the start of Seafish ‘Seafood Week’ and no better time to enjoy the wonderful seafood fare which will be served at the conference lunches and at our annual dinner on the evening of 4th.

Dr Nick Lake is CEO of the ASSG. FF

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03/10/2018 16:12:42

Comment

BY DR MARTIN JAFFA

Eat fish, it tastes

great!

Marketing campaigns are missing an important aspect of seafood

B

RITISH consumers currently eat on average one portion of fish a week. This includes fish from fish and chip shops rather than buying and eating fish at home.

The public are struggling to achieve the target consumption of two portions of fish a week, one of which should be an oily fish like salmon.

I have been unable to ascertain who came up with the ‘two a week’ recommendation or when it was introduced. We do know that the ‘five a day’ campaign was a marketing initiative to get US consumers to eat more fruit and vegetables, but it seems that the number was plucked from the air.

By comparison, the ‘two a week’ campaign had a more scientific basis.

Despite this, attaining two a week appears to be unachievable for many British consumers, especially as home consumption of fish is on the decline.

Even a recent change to include the word fish – two fish a week – doesn’t appear to have had any traction with the public.

Perhaps if two a week is an unrealistic goal then it is time to change the bar - which is exactly what John West has done. The producer of tinned fish has teamed up with Heart UK to run a new promotion called ‘one a week’. This is to encourage consumers to eat one portion of oily fish a week in order to boost their omega 3 fatty acid consumption.

While one a week appears to dilute the original message, it isn’t any different because the two a week campaign is to eat two portions of fish a week, of which one is an oily fish. John West is simply promoting the consumption of this one portion of oily fish.

Although John West sells a range of oily fish, such as sardines, mackerel and salmon, the one a week campaign appears to be only on packs of red (sockeye) salmon.

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Martin Jaffa.indd 22

This might be due to a long roll-out, or that tins of salmon are the only packs that are large enough to carry details of the campaign. Given the absence of any other advice on fish products about consumption, John West’s initiative must be welcomed. However, there is a catch.

Sales of tinned salmon are in decline. This is not surprising. Firstly, fish consumption is in decline, so consumption of ambient fish is unlikely to be any different.

At the same time, while tinned salmon was once the only way that many consumers would get to eat salmon, the fish is now widely available in many other forms.

The outside of a standard tin of salmon may look attractive on the shelf but inside, the fish is a mix of flesh, skin and bones. Anyone who had never seen this before would be wary from the outset. Most tinned salmon consumers are likely to be in the older age group and buy it because they have been used to it for many years.

If younger consumers do shop at the tinned fish section, they are more likely to buy tuna, which now dominates the fish offering.

The other question relating to this one a week campaign is whether typical consumers buy fish for health reasons.

There is a trend towards generally healthy

An omega “3-rich diet is

a long-term investment in health not a short-term gain

”

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03/10/2018 16:10:43

Eat fish, it tastes great!

Above: Broiled salmon with radish and spinach

diets, but fish is often not included. This is because health is not always the main driver of choice.

One of the reasons fish consumption is in decline is that newer consumers often have a negative image of fish – bones, heads and especially the smell.

It may be that promoting oily fish as a health enhancing food will deter consumers for whom health is not an issue. After all, eating an omega 3 rich diet is a long-term investment in health not a short-term gain.

Last year, writer Paul Greenberg embarked on

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Martin Jaffa.indd 23

a quest to eat fish and seafood every day for a year. After this endeavour he expected to find that his health had significantly improved, but the reality was that it hadn’t.

In fact, he saw no change at all. It may well be that his high blood pressure, which didn’t improve, was an inherited problem which no amount of fish would reverse.

It is also likely that omega 3 fatty acids protect rather than treat and so expecting improvement was unrealistic.

In all the effort to promote fish consumption, which doesn’t really amount to much, the one aspect that is often omitted is that fish is simply great to eat.

It is not the omega 3 that makes salmon so popular with British consumers, but the fact that, whichever way it is cooked, it tastes so good. FF

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03/10/2018 16:11:03

10 years in Orkney

Crest of a wave Scottish Sea Farms marks a regional success story

F

ERGUS Ewing, Scotland’s rural economy minister, vowed to continue fighting for the future of the country’s salmon farming industry as he marked the tenth anniversary of Scottish Sea Farms’ operations in Orkney.

In a speech at an evening reception in Kirkwall on September 27, he praised the contribution the sector makes to the islands, saying: ‘Rural communities on the edge of Scotland would suffer without the salmon farming industry.’

Salmon farming supports jobs where there are no other alternatives, he said, and they were good, well paid jobs.

In fact, the average salary for Scottish Sea Farms (SSF) staff on Orkney is £37,215, higher than that for Scotland (£27,404) or Orkney generally (£26,260), and the company paid an annual local wages bill of £1.6 million in 2017/18.

The minister, a long time champion of the industry, said salmon farmers not only produced the ‘biggest and most important of our food exports’, but also provided the most nutritious food with the lowest carbon footprint – something none of his colleagues in the Green Party ever mentioned!

‘Yes, there are challenges and, yes, we’re overcoming these challenges, more than you would believe if you read or paid much credence to the main press.

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Orkney - inro.indd 24

‘My job is to get that message across – the real story that aquaculture in Scotland is the industry of the periphery; there is no other that is so successful, more important, more sustainable and more precious to my way of thinking than aquaculture and what you do.’

He said he and the Scottish government would offer ‘every support we can to deal with the detractors, to get the positives across, and together see even greater success in the future’.

Ewing spent the day in Orkney, talking to farmers, and he held discussions with SSF board members, including Leif Inge Nordhammer, chairman of SSF and its Norwegian part owner, SalMar, the company which has pioneered open sea farming with its ground-breaking Ocean Farm 1- now just harvesting its first crop.

To celebrate a decade of successful salmon farming in Orkney, SSF invited local suppliers and politicians, as well as farm staff and key partners from the Scottish mainland, to the reception in Orkney’s capital.

The company also commissioned an independent impact study, demonstrating the importance of the sector to rural populations.

Conducted by Imani Development, it found that SSF had grown its local workforce from nine to 44 full-time jobs, a figure that will increase to 50 when the company’s eighth farm goes live in 2019.

SSF managing director Jim Gallagher said: ‘To those living on mainland Scotland, 50 jobs might not seem like a huge deal.

‘However, for remote communities such as Eday, Rousay and Sanday that might only have a population of 150, each new job can make the difference between a local staying on the island or leaving, or new people being attracted on to the islands.’

The company also spent an average of £1.2 million annually across 74 local businesses, supporting as many as 250 indirect jobs in the supply chain.

There is no “other sector that is so successful, more important, more sustainable and more precious than aquaculture

”

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03/10/2018 16:09:36

Crest of a wave

Good as gold apprentices

In addition, the study showed that the salmon farmer has invested significantly in local skills and training, with 15 Orkney employees currently enrolled on Modern Apprenticeships.

SSF’s Orkney regional production manager, Richard Darbyshire, paid tribute to the staff who, he said, had helped make the results in Orkney ‘world leading’ in the salmon farming sector.

‘We’re farmers first and foremost, and we know that growing healthy, premium quality fish relies on them being reared in healthy habitats.

‘Equally, we live in the same communities as we farm, therefore it’s incredibly important to us on a personal level that we look after our local environments.’

Scottish Sea Farms’ Orkney sites now grow £38.1 million worth of salmon that’s sold to more than 24 countries worldwide and has an estimated value of £26.5 million GVA (gross value added) to Scotland’s economy. FF

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RURAL Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing presented Scottish Sea Farms’ Modern Apprentices with the Investors in Young People Good Practice Award at Gold level during his visit to Orkney.

All SSF’s Orkney employees have a personal development plan, ensuring they get the proper training and progress to the next level, if they wish.

Some 508 training days were provided in 2017/18, with 118 of those delivered via Orkney College.

The company is also an active partner in Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Orkney. This brings together local education providers and employers, and aims to equip young people for the job opportunities available on the islands, increasing the chance of employment and the likelihood of them remaining on Orkney.

Ewing said: ‘Salmon farming plays a vital role in many remote rural communities, like the Orkney Islands, where local economies are bolstered by the provision of well paid, highly skilled jobs, as well as the creation of a highly valuable and sought after product.

‘During this, the Year of Young People, it’s particularly encouraging to see Scottish Sea Farms investing in the next generation of salmon farmers, as well as leading the way on good practice for the industry.’

Clockwise from top left: Fergus Ewing with SSF communications manager Lesley Dougall and SSF staff; Jim Gallagher, Ewing, Richard Darbyshire and Leif Inge Nordhammer at the reception; staff and special guests Above: Fergus Ewing with SSF apprentices

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03/10/2018 16:09:02

10 years in Orkney

Going with the Flow High energy, high achievement for farmers at newest site

S Above: Gael Force barge.

Opposite (clockwise from from top): Westerbister crew tie up beside the feed barge; site manager Ross Stevenson can monitor the pens from the feeding barge

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COTTISH Sea Farms’ Ross Stevenson had plenty of management experience when he came to run the company’s new Westerbister site two years ago, but the weather took a bit of getting used to.

His previous job, managing Shapinsay, didn’t see quite the winds – up to 100 miles an hour on some winter days – that the Westerlies inflict at the exposed Scapa Flow farm.

On the day Fish Farmer was taken out to the site, the 20-minute boat trip to the pens was choppy but the sea just calm enough for staff to climb on to the walkways to hand feed the young fish.

Stevenson described the conditions as ‘borderline’, and it can get much worse, with the team losing days not being able to physically get out to the site.

But the fast moving currents provide ideal conditions to raise salmon and the first crop, harvested in May this year, were proof that the location had been well chosen.

There was a 95 per cent survival rate, a low FCR of 1.12, no treatments for Leps (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) and just one for AGD, and no antibiotics.

These, said regional production manager for Orkney Richard Darbyshire, were ‘fantastic results…it’s fish farming nirvana’.

Westerbister, the newest of SSF’s Orkney farms, cost £3.5 million to set up and employs a team of six. It has 16 x 100m pens, with a capacity of just under 1,800 tonnes.

On site, a Gael Force 170 tonne capacity feed barge, underpinned by 600 tonnes of concrete, sits still in the water even when the workboat is being tossed about in the swell. From the safety of the wheelhouse, staff can monitor

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03/10/2018 15:59:27

Going with the Flow

the feeding on a bank of screens.

Scottish Sea Farms has invested in remote feeding technology, supplied by Steinsvik, so staff can also feed from the shore base at Scapa when the waves are too high.

The smolts, weighing about 80-120g, had only been in the sea for two weeks when Fish Farmer visited but were about to be introduced to automatic feeding. Harvesting of this crop will start in November 2019, by which time the company’s latest site will be stocked.

SSF won planning permission for its eighth Orkney farm, at Lober Rock, close to St Margaret’s Hope in Scapa Flow, in September.

‘The tide is so strong, they have nursery sites,’ said Darbyshire. ‘Each site is paired, so Shapinsay is paired with Puldrite, and Wyre is

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Orkney - Westerbister.indd 27

paired with Eday. We double stock the nursery sites, get the fish up to 500-600g, and then move them out to the on-growing site.

‘Because these sites are so well flushed, with fast flowing, oxygenated seawater, once they go into these locations they never take a treatment.

‘But what we’ve done in the past - and hopefully, touch wood, it stays like this - is that when the fish are in the young phase, in that first six months, we normally have to do only one peroxide treatment. It’s a fairly low dose, 900-1,000ppm, and that is enough to control the AGD for the whole of the crop.’

This, he said, is at a concentration that doesn’t stress the fish but does

these sites are so well flushed, once they go “Because into these locations they never take a treatment ”

27

03/10/2018 16:00:42

10 years in Orkney

NORTHWARDS TRANSPORT AND DISTRIBUTION

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• Temperature controlled transportation

• Direct connections into Scandinavia and Europe

• HGV workshop services

• Next day pallet deliveries/ collections throughout the UK

• Livestock movement • Ships agents

• Daily overnight service between all depots

Congratulations to Scottish Sea Farms on 10 years of Farming in Orkney

CONTACT OUR DEPOTS: SHETLAND 01595 694452

ORKNEY 01856 851088

ABERDEEN 01224 213215

SCRABSTER 01847 892052

www.northwardsltd.co.uk info@northwardsltd.co.uk

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Orkney - Westerbister.indd 28

INVERNESS 01463 233299

CUMBERNAULD 01236 728108

Top: Inside the feeding barge. Above: Darbyshire.

Opposite: Hand feeding the young fish.

kill the amoeba, and it has been successful.

Darbyshire has been at the helm in the region since SSF bought out Orkney Sea Farms a decade ago and has overseen expansion from three operational farms, harvesting 4,000 tonnes in the first year, to the 8,500 tonnes gutted it is on target to reach by the end of this year.

The new farm at Lober will take SSF up to almost 10,000 tonnes gutted on Orkney.

And there is another farm going through the planning process, currently awaiting an appeal decision after it was rejected by the local council.

Darbyshire hopes to see the application back on track by the end of October so he can plan ahead.

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

03/10/2018 16:01:05

All the latest industry news fromthe theFlow UK Going with

Marine Harvest farm changes Dawnfresh expansion set to goapproved ahead

Drones to monitor water quality

SCIENTISTS MARINE Harvest wonDawnfresh the go ahead to expand of itstofarms in Argyll. appear at a local hearing’.

SCOTTISH trouthas farmer is expected to twobers from the UniThe approval company’s to merge five sites intopens four were approved

by Argyll The conditions imposed on Dawnfresh include win toplans increase its number of fish versity of StirandLoch ButeEtive Council at the end of June, the Oban Times reported. ensuring the finished surfaces of the hoppers on in Argyll. ling launched a Inmeeting one application, Harvest sought 16 xfloats 100mare cages of a into dark recessive colour.

A of Argyll Marine and Bute Council’s Plan-to modifyand project in Sep12 x 120m cages,Services and increase biomass Committo 2,500 tonnes,And at Poll eaststocking of any more than priornatoGille, the first ning, Protective and Licensing tember using of Shuna Island. that planning permission be 10 of the 12 permitted cages or any increase tee recommended new technology This is one of the 10 farms earmarked for 12 innovative have biomass across the site in currentwhich permitted granted to replace x 80m cages with x 80m environets, to enhance the provedofsuccessful in tackling gill health problems during at Dawnfresh Marine must ‘submit a strategy as atrials whole, cages an alternative design. monitoring of Harvest farms on Skye and Western for monitoring and managing the interactions Also, the installation of a the hopper feed Isles. system water quality.

Above: Shuna Island There were objections to the proposal from the campaign group Friendsof the between thethe operation farm and the wild and a biomass of 1,545 tonnes was recommended Along with the Above: Andrew Tyler of Sound of Jura but these were by the council. fish environment’. for approval at the site, Etive 4 atoverruled Airds Bay. In a second application, Marine Harvest planned to boost production at Plymouth Maplanning officer said in amore report: ‘The company dedicated to local strategy should address responses to Ceann (BDNC) The application had received than 330 ob- is This its Bagh Dail Nan at Loch Shuna, Ardfern, byfrom expanding rine farm, Laboratory and colleagues across employment, thechannelled training ofthrough employees, the use of local contractors where breaches of containment and sea lice jections, mostly the Friends it from 10 tocon12 x 120m circumference cages, and increasing its capacity Europe, they are testing cutting edge to possible and the desire group. to integrate into the local environs economically trol measures at theand site, as3,500 well as set out a of Loch Etive campaign tonnes. techniques as part of a €5 million scheme socially.’ programme for the monitoring of changes in the But subject to certain conditions, objections There were 24 objections, including CraignishUnion’s Community Council funded byfrom thethe European Horizon planning officer’s recommendation prevalence of seatolice infestations wildDistrict Salmon byThe thecouncillors group, andagreed by the with Argyllthe District Salmon and the among Argyll and Fishery Board.

2020 programme. approveBoard, the plan: ‘Although [measures] will not eradicate impacts uponawild salmonids within zone of 30km from community the farm. councillors Fishery were withdrawn.

Craignish ‘to the the creeping incremental Theyobjected will study feasibility of using fish, they will mitigate impacts toby a point which in the officer’s view, and ‘Both parties appear reassured the manner increase in capacity posed by this application application drone and otherand in the situassociated technology to that of most consultees, has renders application in which the application beenthe handled, and acceptable.’ (outwith the area but in themonitor same water body) at Poll Gille’.The work will the quality ofna water.

Its impact, theminor reportchanges said, is ‘unlikely to be subject to some being made tosignificant’.

They called for a moratorium on expansion further theis dovetail with a until Stirling ledresearch projecton that the recommended conditions to address their environmental impacts of salmon farming hadtobeen concluded. using satellites monitor water quality concerns, the Fishery Board would be willing to But the planning report said supporters from space. of the farm had argued: ‘The develwithdraw its original objection,’ said the council’s opment of the site will support local jobs,hope particularly for young people with Scientists that information gathered dation for visitors.

MARINE Harvest has revealed report. opportunity for progression, and will help retain workingdevices age people Argyll. from drones or lochside willinhelp Kevin O’Leary, feed plant site plans to build a visitor centre And the Friends of Loch Etive, represented ‘In terms of complaints made regarding and light pollution, the site address gapssound in conventional monitoring manager, near its Linley-Adams new feed plant at also Kyleakby Guy (who represents the told the Press and Jour- manager is approachable and sympathetic to local opinion.’ and support data collected with satellites. nal:Trout ‘This is a stunning location inanti-salmon on Skye, dedicated educating farm lobbytogroup Salmon and Councillors again agreed with the recommendation, approving expandProfessor Andrew Tyler, deputythe dean and withtowonderful views and seems people about Scottish Conservation Scotland),salmon ‘would be content see ed fish farm. associate dean for Research in the Faculty the ideal place for a visitor centre farming. the application determined in the first instance, Marine Harvest plans to close its Ardmaddy site asatpart of the changes and of Natural Sciences Stirling, leads the where people canDawnfresh find out more The company has invested more Above: farming director Alison Hutchins without the opportunity for them and their memreduce combined capacity from 9,600 to 9,500 tonnes. £2.9 million GloboLakes project. about salmon farming and enjoy a than £100 million in the feed factaste of Scottish salmon. tory at the Alt Anavig quarry, and ‘Sodue if we going stock that site at‘Salmon the same time as Lober farming is one of Rock, the it is to are open latertothis year. we’ve got to order a barge and build boats and all that takes time.’

Highlands’ big success stories Around 170,000 tonnes of fish for UKhas vets, farmers and all NOAH, whichoriginally represents theBolton UK inability Darbyshire, from Lancashire, been in the with a great story to tell and we feed is expected to be produced our animals.’ animal medicines industry, has industryatforthe 28site, years, 20 of salmthem in SSF, after first working Marine think a visitor centre for would be a annually feeding Companies have been carrying welcomed the publication Harvest, joined asof athe graduate trainee.addition welcome to Skye. on farms which aroundheScotland, Ireland, out extensive Brexit contingency government’s first no-deal Brexit He saidand Orkney’s achievements a ‘team effort’ andtosome in that very keen be good Norway the Faroe Islands. were ‘We’re planning, covering all aspects of planning notices. team had been with him for the past 10 years, including some he inherPlans for an adjacent visitor cen- neighbours and will be discussing their supply chains, from regulatoBut it said that business remains itedwere fromfirst Orkney Sea Farms. plans for an impressive facility tre mooted more than compliance stockingtolevels very concerned about the lacklice, hasryintroduced Foryears a region no sea 50and direct the with local people oncejobs the feed two ago that (Fishhas Farmer, May logistics and built customs. of sufficient time tomore execute a supplyto islands, and many in the chain, and has up excellent plant is up and running at the end 2016), when land was acquired But,next according to aasrecent smooth EU exit process community relations, thewithout rejection ofof the site came a surprise, the year.’ for the development.

NOAH member survey, less interruption to the availability of Darbyshire admitted.

Councillor John Finlayson said: These plans have now prothan 15 pernot cent of acompanies vital veterinary medicines.

‘We’ve never any sea lice here. ‘As Andthe we’ve shot seal impressive feed millfor over gressed and willhad reportedly say they[anti-predator] are prepared nets, for a which hard NOAH chair Gaynor Hillier new Sealpro two years, since we developed continues to move forward apace, extend to two buildings, one for Brexit, with the vast majority of said: ‘The production and supply been revolutionary.

Andaenvironmental on to thesee farms it is also standards encouraging that ahave visitor centre and café, plus respondents saying they are not of veterinary medicines is totally have been really good.

Marine Harvest are thinking separate building with accommoprepared should there a dependent on news. complex interna‘It’s all good Orkney is a smallfully place, there are onlyprojects 21,000bethat ahead with to WTO (World Trade tional thatsixmust peoplesupply living chains here and new jobs inreversion a small population is significant, will benefit the local Organisation) rules on March continue function effectively especiallytoconsidering the wages we pay.

It’s good quality wages try economy and alsotohelp 30, 2019.

This is neither through after Brexit, their unique status and attract good quality people. support some of the effort, norrates unawareness being recognised in the recent ‘If you are a successful farm that haslack lowofconversion and and a good accommodation ofsite theget need to act, butsaid dueDarbyto government Whitethen Paper. financial success, the guys on the a dividend,’ housing issues facing the magnitude of the complex ‘Raw materials will need to shire.

Skye. tasks had involved in suchApprentices a specialist arrive at manufacturing sites– and Recruitment and training the company 15‘The Modern addition of a Furthermore, because the veterinary medicines will need in Orkney in the last year – are to crucialsector. if the company is to continue visitor centre showgovernment has not yet set out be transported across borders to growing. casing the history and the exact arrangements that will meet market requirements.

‘There is great potential here to develop the salmon further,’ workingindustry of the fish operate in the ‘Any border said Darbyshire. ‘Orkney is a very small industryfarming compared to thewhich west industry, UKthe in case of a delays, addi- and to Shetland, which is three or four times of Scotland size.’will to my knowledge no-deal Brexit, it tional complex Although there are many spin-offs from the farms, work be themaintenance first of its kind, is very hard for processes often has to go to Shetland or Macduff or Inverness. will also be a welcome industry to be orSSF increased uses local suppliers where possible, but some boat don’t tourist andyards educational sure that they costs will availability risk have the to build a boat in the timescale demanded. attraction.’ are prepared. medicines availAbove: plant shape Kyleakinand processing, AndThe fishfeed is sent to taking Shetland for at slaughter which

Plans unveiled for salmon visitor centre

Vet medicines fear over no-deal Brexit

• Fish Cage Nets – Nylon & HDPE • Predator Solutions • Net Service Plant • Treatment Tarpaulins • Lice Skirts • Supplier of LIFT-UP • Wrasse Hides

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UK news.indd 5 Orkney - Westerbister.indd 29

529

08/08/2018 15:30:39 06/09/2018 04/10/2018 16:25:30 09:42:39

10 years in Orkney

Above: The Sandoyne Lass, built by Nauplius Workboats, approaches the sturdy feed barge.

involves the Orkney teams harvesting between midnight and 4am, and the wellboat making 28-hour round trips.

‘There is a good case for building processing facilities closer to production,’ Darbyshire agreed, though he noted that the existing logistics were testamount to Orkney’s rigorous biosecurity.

‘If we were to consider a processing facility in Orkney, then we would need the appropriate scale for this this to be viable, which is between 15,000 and 20,000 tonnes.’

Another plan for the future is bigger pens.

SSF has a mixture of 80m and 100m pens at present but the hope is to get them replaced with bigger pens, subject to getting the planning approvals.

The company is looking to farm in more exposed locations with these bigger pens, just like in the Faroes and Norway.

‘We are looking at development R&D projects in Norway, which may come to Scotland within 10 years or so - the future is in more exposed locations in Scotland,’ said Darbyshire.

While he is optimistic about Scottish salmon

Congratulations Congratulations to Scottish Sea Farms on 10 years of success in Orkney

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farming, he concedes that the current criticism takes its toll.

And he is concerned, as are other farmers in Scotland, about the recent escalation in protests, with activists behaving in a way that is putting biosecurity and their own safety at risk by breaking into farms.

It is not something he has had to deal with in Orkney, however, as there have been no such intrusions at his farms.

‘One of the good things about Orkney is because it’s a small community, everyone knows each other and we have no issues. Long may it continue.’ FF

Orkney is a small place…and six “new jobs in a small population is significant ” Better containment

SCOTTISH Sea Farms has installed Sealpro nets on every Orkney farm at a cost of £1.9 million, a move that has resulted in better containment, with no seals being shot in more than two years, said Richard Darbyshire, despite the high population of grey seals around the islands.

The strategy has been a rolling programme over the last three years, changing the nylon nets as they come to the end of their natural life.

The knowledge gained with the new nets in Orkney is now being transferred to other regions in SSF – both on the mainland and Shetland, which have had seal attacks and are starting the process of changing to these nets to protect the stock, said Darbyshire.

Instead of nylon, Sealpro nets are HDPE star netting, made by Garware and supplied by Knox.

But good containment is also about tensioning the nets correctly, said Darbyshire. The Orkney sites have sinker tubes on the pens, of five to six tonnes each, which weight the nets and provide the necessary rigidity for Sealpro to work.

‘We’ve always gone down that route,’ he said. ‘They keep the nets really tight and rigid and there are two advantages to that; one is that it stops the seals, especially with these new nets, and the other is it makes it a lot easier to clean them in situ.’

SSF uses MPI systems and AKVA to net clean, and has just completed a successful trial with a robot.

‘As we move to bigger pens it will be easier to use ROV technology; that will be the future for us.’

SSF in Orkney has also been partnering with the Sea Mammal Research Unit at the University of St Andrews to explore the potential of Ace Aquatec’s new acoustic deterrent device, aimed at warding off seals but outside of the normal hearing frequency of cetaceans such as porpoises.

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03/10/2018 16:03:17

Untitled-2 31

04/10/2018 09:18:15

Orkney Marine Farms

High energy

operator

Businessman plans move from renewables to rearing salmon

O

RKNEY’S pristine waters could soon be home to a new salmon farmer if a local businessman gets the go ahead to set up sites off the islands.

Barry Johnston, an Orcadian entrepreneur with a background in the renewables sector, has already secured leases for two farms from the Crown Estate and is awaiting approval for CAR (Controlled Activities Regulations) licences from Sepa (Scottish Environment Protection Agency).

He is hoping to hear within the month if he has been successful and then he will apply to the Orkney planning authorities.

All being well, the islands’ newest producer, Orkney Marine Farms, would operate 600-1,150m off the north coast of Orkney’s east mainland, at Yinstay West and Yinstay East, high energy sites 1km apart, with a capacity of 2,500 tonnes each.

Johnston and his colleague, Craig MacInnes, consulted on numerous locations across Orkney before settling on Yinstay and doing environmental impact assessments (EIAs).

‘At Yinstay, we’re far enough off the shore that the fishermen can work their gear along the shore line, and we’re in tide so any kind of diseases or sea lice are going to be dispersed out to sea,’ said Johnston.

‘So it’s a better option than being in more motionless water typical of sheltered, close-to-shore sites.’

Significant wave heights were recorded of 3.7m and the farms have been designed for 50-year return wave heights of 6.2m.

Johnston said he was speaking to the Norwegian pen maker, Aqualine, which has supplied sites in the Faroes where 9m waves are possible.

‘We are pushing the boundaries in terms of tidal flow and exposure but we know from down the west coast that they’re doing it, and some of the best producing sites there are the more exposed new ones.’

In fact, he found, from looking at Sepa records of other farm’s hydrographic data, that his sites had similar tidal speeds to other operators.

‘The fact that I’ve spent the last 20 years of my life working out in the tide is probably how we ended up in such tidal sites with the fish farms.

‘We had a site further up north, at Sanday, and we went through all the process and submitted the CAR application at the same time but the speeds were too high.

‘We asked Aqualine if they knew of any farm sites in the world that were of those tidal speeds and they couldn’t find any.’

The plan at Yinstay is for two farms, one of 12 pens and one of 14,

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Orkney - Barry.indd 32

which is in slightly shallower water. They would produce 4,000 tonnes each cycle and each farm would have its own feed barge and automatic feeding systems.

They have applied for 2,500 tonnes for each of the sites, where modelling has shown there would be zero deposits on the seabed because of the tides.

The shore base would be in Johnston’s current office, in the Innovation Centre he set up in Kirkwall’s Hatston industrial estate, and which is home to more than a dozen SMEs. The farming venture would create more than 12 new jobs, with six people on each farm, as well as office staff to support them.

‘It’s quite a sizeable undertaking,’ said Johnston, who has spent the past two years trying to get his farming venture off the ground and join the established producers in Orkney, Scottish Sea Farms and Cooke Aquaculture.

He first got interested in salmon farming through his company Scotmarine, which currently leases a workboat to Marine Harvest on the west coast of Scotland, fitted out with a Thermolicer.

He has already built up a successful renewables business, launching a floating tidal turbine after studying marine engineering at Heriot Watt in Edinburgh, and eventually completing a PhD on the innovative concept.

This led to the founding of Scotrenewables Tidal Power, where his tidal turbine, the world’s most powerful, has smashed records.

He also owns several commercial scale wind turbines on Orkney (one of them overlooking the Innovation Centre and one of which is potentially the highest performing wind turbine in the world), which now provide a steady income and will help to finance his farming plans.

Opposite: Barry Johnston (left) and Craig MacInnes outside the Innovation Centre in Kirkwall

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

03/10/2018 15:55:55

High energy operator

Alternative options He decided to pursue alternative options when the renewables subsidies were pulled by the UK government. He didn’t want to go any further down the boat route because boats are ‘a very hard game with many players’.

‘It’s a solid business but we don’t make huge money,’ he said, but fish farming is different. ‘It’s a very profitable thing to do if it’s done well.

That’s what attracted us, if I’m honest.’

He and MacInnes had to then persuade Alex Adrian at the Crown Estate that they knew what they were doing.

‘It took most of the year to convince him we weren’t idiots – he was quite hard on us.’

The Crown Estate, in carrying out financial due diligence, even wanted to know where they were going to get their smolts from, and where they were going to do their processing.

‘All the big guys have got all that sewn up,’ said Johnston, ‘but we don’t have a definite supplier or processing option yet.

‘What we hear through the industry is that all these other guys are building these huge smolt plants and if we’ve got money, there’ll be smolts available.

‘There is a dream there that we’d like to do everything locally, smolts, farm, sell, everything locally and keep that whole Orkney food brand, which is very strong.’

While these are decisions that must wait until they hear about the CAR licences, Johnston is not daunted. MacInnes has a planning and environmental consultancy background and they have both been ‘through the mill’ in terms of EIAs and objections - ‘the process of wind farm EIAs and the process of fish farm EIAs is not dissimilar’.

Johnston said they will also approach potential investors after planning permission is secured.

Despite his confidence, he agrees that what he is doing could be ‘highly risky’.

‘Orkney is split on fish farms – there’s a small bunch of very dedicated antis but the majority can see the benefits.’

Negative comments on Facebook about a recent Scottish Sea Farms’ proposal for one of the islands prompted widespread comments from the local community, he said, with 80-90 per cent positive.

‘That has made some of the councillors sit up and pay attention and be a lot more positive about fish farming.

‘It’s a lack of education on the whole topic.

Personally, I think some local fishermen in Orkney are shooting themselves in the foot because they generally object to every fish farm, regardless of where it is.’

Aquaculture fund Perhaps his plans to create an aquaculture fund once his farms are up and running will bring the objectors on board.

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Orkney - Barry.indd 33

We are pushing the boundaries in terms of tidal “flow but some of the best producing sites on the west coast are the more exposed ones ”

‘The oil reserve fund held by the local council sits at £207 million, built up since the 70s, over 40 years– we’re not proposing anything like that sum. With one of the wind turbines we have on one of the small islands, so much per year goes to the community council.

‘But the money just sits there so I wanted to move away from just giving one area or community group money every year.

‘We could be a bit more adventurous with this – we could focus on entrepreneurship and innovation and supply funding to people for start-ups.’

It could start off small – providing funding to local fishermen to help with a new boat or equipment, for example - but eventually it could expand. Just like Johnston’s plans for his fish farms, in fact. FF

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03/10/2018 15:56:14

Orkney – Leask Marine

At your service From towing barges to designing subsea drills, Kirkwall firm meets industry demands

T

HERE is a very symbiotic relationship between the businesses working in aquaculture in Orkney, said John Macleod, commercial manager at Leask Marine, a vessel charter and commercial diving business.

‘They are like different departments of a large organisation rather than different companies,’ he told Fish Farmer when we dropped into the company’s premises in Kirkwall.

The company works with Scottish Sea Farms, providing a full-time aquaculture diving team. Every day, the divers go out on one of the sites, carrying out a number of tasks, including mortality removal, inspection and recording, along with SSF personnel.

And they do net inspections to check fish aren’t getting out and seals aren’t getting in. They clean the net bases, and tie and tighten the centre weights, and check the moorings periodically.

There is a diving supervisor, who oversees risk assessments and manages the safety of the team; a first diver, ready to go into the water; and a dive tender, who looks after the air supply, communications and helps get the first diver in and out.

There is also a standby diver, ready in emergencies, and the standby will also have a dive tender.

‘They rotate because we do a maximum of five dives per diver a day. Others might do more but Scottish Sea Farms take their health and safety very seriously and so do we,’ said Macleod, who is a diving trainer himself.

‘There is plenty of work to keep a team of five busy. A cage will take a good day to get round.’

Macleod said the islands community understands that there is a critical mass of people and an area can be depopulated very quickly. Aquaculture is recognised as a significant employer.

At the last Orkney Careers Fairs, the Scottish Sea Farms stand was mobbed by kids wanting to be engineers or biologists, or interested in environmental jobs.

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Orkney - Leask.indd 34

‘It’s a vibrant industry, now attracting people at an early age, an industry people want to come into.

‘Half a dozen jobs could be half a dozen families on a small island – the impact is whether or not you have a primary school, do you have nursing facilities? These are critical to people living on the islands.

‘You only need a primary school to shut and then you’re not attracting new families. These critical services generate the others.’

On the vessel side, Leask Marine charters workboats and crews, and its multicats are deployed to tow feed barges and cages when they need servicing on the mainland, and carry out installations.

Orkney customers include Cooke Aquaculture, while on the mainland Gael Force is a big client, because it services feed barges for the whole industry.

Leask also works for Loch Duart, tows barges from Shetland, and recently delivered the Scottish Salmon Company’s new barge to Portree on Skye.

‘We come along and install the infrastructure around Scotland. It’s a fairly niche knowledge to do it quickly and efficiently and cost effectively,’ said Macleod.

‘The mooring lines are very complex and as they get bigger and deeper, they get more and more complex. It’s managing that. The [vessel] master needs to have a very good idea of what’s going on.’

Sometimes the grids need changing too, which Leask can do. The multicats have big deck space but Orkney farmers have little use for sea lice controls such as Thermolicers or Hydrolicers, said Macleod.

Some 70 per cent of Leask Marine’s boat crews come from the fishing industry – and because they work in four weeks on/four weeks off shifts, many have creels and still pursue fishing interests in their spare time.

Leask Marine is also a marine constructor and makes gravity bases, or anchoring blocks. It has been servicing the aquaculture industry for 30 years, from the days when there were more, much smaller operators.

‘There is a good level of professionalism in the trade now and that makes a huge, huge difference,’ said Macleod.

‘We feel it’s important we all have our ISO standards for quality, for health and safety, and for environmental.

‘We maintain the same standards that the farmers need…and we demand the same standards

We are “ flexible and

see aquaculture as being a bigger part of the business in the future

”

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

03/10/2018 15:54:54

At your service

from our suppliers. By them [the farmers] attaining these standards in the aquaculture industry, they take the whole industry with them, which is really important.’

Leask Marine is now working towards compliance with the Scottish Technical Standard, which comes into force in 2020.

Aquaculture is about 15 to 25 per cent of the company’s business. In the modest office on the Hatston industrial estate, tucked behind the heavy duty industry on the shore, the small team of engineers is working on new products.

One of these is a bespoke subsea drill for anchor points that will be able to take up to 1.2m piles.

As aquaculture cages go further offshore, with more tension and with more forces, they need to be going deeper, said Macleod.

‘We’re investing in the next year to build a drill rig to manage that – anticipating the growth of the industry and the move to bigger sites.

‘It’s a large commitment from our perspective. We’re predominantly building it to support three industries – wave and tidal for anchoring, aquaculture, and offshore floating wind. But aquaculture is a large part of the commitment, for anchoring cages.

‘You can’t keep putting down gravity blocks – you need something more permanent. We’re designing and building it from scratch, with design engineers in house.’

The drill represents nearly £2 million investment for the firm and will be built in partnership with companies in Italy, England and Aberdeen, with a launch date around May. Leask Marine will operate the drill off one of its own vessels, moving it from site to site around the UK – or around the world.

Another future development is in net cleaning vessels, where there is con-

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Orkney - Leask.indd 35

tinual improvement, said Macleod, and increasing demand. Managing director Douglas Leask was at the Aquaculture UK show in Aviemore earlier this year meeting net equipment and pump suppliers.

‘We don’t have bespoke vessels doing that at the moment but might in the future,’ said Macleod.

‘We are flexible and see aquaculture as being very much a growing industry and a bigger part of the business in the future.’ FF

Above: The diving teams carry out inspections for Scottish Sea Farms on Orkney. Opposite: Leask Marine commercial manager John Macleod

35

03/10/2018 15:55:09

Aquaculture Innovation Europe

Intelligence gathering Industry leaders offer advice to fledgling firms at London summit

M

ANAGING fish health in the future will be based more on precision farming, machine intelligence and big data, and less on farmers’ instincts.

This, according to Siri Vike, general manager of Pharmaq Analytiq, will be made possible by the ‘many intelligent brains’ working on solutions to fish health challenges in aquaculture.

Vike was taking part in a health discussion during the recent Aquaculture Innovation Europe summit in London.

The world population by 2050 is going to need double the protein demand that is currently produced and aquaculture will have to play an instrumental role.

Along with fellow panellists, Chris Beattie, head of aquaculture at MSD, and Adel El Mowafi, aquaculture technology director at Cargill, she was answering questions from delegates on issues related to fish health.

The two-day summit attracted 122 participants from 15 countries, from across Europe to the US and Ghana, and included 41 emerging companies and 14 investors specifically interested in the aquaculture industry.

Twelve selected start-up companies were given a platform to pitch their innovations to investors. Covering three categories – health, nutrition and farm management – they presented ground-breaking products and services, bringing cutting edge science and Silicon Valley technology to fish and shellfish farming.

Aquaculture leaders took part in several panel discussions and were on hand to offer advice and industry expertise to the new entrepreneurs, several of whom came from other sectors, such as oil and gas, or shipping,

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MSD’s Chris Beattie said the application of new technology would help the industry improve its performance and also how it is perceived.

‘In the last couple of years, in Norway and around the world, we’ve seen a very innovative approach and a huge amount of effort and investment from all round,’ he said.

And Cargill’s Adel El Mowafi agreed that ‘with human creativity’ even the problem of sea lice could be solved.

‘I remember when I moved to Canada in the mid-90s and you could see salmon with half their heads eaten by sea lice. You don’t see any of this any more. There is great evolvement in sea lice control if you look back at the progress so far. We are aiming so high – we are in a much better place than 20 years ago.’

He said innovation was also producing better diagnostic tools – such as genome biomarkers and mucosal mapping (as provided by one of the start-ups, Quantidoc).

‘Once a fish gets sick it’s probably too late, for shrimp it’s a matter of hours, for fish a matter of days to reach a point of no return, so better diagnostics are needed,’ he said.

Left: XpertSea co-founder Valerie Robitaille gave a technical demonstration.

Below: Delegates. Opposite: Conference chair Simon Doherty; one to one meetings at the summit.

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Intelligence gathering

‘If we can predict fish health and get solutions, such as functional feeds and medication, to prevent fish from getting sick, that’s where the future will be.’

And Vike said in the future the sector will have a better understanding of how diseases work.

‘We will see more on-site diagnostics – and focus more on each individual fish and not work with populations, because when you treat for something that is affecting one per cent of the population this is not sustainable.’

Beattie said the industry had historically been focused on treatment but now was taking a far more holistic approach and looking at animal health overall, across all species.

Platform for 12 innovators NUTRITION

Entocycle Planktonic Arbion KnipBio

‘In our group [fish] we’re privileged to see a lot of incredible technology from around the world. I work in a group where there’s a pig guy, a cow guy, a chicken guy and a fish guy, so we see the technology across the groups.

‘We all got into aquaculture for a reason: it’s very cool. I work with some very incredible technology people and they are drawn to aquaculture as being a future feed development and it’s an area that naturally attracts technology.

‘I think in the next five to ten years we’ll see some really inspiring innovation when all these fields come together.’

Aquaculture Innovation Europe was held at the Copthorne Tara hotel in Kensington, from September 11-12. FF

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HEALTH

Manolin Quantidoc VakSea Proteon Pharmaceuticals

FARM MANAGE� MENT

Mithal Verik8 WSense JALA

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Aquaculture Innovation Europe

Top tips from

investors

Patience and perseverance will pay off, financiers tell new enterprises

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AISING funds for aquaculture start-ups is tough but companies that show patience and perseverance will find sympathetic investors.

That was one of the key messages from three leading financiers who took part in a panel discussion at the Aquaculture Innovation Europe summit.

Although generally upbeat, they agreed that aquaculture lagged behind others sectors in attracting investment.

Christian Rangen, the founder of X2 Labs, an accelerator programme, said there should be about 20 to 25 venture capitalists globally specialising in aquaculture, as in sectors such as solar energy.

‘This industry doesn’t have that landscape developed yet,’ Rangen told delegates. ‘There are many start-ups in this room and they would struggle to find who they should talk to.’

They tend to go to friends and family or big corporates, who don’t even return their calls.

But Rangen believes this is a ‘golden age of aquaculture investors’ because there’s so much growth across the ‘rapidly evolving’ industry.

He said X2 Labs, which builds companies from scratch, entered the aquaculture market about a year and a half ago, after finding much interest from investors.

‘We are raising a fund and we expect to invest in between three to eight aquaculture companies within the next four months,’ he said.

These would not be in the biology field, which other investors knew better, but rather in the aqua tech space, the digital space, engineering and construction, and offshore farms.

‘We point biology companies towards Aqua-Spark but we like the hardware and software companies.

‘If you take a 20 to 30 -year perspective there’s going to be a lot of structural innovation…and that’s the space that we like.’

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Singapore based Gerard Chia, of New Protein Capital, has been investing in aquaculture for four years – including in the French insect feed company Ynsect - and takes a different approach from typical venture capitalists.

‘We’re not here to mentor you, we’re not here to hold your hand, but we can provide the connections, we can provide the best way to create value for your company,’ said Chia.

New Protein Capital invests relatively small sums of around $2 million and now has about 530 companies in the pipeline. Its areas of interest include protein production, food and health, and food waste, food safety and food traceability.

It invests all over the world, mainly because it sees most innovation outside Asia. But Chia said he hoped that would change and they could become ‘the gateway to Asia’.

‘The biggest thing for us is if a start-up is answering an unmet need.’

Looking at later stage and often much bigger ventures, Neil Wendover, aquaculture director of feed company Cargill’s new investment division, said his team applies the same rigour to a $3 million investment as it

“

Credit cards work much better than crowdfunding!

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Top tips from investors

does to a $1.5 billion investment.

‘Cargill is challenging us to get much better at making these small equity investments because we’re currently not very good at it,’ he said.

In his opinion, ‘non-diluted’ funding was the lifeblood of start-ups, especially working with industry.

‘It allows the shareholders to retain command and control of the organisation, which I think is critical, especially with big companies like us.

‘The Cargill bear hug is a classic phenomenon. How do we work with an organisation like yours? It provides capital and cash for start-ups and that’s what they need. They need time and they need cash and they need command and control to retain their agility.’

Cargill, he said, is a growth company, reinvesting 80 per cent of what it earns. One of the biggest privately owned organisations in the world, it has a long-term outlook.

‘It’s cash rich, it has a lot of capital. We tend to look five, 10, 15, 20 years on, we don’t have this quarterly obsession, and we’re not very good at making short term tactical investments. We like to look at strategic capability that will complement our business, complement our vision.’

He said companies ‘should come to us not necessarily looking for

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quick cash – for that they need to go to an Aqua-Spark or a VC (venture capitalist)’.

‘We work closely with some of these VCs, creating relationships there. But if you feel your vision aligns with Cargill, you feel this will give you a growth aspect…then come to us and it’s a long term play. That’s where we can add value.

‘What we like to do initially is work with companies in a commercial setting, in an agile way that allows some freedom for failure, to learn and grow as a result of that, and then to understand each other and understand clearly what capabilities the company is missing, what capabilities we have, and therefore how can this complement us going forward for the future.’

Although the three investors operate in different ways, they were all agreed on one thing: crowdfunding is a bad idea.

Liev Midthasssel of Mithal, the start-up behind the Remora net cleaner, asked the panel: ‘There are very few of you guys around so what about crowd funding? I’m seriously considering going that way instead of with any of you guys.’

Rangen said: ‘Don’t do it! A successful crowdfunding campaign is 18 months’ planning plus execution, you’re clueless if you don’t have a team to do it. We’re seeing a lot of crowdfunding companies that do all the ground work and they can’t get it to launch stage. Credit cards work much better.’ FF

Above left and opposite: The summit brought investors and aquaculture companies together.

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Aquaculture Innovation Europe – Insurance

Risky business

New technology and RAS pose big headaches for world’s biggest fish farm insurer

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NSURING aquaculture is like betting, said Geir B. Myre, global product manager at XL Catlin, which has 35 per cent of the international market.

‘When people ask me what I do for a living I say I’m in gambling,’ Myre told delegates at the Aquaculture Innovation summit.

Among the biggest risks for insurers are algal blooms, extreme weather events, recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) onshore, and offshore ‘super farms’.

The technology is ‘moving too quickly’ from an insurance perspective, Myre admitted, citing the example of SalMar’s Ocean Farm 1, which was ‘not far away from capsizing a few weeks ago’.

These ‘fantasy built’ farms represent enormous investment, sometimes valued at around $60 million.

‘What worries me most is that a lot of these farms will have an aggregation problem, where they have fish worth around $40 million on one site.

‘What also worries us is how do you handle the fish when you have a sea lice attack?’

Bergen based XL Catlin, which has been insuring fish farms since 1974, operates in 35 countries, with the main areas being northern Europe, Chile, Canada and the Mediterranean. But Myre said very little aquaculture around the world is insurable.

‘Some 80 per cent of the world’s aquaculture markets cannot be insured; seven per cent is insured today, and 13 per cent exists as prospects.’

Among the riskiest nations, he said, are Chile, Canada, Denmark, and China, which is constantly running a 200 per cent loss ratio.

‘I’ve been there many times trying to see how we can set up business – impossible, we can’t do it.’

The company also does re-insurance and is approached by insurance companies worldwide.

The worst they’ve seen was a Vietnamese insurance company, with a 3,000 per cent loss ratio; for every £1, they lost £30.

Existing and emerging perils, such as new technology, global warming, new species, new participants, and migration of pathogens, do not encourage more players into the business.

Many of XL Catlin’s competitors, for example, will not insure recirculation farms, although Myre said his firm will, but with caution, and they have had ‘some huge losses’ in the last few years.

‘What we have seen is extremely risky – these farms are big industrial factories reliable on technology; they have a tendency to be built not off the shelf, every farm we visit is different.’

When “ people ask

me what I do for a living I say I’m in gambling

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Risky business

He mentions sites being poorly constructed from the start, allowing debris and sediment to collect and poisonous gases to get into the water.

‘We’ve had farms completely wiped out – in Norway and in Europe the same happened – and this led to insurers completely pulling out of the market.

‘There’s a lack of standards in these farms,’ said Myre, but he acknowledged that they will be a future solution in aquaculture.

‘We believe there will still be a period of mistakes and so on but our job is to price the premium level correctly so it’s possible to insure it.’

XL insures hatcheries onshore, on-growing in seawater, and on-growing in freshwater. But Myre said the group does not tend to insure shellfish because they don’t have much of an immune system and so the use of medicine and antibiotics is too high. The company has also started insuring seaweed farmers in Norway.

It covers for the following perils: storms, floods, tsunamis, drought, fire, lightning, explosions, earthquakes, subsidence, structural failure, breakage, blockage, theft, malicious acts, predators, frost damage, mechanical/electrical breakdown, deoxygenation, high water temperatures, change in chemical constituents, and disease.

Myre said that, incredibly, some ‘mega projects’ don’t think about insurance until the eleventh hour.

‘These farms are often more or less opening

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when they ask for insurance – nobody had thought of insurance before they were about to start. That’s a bit surprising that they don’t think that far.

‘When the risks are extremely big, we sometimes do co-insurance with other insurance companies – we share the risk.’

Another big and growing risk, he believes, is the impact of global warming on aquaculture enterprises.

‘We expect more storms and they will be more frequent and stronger. We have a meteorological team doing studies on this.

‘We have temperature variation increases – giving us quite a headache.

It has an effect on disease, and different pathogens move into the area because of temperature changes.’

The biggest losses ever in fish farm insurance occurred in 2016, when the total premium of all the world’s fish farm insurance was lost in one week in Chile, as a result of algal blooms.

The total world premium was $120 million and the total losses in Chile – where there was a lot of uninsured aquaculture – was around $200 million.

The loss of income was estimated at $800 million.

‘These algae blooms will come again and again,’ warned Myre. ‘We’ve had losses in Mexico and Canada, and South Africa. And there are a lot of uninsured losses in Asia.’

He conceded that it was difficult getting insurance and offered some advice to companies.

‘Our first question is, who are you? We need to know who is behind a business, all the background, so a good presentation is the most important thing in getting a project insured. Transparency is everything in insurance.’

The challenges may seem great but they do at least provide innovation opportunities, said Myre. ‘Who says insurance is boring? It’s quite exciting, there are always new surprises.’ FF

Above: Geir B. Myre explains the challenges for aquaculture insurers

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Aquaculture Innovation Europe – Showcase

Pitch perfect Start-up companies set out their stalls

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WELVE aquaculture start-up companies from around the world were chosen from more than 25 entries to present their technologies at the innovation summit. They were given ten minutes each to make their cases for investment or industry partnerships.

In the health innovation showcase, Jaroslav Dastych and Matthew Tebeau, CEO and COO respectively of Proteon Pharmaceuticals, addressed the unnecessary use of antibiotics in aquaculture.

Their product, a bacteriophage branded as Bafador, improves health and performance, reduces the risk of AMR (antimicrobial resistance), will increase environmental sustainability through predictability, and improve food safety.

‘It sounds like a miracle product and in some ways it is,’ said Tebeau, explaining that Bafador prevents disease, has no side effects, leaves no residue and is designed not to create bacterial resistance.

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Above: Rune Husby, CEO of Planktonic, one of the nutrition startups appearing at the London summit.

Bafador is designed to eliminate pseudomonas and aeromonas infections in closed containment aquaculture and it does so very effectively, said Tebeau.

In a trial, when untreated, the introduction of pseudomonas resulted in mortalities of 50 per cent; when the young fish were protected with Bafador, mortality was reduced by 80 per cent to approximately 10 per cent.

Dastych said bacteriophages were small, specialised bacterial viruses discovered more than 100 years ago, before antibiotics.

They have been continuously used, especially in the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries, in mostly human applications, but also in animals.

‘They are a sort of natural controller in a game between the parasite and the host, keeping in check the number of bacteria,’ said Dastych.

‘We are now facing a different phase of developing this technology because the progress of molecular biology and bioinformatics allows us to start designing bacteriophage based products and the application of bacteriophages in a well controlled, well defined way.

‘We have spent the last 10 years developing a bacteriophage product, targeting particular bacterial pathogens, focusing on animal health.’

Proteon has two flagship products, one for poultry and one for aquaculture, produced in significant quantities. The company has more than 40 people in its R&D team, supported by grants and initial private investment.

Now the company is expanding to the next, commercial level and the strategy is to work with global partners, either in feed or in health. FF

“

It sounds like a miracle product and in some ways it is

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Pitch perfect

Insect protein that boosts immune system VAKSEA has developed an immune boosting protein that can be orally delivered. A disease outbreak in shrimp can cause 90 to 95 per cent mortality in five days, so a farmer could go from having a thriving operation to being bankrupt, said VakSea CEO Mihir Pershad.

The Baltimore, US, based company’s solution is to use insect larvae to make immune boosting proteins that can be included in feed for shrimp to help protect them from disease. This would decrease mortality caused by viruses and increase yield for farmers.

By removing unnecessary use of antibiotics and other products in the supply chain, said Pershad, we can help these farmers sell their product for a premium, especially to the international market, which has become much more discerning about the over use of antibiotics in the food they are consuming.

The VakSea protein is derived from cabbage looper. A transgenic virus is used to infect the insects and they then produce an antigen, a marker that will help the immune system of fish or shrimp recognise the virus.

The insects are freeze dried and ground into a powder, which can be added to any feed.

VakSea has conducted temperature testing and demonstrated stability above and beyond the highest temperatures used in current feed extrusion processes.

That feed can then be delivered directly to fish and shrimp, to protect them from disease, without having to inject or, in the case of shrimp, not being able to inject because the needle is almost the size of the animal.

The product has been demonstrated in shrimp and in European sea bass – ‘we know that this technology can be used for most viruses across the aquaculture industry for finfish and for shrimp’, said Pershad.

‘The proteins have shown broad protection, not only against specific viruses that we aimed to generate an immune response against, but we’re also seeing elevated levels of protection against other viruses, showing there’s a general immune boosting effect.

‘We’re focused on aquaculture because we think there’s a real opportunity here to address a global problem. In order to meet global food demand and do so sustainably, we need sustainable sources of protein that are low on carbon emissions and have a lower feed conversion ratio on average than we have now. Aquaculture meets both these criteria compared to most land based agriculture.’

Aquaculture products are the third most common sources of protein across the world, just after poultry and pork and ahead of beef. By 2030, aquaculture is expected to be the primary

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Above: Cabbage looper

source of protein on the planet.

‘We’re not going to have a problem convincing consumers to eat more fish, especially in the regions where the population is growing,’ said Pershad.

And unlike other food sources, aquaculture has the capacity to grow fast enough to meet global food demand.

VakSea’s initial target is shrimp and prawn production in South East Asia – the products are mostly high value and exported to areas where consumers care about what is put into their food. But the disease problem there is of an order that is hard to describe to people who haven’t seen disease outbreaks in South East Asia, said Pershad.

Total shrimp production is worth $28 billion a year and there’s an opportunity to sell almost $1.5 billion of products to these farmers, assuming that they can be educated about the benefits of preventative health measures.

‘We believe that in partnerships with animal health and animal feed companies we can capture 10 per cent of that market in about five

years of going to the market,’ said Pershad.

The first product is for machrobrachium, giant freshwater prawns, which are affected by the virus Machrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV) that causes white tail disease. This can create mass devastation, killing 95 per cent of stock in three days.

There are opportunities, too, in white spot and yellow head disease. But the product can be used across the industry.

VakSea has just completed an accelerator programme in Iowa focused on the agriculture-tech industry. Through that programme, it made inroads with major feed and health companies operating in the South East Asia region and is currently in discussion with two of them regarding conducting field studies with their feed with their target customers.

‘Our product is affordable enough for farmers to use as a preventative measure. And it is easy to deliver so they won’t need skilled technicians on their farms…they are just adding a unique feed for a short period during the youngest stages of growth,’ said Pershad.

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Aquaculture Innovation Europe – Showcase

Creating a buzz LONDON based Entocycle, which won the Aquaculture Innovation Europe award for nutrition, has developed patented technology to industrially farm black soldier flies and make a new form of protein, replacing traditional feed ingredients, such as fishmeal and soy.

The company collects organic food waste, including spent grain from local breweries or used grounds from local coffee roasters.

The waste is fed to black

soldier fly larvae in an indoor, controlled environment and in just six days the larvae consume the organic waste, converting it into high-protein body mass.

The live insects are separated from the waste material they produce during bioconversion, which itself is also a valuable product as it’s a natural fertiliser which can help farmers and food producers aid plant growth.

At the stage of harvesting, the insects are 45-65 per

cent protein, containing many essential amino acids.

The insects are then processed into a flour ready for distribution.

Entocycle supplies protein flour to the feed companies, which combine this with other products to manufacture feed pellets.

The company said its technology combines automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning to bring world leading efficiencies to protein production.

Above: Simon Doherty and Entocycle’s James Millar

Big data for disease control But that is just the start and there needs to be action that comes out of TONY Chen’s first venture into aquaculture ended in failure. As a computthe collection of data. In Norway last autumn they enacted the traffic light er science graduate from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), policy to force the industry to collaborate more on the health issue. frustrated with his job, he decided to build an aquaponics system in his ‘We’ve already seen things happening as a result of this policy…farmers basement, using an old bookcase. Sadly, said Chen, all the fish died. are doing a better job of maintaining low lice thresholds during the critical Undeterred, Chen went on to establish Manolin, the company creating a periods of the year when wild salmon are navigating out to the oceans.’ digital health analytics platform for resource sharing between fish farms, But, said Chen, there’s still room for improvement, and as their product and winner of one of the three innovation awards in London. was scaling up he and his partner drove along the coast and visited farms.

‘The future of our ocean is going to depend not just on one government, They heard that farmers wanted to see the industry grow but grow in the one person or one company, it’s really how do we get on the same page. I right way. They said while there was so much data it was hard to aggregate believe we’re building digital channels to make this happen,’ said Chen. and understand it.

Because Norway is at the forefront of aquaculture development and the ‘And it’s hard to report it – they’re doing a lot of paperwork and we Norwegian government is better at collecting data than other aquaculthought we could help with that. ture nations, Manolin realised it should base its pioneering project in the ‘As computer scientists, we decided to automate the process of entercountry. ing all this data. We’ve built an ASC [Aquaculture Stewardship Council] ‘The Norwegians value collaboration, resource sharing and innovation – we recognised that as outsiders and that’s really what brought our team to dashboard to help them manage the monthly reporting that’s necessary for them to maintain their certification.

Norway,’ said Chen.

‘This not only saves them time and money but it is helping to save He and his business partner, John Costantino, worked for the US governfarmers’ peace of mind. We just launched this platform two weeks ago and ment before they joined the Hatch Accelerator programme – which helps already have five certified sites that are part of the platform, using us to aquaculture start-ups - and headed to Bergen, to ‘pursue our dreams of manage their certification. helping aquaculture grow’.

‘Our mission is to standardise how the entire industry talks about health – That was six months ago and now Chen and the team are trying to solve helping farmers better understand what’s happening in their area. salmon farmers’ number one problem: sea lice.

‘That develops into simplified reporting, easier certification, advanced ‘Lice are evolutionary superstars - it’s not about finding that silver bullet, analytics and a general understanding of what’s happening in our environit’s about how we manage these health issues as a collective whole,’ he ment.’ said.

This can be utilised by the supply chain and help set better policies for the Norway is doing that by collecting data. They have policies where farmers industry and help it grow. submit information every single week on lice counts and environmental Chen said their initial platform is free and then conditions. What this has created is a wealth subscription based services are offered on top of of information that many different parties can that. participate in and add new value.

‘In order to continue our mission we’re looking to ‘While all this information is available, they’re raise about $500,000 over these next few months slow on getting information fast enough, so to scale up our team and continue hitting our we developed a health response system that milestones.’ notifies farmers when an outbreak is happening Chen later told Fish Farmer that they were deliverand neighbours have had high sea lice values, or ing their service fast and focusing on smaller tradiwhen they’ve had treatments. It’s really about tional farms, although they had some big companies moving this information a little bit quicker.’ on board.

Chen said they launched their platform as part Scotland could be the next target market but he of the Hatch Accelerator and in a little over five said there was not quite the wealth of data collecmonths it is used by 19 per cent of Norway’s Above: Tony Chen collects his award tion here as there was in Norway. salmon farmers.

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03/10/2018 15:47:10

Aquaculture Innovation Europe

Mucous on the map Documenting the presence of health through the slimy barrier

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HE focus of Bergen based company Quantidoc is fish health, not disease, said the company’s chief scientific officer, Karin Pittman.

Pittman is the pioneer of a system that monitors the slime barrier of fish, quantifying and documenting the condition of the skin, gills and guts as an early warning of health problems.

The slimy barrier, or mucosal epithelium, is just 0.007mm thick and is all that stands between the ‘pathogen soup’ of the ocean and the fish that is sold for consumption, Pittman told delegates during the Aquaculture Innovation summit.

‘The barrier is the front line of defence, it’s strongly correlated to growth and survival, so we need to document the presence of health.

‘These cells produce mucous and mucous cells produce substances that are anti-viral, anti-parasitic, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial.

‘We need to see how the fish is protecting itself – and what we have now is a way to quantify and document the health.

‘A lot of the industry’s growth potential is hindered by health problems, not just disease, and instead of a reactive way of thinking, this is a proactive way of thinking, know when fish are getting weak, not when they are weak.’

Quantidoc’s methodology is biopsy based and can be used on fish from five grammes up to six kilos.

‘The sampling is super easy, a vet can do it, and send it to a lab, which can do the standard processing. Then we get the digital photo. Our software analyses it then,’ said Pittman.

Pittman first got interested in aquaculture in 1980. More recently, she heard anecdotal evidence that certain feeds were making more slime and the fish were getting fewer parasites. But all the efforts to try and quantify the slime were fraught with problems, and she was asked to make a method to measure the mucous cells.

The research, conducted at the University of Bergen and designed to be industrially applicable, led to the launch of Quantidoc in 2014.

The company’s CEO, Ole Jacob Myre, is a biologist who worked in Stolt Sea Farms for many years, and was involved early on in cod farming in Norway There are four in the Quantidoc team in Bergen, with a representative in Scotland too, and the company is already commercialised, building up a loyal customer base.

Myre told Fish Farmer they have applied the technology with 17 clients in countries including Norway, Canada, Sweden, Japan, the Faroes, Spain, and Greenland, and across six different species, but

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for now salmon is the main focus. Last year, revenues totalled four million NOK. Marine Harvest is a repeat customer, and several feed suppliers, including Cargill, BioMar, Skretting, and Aller Aqua, are using Quantidoc in tests for functional feeds, he said.

He said they were at the summit to look for partners, typically veterinary or laboratory companies that can do digital photos.

‘The other purpose is to tell people in other parts of the world that this technology is developed and available.

‘And it has proven its impact in many field trials and now it’s commercial in Norway and it can be commercial elsewhere.’

Pittman is passionate about the potential of her discovery. She said that during a large scale commercial test, from freshwater to slaughter, looking at the skin, the gills and the guts, you could ‘literally see that the guts are getting upset by net changes’.

Two different smolt production systems are statistically significantly different before they go into the water, and the early life history has a traceable effect throughout the production system, she said.

‘We can document changes to the gills, we can document the drying out or the enhancement of the skin defences by treatments, we can show the triggering of the immune responses by feed and infections, and can also show how various treatments on farm are messing up your results.’

Sometimes the treatment is worse than the disease, and salmon from RAS systems are ‘super stressed’.

Myre said: ‘If you look at a recirculation site, it’s in a closed system with a biolfilter and that microbiome is very narrow compared to what you will find in a flow through system. That challenges the fish in a different way to in the sea, when they are exposed to everything.

‘What we see in some ways is trading immunity to growth – they grow faster but at the expense of immunity.

‘It is not necessarily a problem if you are aware of it – but it is a problem if you go full speed and don’t think about it, because the mortality rate goes up in the sea. That’s what we saw in the project we did.’

Pittman added: ‘Each RAS is unique because of that unique microbiome, and so it means you will get two different responses from two different recirculation smolt systems when you put them in the water.

‘But if you’ve given them the chance to learn about the microbiome in their coming home, they’ll probably survive better because their systems have learned better.

‘You expose them to some of the water they’re going to go into, condition them.’

Knowing more about the mucous barrier in production is probably a very profitable approach to animal welfare, she said. FF

You could “‘literally see that the guts are getting upset by net changes

”

Above: Mucosal mapping

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Aquaculture Innovation Europe – Showcase

Clean sweep Award for the robot that removes growth and inspects the net while it lives in the pen

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EIV Midthassel picked up the innovation award for his company Mithal’s Remora automatic net cleaner.

He had earlier told delegates that the Remora robot inspects as well as cleans. The Stavanger based company has developed new technology, with a crawler mechanism and digital inspection that are both unique features, said Midthassel. Combining them makes this device a must have for all fish farms.

What’s more, it will save fish farmers about 20 per cent of their direct costs, making it a ‘no brainer’ for investors.

Remora lives in the pen and cleans the inside of the nets, with brushes, every day, preventing growth. Spotting a hole in the net early can also save huge costs, incurred trying to recapture escaped fish.

Midthassel, who has worked in the shipping and oil and gas industries, told Fish Farmer earlier this year (Fish Farmer, June 2018) that one of the benefits of an automatic intelligent cleaner with farms going further offshore is that it demands little manpower.

‘The other benefit is that you prevent the growth from occurring rather than removing the growth as it has occurred,’ said Midthassel.

‘Because when you do remove the growth, as you typically would do today with the high pressure hosing, you’ll create a bit of a cloud of

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debris that’s going to be floating back into the net; that has the potential of influencing the health of the gills of the fish.’

He told potential investors in London that while growth on nets is bad for fish health, it is good for business – ‘nature guarantees demand for our product!’

Remora reports back to operators within their existing IT structure so they’ll have complete control over how the farm is looking.

‘Remora takes technology we see in our everyday lives – it’s the automated dust remover and the lawn mower – and putting it downstairs, underneath the water, detecting the cracks you see digitally and reporting it to the guys at the base.’

He said there was ‘huge, international potential’ for Remora, as the industry expanded worldwide.

Fish farms in Norway are currently spending about two billion NOK a year on cleaning their nets and inspecting them. That’s about 30,000 NOK a month per pen.

‘We intend on installing Remora in about 140 pens over the next year and capturing this business.’

The product was designed after consulting more than 30 farmers; Mithal has testing agreements with two farmers with its prototype and has started testing with Marine Harvest, which wants to manufacture 10 of the units for sites at Flekkefjord, in southern Norway.

Midthassel asked the investors present to sign up to finance the next stage, with investment of 10 million NOK (around £1 million) over a year and a half, ‘to take us where we want to be as quick as we want’. This would give investors a 35 per cent stake in Mithal, with very healthy revenues. The units, once commercialised, will be leased on a monthly basis. FF

Nature “ guarantees demand for our product

”

Above: Leiv Midthassel picks up his award from conference chair Simon Doherty.

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B I O L O G Y

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04/10/2018 09:19:04

Net cleaners

Reliable

robot

Racemaster saves time and reduces fuel and maintenance costs, sayss MPI

T

HE Norwegian technology company MPI (Multi Pump Innovation) has sold 30 units of its Racemaster net cleaning robot systems in less than nine motnhs, the company said.

The latest customer, Chilean aquaculture service operator Yagan Chile, placed an order to purchase two of the units last month, and numerous service companies and fish farmers in Norway, Scotland, Australia, Canada and Chile have also bought the system.

The Racemaster 3.0 net cleaning robot was launched commercially at the beginning of the year.

‘We knew that we were launching the world’s fastest net cleaning robot, but to sell 30 units in less than nine months has exceeded our expectations,’ said Kåre Myrvåg, CEO of MPI.

Copperbased Biocidefree

The next generation anti-fouling and coating Unique high-performance products, approved for aquaculture – our contribution to good fish welfare Artgarden | photo © Steen-Hansen

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Opposite: The Racemaster in action

The Racemaster 3.0. is the fastest net cleaner in the world, claims MPI, while burning up to 30 per cent less fuel compared with similar systems.

A cleaning width of 1.9m and four drums enables the robot to stretch the nets, which in turn improves climbing and cleaning performance and manoeuvrability on baggy nets and during challenging conditions.

The robot’s large discs come with multiple options for nozzle settings, which have resulted in further improved cleaning capacity and quality.

steen-hansen.com

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Reliable robot

“

It is also capable of handling strong currents and rough conditions

”

In addition, MPI has designed the robot for easy access, which allows operators to maintain it on site without the need for an external technician.

‘Basically, the Racemaster saves time and reduces fuel and maintenance costs,’ said Kåre Myrvåg.

‘As service companies are competing to deliver the most cost efficient services to fish farmers, the robot has proved extremely popular from day one.

‘It is also capable of handling strong currents and rough conditions, which makes it an even more reliable service partner.’

MPI develops and manufactures net cleaning systems for the aquaculture industry worldwide. In total, it has supplied more than 700 net cleaning systems across the globe.

The Racemaster 3.0 follows in the footsteps of the first generation Terminator net cleaning system and the second generation R.O.N.C. – remotely operated net cleaner.

In 2016, Norwegian seafood investor Broodstock Capital acquired a 70 per cent ownership share in MPI. FF

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The special active ingredient is approved by IMO and listed by OMRI for use in ecological agriculture.

“Green” licences

The Norwegian government has issued special licences for aquaculture with emphasis on reducing strain on the environment.

IMO

Institute for Marketechology, Switzerland.

Approves products used in ecological agriculture.

OMRI

Organic Materials Review Institute, USA. Lists products for use in organic food production.

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All our products are designed to withstand the harsh weather and currents of the North Atlantic, and can be tailor made for your specific needs.

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04/10/2018 09:19:53

European focus – Sea bass

Greece is the word But outside the EU, Turkey dominates farmed output

BY VINCE MCDONAGH

T

HE production of farmed sea bass in European Union countries is running at its highest level ever, and is almost making up the losses from the decline in the wild caught variety, says a new study into this popular species.

Most of the cultivation takes place in southern Europe, where production exceeded 81,800 tonnes in 2016, the last year for which up-to-date figures are available.

The report has been prepared by EUMOFA, the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture, which has looked at the price structure and supply chain involving the production of sea bass in three EU countries, Greece, Croatia and Spain.

The study concludes that sea bass production has been growing at impressive levels in the EU, thanks to aquaculture, which now accounts for 96 per cent of total output. Farmed sea bass production has increased by 35 per cent over the past decade.

It says the EU market for sea bass is around 100,000 tonnes. The leading markets are Italy and Spain, which represent more than 60 per cent of EU consumption.

When it comes to per capita consumption, Portugal ranks top, with 680g per head, followed by Cyprus, Italy and Spain, all above 500g per head.

The study found that the highest ex-farm prices were in Croatia. In Spain, which tends to produce smaller fish than the rest, the ex-farm price is at the lowest level.

In contrast, wild sea bass production over the past decade fell by 46 per cent around the world and by 39 per cent in the EU, mainly due to declining Atlantic stocks.

With 5,300 tonnes in 2016, the EU now represents 93 per cent of global wild catches. France continues to be the lead country in this sector, fishing in the English Channel and North Sea. But large parts of these areas will return to full UK control after Brexit.

Greece, which is highly export oriented, is the clear EU leader in farmed production at 52 per cent, producing 42,577 tonnes, up from 34,760 tonnes in 2007.

It is followed by Spain at 28 per cent (22,996 tonnes in 2016 up from 9,152 tonnes in 2007), and Croatia at six per cent (up from 2,880 tonnes to 5,310).

Italy, which was the subject of an earlier EUMOFA sea bass report, is responsible for eight per cent.

In an interesting aside, the report says data on home trends shows sea bass consumption in Spain increased by 33 per cent between 2007 and 2016, while the total consumption of fresh fish decreased by 11 per cent, partly as a result of the economic crisis and partly because of the evolution in consumer habits.

It also found that the price of farmed sea bass peaks during August, when much of Europe is on holiday, leading to high demand in restaurants for larger sized fish.

However, the main EU producers are close to being outperformed by Turkey, where production levels now total more than 81,000 tonnes a year.

Though not a member of the European Union, Turkey does export into the EU and this is having an effect on member countries such as Greece, says the report.

Egypt is another non-EU producer to watch, with farmed production now exceeding 24,000 tonnes.

The EUMOFA report says: ‘The increasing volumes of sea bass imported from Turkey into the EU, at a lower price, has affected the Greek export price to EU markets.

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‘The main highlights of the last decade in EU farmed sea bass production are the falls experienced in Italy and France (respectively minus 20 per cent and minus 32 per cent) and the significant increase of Spanish and Croatian production (respectively plus 151 per cent and plus 90 per cent).’

Croatia’s production is helped by strong demand from its near neighbour, Italy, which takes 57 per cent of its total output.

The EUMOFA report finds that farmed sea bass, once only cultivated in small coastal lagoons and tidal reservoirs, has now become a major industry.

The species started to be farmed at a high level of production in the late 1960s. Fish culture was initially associated with salt production in coastal evaporation pans and marshes.

Schools of fish living in estuarine areas were trapped and farmed in winter and spring (low evaporation periods). During the late 1960s, France and Italy competed to develop reliable mass production techniques for juvenile sea bass and, by the late 1970s, these techniques were well enough developed in most Mediterranean countries to provide hundreds of thousands of larvae.

In fact, the European sea bass (sometimes confused with the cultivation of sea bream) became the first marine non-salmonid finfish species to be commercially cultured in Europe on a large scale.

The report suggests that sea bass production will continue to grow, with southern Europe countries remaining the main players. FF

The main “highlights of

the last decade are the falls in Italy and France and the increase of Spanish and Croatian production

”

Above: Farmed sea bass

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Fish health – PD TriNations conference

BY CHRIS MITCHELL

Team work

Scientists share knowledge to keep on top of salmon challenges

T

HE PD (pancreas disease) TriNations meeting, which included a workshop on CMS (cardiomyopathy syndrome), covered new PD regulations in Norway, the costs of disease outbreaks, vaccine development and much more.

Camilla Wilson of MSD, the new chair of the TriNations group, opened proceedings, held in Bergen in March, before Marian McLoughlin, of the Fish Vet Group, gave a brief update on the cardiomyopathy situation in Scotland.

She suggested that, in 2017, confirmations of HSMI (heart and skeletal muscle inflammation) were on the increase, as was CMS, the latter appearing earlier in post transfer smolts. PRV had also been detected in rainbow trout.

Fish Vet Group Ireland’s Susie Mitchell revealed that of the 13 operational sea sites in Ireland, 11 tested positive for PD in 2017, the isolates being SAV 1 and SAV 4. Mortalities ranged from six per cent to 15 per cent.

She said that although mortality, which peaks in both the spring and autumn, doesn’t appear to correlate well with the use of vaccine on a site by site basis, levels of mortality have fallen from 38 per cent in 2014 to 10 per cent in 2017.

Susie mentioned that CPK levels could be used as an indicator of disease severity, with values of 9,000 being ‘normal’, 40,000 mild, and 79,900 ‘severe’.

In the meantime, she anticipated that vaccination will increase in 2018 but added that further development of PD vaccines should remain a priority.

Her parting advice to fish health personnel was ‘keep on top of AGD’ and ‘avoid intervention during any clinical PD event’.

The Norwegian situation was updated by Brit Hjeltnes of the Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NVI), a time served contributor to the TriNations group!

As in Ireland, there appears to be some seasonality in Norway, with peaks in summer and autumn. In 2017, some 176 outbreaks were confirmed compared with 137 in 2015.

This, combined with a gradual move north of SAV 2, resulted in new regulations and control measures being introduced by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority in 2017, which were outlined to delegates by Martin Binde of that organisation.

At an estimated cost to industry of €5 million, each site in Norway which farms salmonids must submit 20 fish each month for molecular screening of SAV, unless the virus has already been detected at the farm.

The border between the PD zone and the surveillance zone has been moved north, from Hustadvika to Skjemta, in the middle of Trøndelag county.

However, SAV 3 outbreaks north of Hustadvika can still invoke compulsory slaughter.

Britt Bang Jensen, also of

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the NVI, emphasised that screening is only useful if it is conducted for a specific purpose, such as tracking of SAV progress, feasibility of eradication, or the limitation of spread.

An understanding of the trade-offs between sensitivity and specificity are crucial for making informed decisions within the context of the sampling objective; the implications of false positives and negatives are clearly different, depending on whether they occur during screening or diagnosis.

Not for the first time, the conference was remind-

Above: Marian McLoughlin (top); Susie Mitchell, Left: Camilla Wilson

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Team work

ed that the economic impact of fish disease is notoriously hard to document, particularly when the condition under consideration is not always fatal.

An economic assessment of losses from PD, using combined site data by Jostein Mulder Petterson, from Patogen, together with industry and NVI partners, showed that the cost of PD in mid production (2kg fish) was actually greater than at the end (4kg fish), which is counter-intuitive and contrary to accepted wisdom. Such costs can range between 12 and 17 million NOK per site.

Hilde Sindre, of NVI, gave an overview of best practice in the testing and screening for SAV. Hilde confirmed that heart ventricle remains the tissue of choice for screening purposes and that the vaccination status of the fish is an important consideration in the interpretation of results, from both RT-PCR (currently the preferred choice for screening) as well as tests that involve serum neutralisation.

In the latter case, an additional risk to that arising from vaccine derived antigen can come from cross reactivity from antibodies raised against other antigens, such as PRV. In work jointly funded by the Fish Vet Group and MSD, the former’s Marianne Kraugerud shared some experiences from using a variety of blood biochemical markers as PD indicators.

Of particular note is creatine kinase (CK), the levels of which correlate with muscle damage and may thus be useful as a prognostic tool to predict improvements in muscle quality of PD afflicted stocks.

Likewise, aspartate transaminase (ASAT) was also shown to correlate well with red muscle damage.

The potential benefit is that these, and possibly other markers, could help in the management of PD through non-lethal sampling.

Liam Doherty from MSD went on to explain how serology is used as a tool both for on-site monitoring of SAV as well as for mapping the bigger SAV picture.

Mapping has revealed that since 2015, SAV 1 has extended its geographical reach in Scotland (now including both the Western Isles as well as the Shetland Islands). And SAV 5 is now also present in this northern archipelago.

On at least two sites there has been evidence of change in the SAV type identity (SAV 4 to SAV 1 in one case and SAV 5 to SAV 1 in the other). One site showed a concurrent infection of SAV 4 and SAV 5.

Mitigation of PD in the form of dietary intervention has been presented at TriNations before and Biomar’s Trygve Sigholt, working in conjunction with Nofima and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, gave an interesting update from the world of krill as a feed component.

A study was established to compare two types of krill based diet, one richer in EPA and DHA lipids than the other. In both compositions, heart pathology in fish challenged with SAV was lower than control fish fed a triglyceride diet low in both fatty acids.

The observed difference was possibly due to the anti-inflammatory impact of the DHA as well as

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elevated cell membrane integrity. The krill enriched feed was also shown to dampen the growth arrest normally associated with SAV 3 infection.

Rodrigo Belmonte from MSD reminded delegates that both salmon and trout can be affected by SAV in seawater, although the outcome is not so severe in the latter. However, trout can shed virus if infected and this may be a significant infection reservoir where the disease is endemic in those areas holding unvaccinated fish.

Tank trials have shown that trout vaccinated with a monovalent PD vaccine subsequently shed significantly less SAV than unvaccinated peer fish following SAV 3 challenge.

Also evident in the vaccinated group, was a significant reduction in clinical heart and pancreas damage compared to the non-vaccinates. Additional studies showed that the vaccination of trout with this PD vaccine was safe and free of any check to growth.

DNA constructs (in a SAV vector) derived from two non-structural proteins of PRV (µNS and σNS) formed the basis of a presentation by Espen Rimstad of NMBU. Espen described how these proteins produced a moderate protective effect (based upon histopathology scores) in fish vaccinated with them. This was enhanced with the addition of a cell attachment protein also from PRV (σ1).

In a benchmarking trial conducted by SalMar and supported by MSD, two vaccines, one containing a SAV antigen (Aquavac PD7) and the other without (ALPHA JECT micro 6) were compared for safety and efficacy under commercial conditions over a 15-month period.

While a significantly lower level of SAV RNA (an indicator of viral load) was found in fish vaccinated with the PD antigen, subsequent differences in mortality, Spielberg score and growth were found to be not significant between the two groups.

Industry practitioners are often perplexed as to why mortality outcomes following infection with SAV can vary so much from site to site.

Ingunn Sommerset of MSD, working with partners at Marine Harvest, the Norwegian Veterinary Institute and NMBU, set out to explain whether these differences could be explained by strain differences in SAV 3, based upon an examination of 11 isolates.

The study revealed no obvious relationship between heterogeneity in the E2 gene and mortality in stocks infected by isolates of SAV 3, which were heterogenous in this region of the genome.

A look at SAV 2 genomes has revealed a common ancestor that likely existed around 2008 and could be the incipient isolate for this strain in Norway. While the Norwegian SAV 2s are related to Scottish ones, an epidemiological link between the two has not yet been established.

We do, however, have an improved understanding of the relative virulence of

The “ economic

impact of fish disease is notoriously hard to document

”

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Fish health – PD TriNations conference

Above: Marianne Kraugerud; Brit

Hjeltnes; Jostein Mulder Peterson

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this strain and how it has changed over the last six years.

Marius Karlsen from Pharmaq explained how a comparison of virulence between Norwegian SAV 2s shows that while the 2011 isolate was quite a mild strain, ones from subsequent years (2012, 2013 and 2017) were found to be quite virulent, confirming that it is often better to regard virulence from an intra-strain perspective than an inter-strain one. At the molecular level, these differences can be attributed to a few amino acids.

Whole genome sequencing is a costly and highly specialised process. Michael Gallagher of the University of Aberdeen presented a new mobile sequencing platform, the Minion whole-genome sequencer.

This small device can separate out SAV genomes with a high degree of accuracy although, it was conceded, not quite as accurately as the established, if less portable machines. Low cost and high speed, it seems, come at the expense of accuracy and output levels.

Continuing the R&D theme, Anne Aas-Eng from Pharmaq presented results from a large field trial conducted in Norway for testing Pharmaq’s new PD vaccine, ALPHA JECT micro 1 PD. Despite the challenges commonly associated with such trials in obtaining valid data, outbreaks of PD occurred at several locations and the vaccine was found to reduce mortality from PD by almost 50 per cent compared to the Compact PD vaccine which was used as a control in this study.

By way of an introduction to the session on transmission and infection, Sonal Patel from Norway’s Institute of Marine Research described a diverse project tasked with improving our understanding of the macro and micro environmental factors, as well as the immunological ones that determine the progress of infection by SAV into clinical disease.

Sonal showed how well adapted, but SAV infected, salmon smolts that have been in the sea for nine weeks or more shed less virus than newly transferred ones.

One reason, demonstrated in this programme, is that the immune framework, including the antigen presentation apparatus in the pancreas, heart and pyloric caecae, has been activated by this stage.

The study also showed SAV induced changes to the skin microbiome (so called dysbiosis) where harmless taxa are replaced by more pathogenic ones, including Flavobacteriaceae and Tenacibaculum.

A ploidy comparison of salmon in the same project showed that in triploid fish the accumulation of SAV positivity in the triploid population was slower than in the diploid one.

Noelia Nuñez-Ortiz of the Institute of Marine Research indicated that this observation was supported by a higher level of up-regulated antiviral immune genes and pattern recognition receptors in the triploid group.

Weight gain, as a measure of response to vaccination, was also found to be improved in lines of fish bred for enhanced resistance to SAV.

Using established artificial transmission/challenge techniques, Bjørn Olav Kvamme of the Institute of Marine Research has been able to demonstrate that sea trout (Salmo truttae) post smolts are actually less susceptible to SAV 3 and PRV than their Atlantic salmon cousins and, in the case of the latter virus, ‘much less so’ and were ‘not expected to develop HSMI’ at the time of publication during this ongoing study.

Neil Ruane from the Marine Institute in Ireland continued the ‘wild’ theme, but with cleaner fish.

Irish salmon farmers deploy wild caught wrasse in salmon cages as cleaner fish. The first 60 individuals from each capture operation are health screened.

In 2017, a pooled sample with material from five ballan wrasse was confirmed positive for SAV 6. The last such finding was in 1996 and the significance of this recent one, according to the authors, has more to do with the taxonomy of alpha viruses than the epidemiology of salmon pancreas disease in the Irish industry, to which it was not believed to be linked.

The PD component of the Bergen TriNations meeting ended with an applied look at PRV infection in Atlantic salmon; specifically, its influence on the host’s tolerance to hypoxia through two mechanisms, one by virtue of the infection itself and the other from the clinical outcome of infection – HSMI. Erythrocyte loading with PRV results in a reduction in haemoglobin oxygen affinity, which negatively impacts the carrying capacity of the blood for this molecule.

Cardiac inflammation, characteristic of clinical HSMI, leads to reduced cardiac performance which, in turn, diminishes the fish’s ability to cope with sub-optimal dissolved oxygen episodes, occasionally found in the pen environment. FF

Industry led initiative THE PD TriNation initiative was established in 2005 with the aim of integrating and focusing the activities of academia and industry from Norway, Ireland and Scotland and, more recently, other salmon farming regions.

This industry led initiative has led to a fuller understanding of PD and related conditions (including CMS and HSMI) by encouraging new and collaborative research, and the sharing of results in a transparent manner.

Greater knowledge of the risks associated with the development and spread of the disease, as well as an understanding of the viral characteristics, have helped shape strategies for disease prevention and mitigation for the benefit of the salmon farming industry.

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04/10/2018 09:21:41

World focus – Value chains

Quiet revolution With farmed fish supply growing and diversifying, prices have fallen and food security has improved, says Ben Belton

M Above: Ben Belton. Below: Belton addressing the WAS/EAS conference in Montpellier in August

ASSIVE but largely overlooked changes have been taking place in food value chains throughout developing countries over the last two to three decades.

These changes, occurring throughout Asia and also, increasingly, in Africa, and for a whole different range of food commodities, are being driven by changes in the demand for food in these countries.

And the underlying driver of changes in demand is urbanisation, said Ben Belton, of Michigan State University, but currently based in Myanmar.

In a talk at the WAS/EAS conference in Montpellier in August, he said farms had seen commercialisation, technological change, intensification, specialisation – and that growth and specialisation is supported by the growth of a whole range of enterprises.

‘The world is increasingly urban – two thirds of the world’s population will live in towns or cities by 2050 – and urbanisation is occurring particularly rapidly in developing countries,’ said Belton.

Part of the reason for that is it’s possible to earn higher incomes in urban areas. As incomes rise, this leads to changes in people’s diets.

‘As your income goes up, the share of calories you derive from staple foods declines and you increase your expenditure on non staple foods such as fruit, vegetables, meat and fish.’

This is a very large global change that’s taking place and it is leading to huge changes in the demand for food.

‘We looked at the 10 most important aquaculture producing developing countries – Egypt, Brazil, Philippines, Bangladesh, Myanmar, India, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand – and together they account for 87 per cent of global aquaculture production,’ said Belton.

‘We worked out how much of this aquaculture production is being exported and how much is remaining in these markets for domestic consumption, and you can see that only 11 per cent of this almost 90 per cent of global production is being exported from these developing countries, despite what we hear about exports.’

The changes in demand for fish are being accompanied by changes in the

supply of fish.

For example, in Bangladesh in 1992, before the onset of the quiet revolution, aquaculture was based on homestead ponds growing carp for home consumption. Twenty years later, in 2012, after the introduction of pangasius, there had been a huge conversion of rice fields to fish farms.

Along with this huge rise in the number of fish farms throughout Asia, the farming has commercialised, changing from subsistence to production for the market.

There have been a variety of changes in the technologies used by farmers, said Belton, with the biggest shift being the switch to pelleted feed, which underlines the process of intensification.

There have been a series of other technological changes, including stocking large fingerlings, digging deeper ponds, using aeration, and using a variety of chemicals, all of which leads to higher yields which can be marketed.

Most aquaculture in these countries occupies an intermediate stage of development – it is no longer extensive, small scale rural production. And neither is it a very high tech, capital intensive, modern salmon aquaculture type of model.

Niche products Another element of the change in supply is the

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Quiet revolution

product cycle, whereby when a new product is introduced it’s a niche product and over time, if it’s successful, more and more farms start producing it, it becomes commoditised and the price falls, and then people start to look for alternative niche products that can be commoditised.

‘Indian major carps in the 80s and 90s were the first species to become commoditised and then we had the introduction of pangasius through the mid 90s, taking off in the 2000s, then people started getting into tilapia, and after tilapia people starting getting into climbing perch, types of catfish, and, very recently, in last five years, we have new species of catfish coming to the fore.

‘So production is becoming more diverse in terms of the number of species, and as production becomes more commoditised, these species are getting cheaper.

‘This growth and change is not happening in isolation. It’s been facilitated by equally massive growth throughout the value chain, both upstream in businesses supplying inputs and around the farm, and downstream in businesses involved in logistics and services.’

In Bangladesh, for example, earth cutters are hired to dig a plant, someone makes a business renting out earth moving equipment, there are nursery owners, someone paid to transport fish

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As your income goes up, you increase your “ expenditure on non staple foods such as fish ”

seed, fish seed traders, and someone who’s opened a business renting out baskets which are lined with plastic and filled with water and used to transport live fish.

‘We have a large farm that’s established a feed mill, and someone sells feed ingredients and feeds on the local market.

‘Lots of people are employed moving feed around, another farmer has established a feed mill and is renting it out to other farmers, people are hired to feed fish in a pond.

‘It goes on – a team of people who go from village to village harvesting fish, a casual labourer carrying fish from a pond to a truck, people renting out the trucks or even renting out the pots used to carry the fish.

‘There’s this huge ecosystem of economic activity that grows up around places where there are high concentrations of aquaculture,’ said Belton.

‘There is innovation occurring on farms but also in all these off farm segments of the value chain.’

In Andhra Pradesh, the most important state in India for fish production, with more than a million tonnes of farmed fish produced there, growth has been facilitated by a series of changes in the value chain.

Seed is transported from Calcuttta, 1,200km away, and that is nursed in Andhra Pradesh. There are specialised nursery hubs that produce very large fingerlings that help speed up the production cycle, all of which has been made possible because of improvements in transporting large live fish.

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World focus – Value chains

Downstream, Calcutta is the main market for all this fish being produced and that’s made possible because there are traders who have invested in ice factories, and people who have established factories for making boxes that allow fish to be transported over long distances, and other people who rent out trucks for transportation.

The clustering of these businesses and services, around areas where there are intense concentrations of fish farms, allows different actors to specialise in particular activities, and that allows them to become more efficient and reduces their costs.

At the same time, these changes facilitate the lengthening of these value

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Above: Ben Belton in the Montpellier session. Top: Market traders in India

chains over space, both upstream and downstream.

To sum up, said Belton, the quiet revolution in aquaculture value chains has been driven by the change in demand, and it’s resulted in the massive growth of farms and supporting enterprises through all sectors of the value chain – nothing short of a transformation.

This has been accompanied by an ongoing process of intensification, specialisation and a whole series of innovations allowing greater efficiencies.

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Quiet revolution

In a seller’s market, how does Europe guarantee Asian supplies?

Most of these farms and firms are SMEs, creating a whole range of different livelihood niches.

‘But it’s an intermediate stage of development,’ said Belton. ‘If we move further down the road, the picture may start to change.’

Crucially, as farm fish supply has grown and diversified, the price of farmed fish has fallen and become more accessible to consumers, contributing to food security.

Ben Belton is based full-time in Myanmar at the USAID funded Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy: Burma, where he leads project research activities on agricultural commodity value chains, livelihoods and the rural economy. FF

this huge eco“There’s system of economic

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”

AN EU funded project looking at the EU’s future position in the global seafood system found a decline in the volume of fish imported by European countries from Asia.

Europe aims to develop its aquaculture sector through technology and innovation platforms and it hopes that Asia is going to develop such a platform as well, said Professor Johan Verreth of Wageningen University, who is working on the Horizon 2020 Eurastip project.

Aquaculture is growing in Vietnam and Bangladesh and is stable or decreasing in Thailand and the EU. Consumption is growing heavily in Asia, and slightly in the EU. Consumption in the whole of Europe shows that more farmed seafood is eaten in the south than in the north, where they eat a lot of wild caught fish.

EU production is 1.3 million tonnes, worth 4 billion euros. Consumption is 25.1kg per capita per year and is growing slowly. Some 6.5 kg is farmed, of which 57 per cent is sourced from outside the EU, including Norway.

This represents a very small amount compared to the animal sector, and it is difficult for fish to reach the efficiency of the poultry section.

The trend over the years is that the self-sufficiency rate is declining. This accounts for seafood in general and farmed seafood too.

‘The question is why? Don’t we produce enough?’ asked Verreth. ‘Changes in consumer preferences over the last decade show us eating much more salmon (25 per cent), while the share of pangasius has decreased at about the same rate.’

Trading partners Among the EU’s seafood trading partners, Bangladesh has witnessed an explosive growth of aquaculture, by 16 times in production volume over the last 30 years (19842014).There has been a shift from unfed to fed production; intensification is happening.

But the amount of shrimp the EU imports is decreasing. The position of Europe remains about eight per cent as a market in Bangladesh.

In Thailand, overall production has decreased, with diseases playing a part. Shrimp exports have declined quite heavily over three or four years, and the relative importance of the EU in the market for Thailand is decreasing seriously.

It has dropped from 15 per cent to five per cent over 10 years, with the shift to the US and to China.

Vietnam has doubled the European

production. Seafood is very crucial to its economy, the third most important sector after shoes and oil.

The export value of shrimp and pangasius is very similar, although in volume terms pangasius exceeds shrimp.

While salmon imports are growing, they export les shrimp and much less pangasius to the EU than before.

In 2012, the EU accounted for 25 per cent of total sales of seafood and now it’s less than 20 per cent.

‘What can explain these differences? Is it simply changes in production, or changes in consumer preferences in Europe, or are regulatory issues relating to food safety playing a role?’

Verreth said import tariffs imposed by the EU could also have played a major part in the decrease of exports from Asia.

The EU imports 65 per cent of the seafood it consumes, mainly from Asia. In Europe, there are high standards on the quality of that food, regarding safety and sustainability, and retailers impose their own rules on the food chain.

‘But we have to be aware that Asian suppliers are less dependent on EU consumers.

What does that mean in the trade negotiations…and to what extent will these trends affect seafood security in the future?

‘Europe seems to respond to this by saying we need to produce more but can we ever close that gap of 65 per cent production?

What is our future position in the global seafood system?

‘We are shifting from a buyer’s to a seller’s market,’ said Verreth, ‘and we have to gain their willingness to sell to us. The challenge is to find a way to guarantee their supplies.’

Above: Changing trends

59

03/10/2018 15:29:49

Kamahu – Advertorial

Kamahu offers a SAASy solution Innovative farm control software for aquaculture

A

YOUNG and innovative new start-up based in Britanny, France, is developing new Software as a Service (SAAS) solutions for the aquaculture industry.We caught up with their CEO Killian Delorme to get the lowdown on the company:

Could you describe Kamahu and the service it offers?

Kamahu is an independent Breton start-up.We conceive and market innovative farm control SAAS solutions for the aquaculture industry. Our service aims at tracking and monitoring the activities of farms, and giving a forecast for the production. In 2012 we conceived what was probably the first SAAS solution in Europe dedicated to fish farming.We opted at that time for the most recent technologies available.We were looking to find a solution for six trout farms who had to do some data consolidation each weekend, working with spreadsheets, to gain an overview about forthcoming production.The forecasts were proving to be wrong a few days later as the fish did not grow as intended – errors were frequent and the operators all found the exercise boring! With no IT team and lacking money to invest in hardware, we advised them that cloud computing offered the best solution.

We have been improving the systems ever since.

What are the core functionalities of the service?

The service goes through remote, multi-site, multi-user, multilingual and real time reporting and data-consolidation.We provide performance analysis, easy and full traceability for everyone on every device, automatic alerts, checking of the specifications of the retail industry, remote visibility of the feeds stocks and so on.

The service is based on web and opensource technologies. Different user profiles and rights are managed through the service.This specific management platform or workflow, going from data entry forms (movements between the tanks, weight samples, feedings, and mortality) to generation of dashboards and charts, is thus dedicated to the daily control of fish farms.

Among the three core functionalities, we find performance monitoring first : through real time input data from remote farms and using historical data, the service draws up production reports and controls the performance of a fish farm during a period chosen by the user (real biomass gain, growth and mortality curves, feed efficiency and so on, and a comparison with theoretical values).

The distribution of the lots in commercial classes allows the performance monitoring of each raceway or batch. Business planning then comes in.The business planning is embedded into the service and is updated with the farm’s data (persistence,weights, progress). A sales book and the consolidation of the exploitation expectations allows the sales force to master the incoming production volumes through business categories, weeks and farms, or in a consolidated view.

Traceability is the final third core functionality: the service allows the user to ensure full traceability and meet the requirements of the food processing industry (movements, food fed, mixing lots, pigmentation, immunisation coverages, treatments and persistences).

What have been your key success factors?

User friendliness is the main word (our users are our best sales people!) - it’s easy to use, intuitive, flexible and reliable. Security, reporting and support are all well appreciated, too.We are a small team of highly qualified IT engineers and we can adapt the service quickly to specific needs. But user experience remains the heaviest judge.

Who are your customers?

Most of the users are European independent inland fish farmers. And a few of them farm multi-species on non-connected sites! We target groups and marine farms, too, and are currently editing fitted solutions to their needs. Other aquaculture markets will be addressed next year, and we hope to gain new users on other continents.

Above: CEO Killian Delorme. Left: SAAS software. Opposite: The company’s stand at the WAS/EAS show in Montpellier.

Which problems are you trying to solve?

The service serves as an interface between

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03/10/2018 15:18:06

Kamahu offers a SAASy solution

worth of data , we’ll be able to run specific algorithms and analyse if we can get something relevant out of them.

The region of Brittany in France granted us the opportunity a few months ago to push forward our innovative initiatives for the aquaculture industry and we’ll present the results next year. Apart from this, we have been working on special reports to analyse the performance of the feeds in some specific contexts. And we would like to get in touch with an automatic feeding system provider to couple it to our platform.

User “ friendliness is the main word….. intuitive, flexible and reliable

”

the farmers and the processing industry; some functionalities can be shared in order to enhance communication and better integrate the way the information is shared.We observe business combinations around fish plants; they need consolidation of data (fish stocks, feeds stocks, consolidation to better deal with the providers).

The marketing within the retail industry makes traceability essential and the ability to react quickly is a key factor. Global groups and scattered farms generate real time remote reporting needs.

And forward sales cannot be relevant without reliable planning and appropriated tools.

What projects are you currently working on?

We recently switched to a specific so called ‘Big data IT-architecture’ in order to collect data from sensors and to do machine learning. Our aim is to provide specific feeding tables and growth predictions for each site configuration (temperatures, feeds, genitors), with the smallest chance of digression, which is always hard with live stocks.

As the first users can now rely on six years’

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Kamahu - PED.indd 61

Finally, how do you see the next few years?

Integration and collaboration will be the main thematics. Integration through IoT with new innovative materials, such as connected fish graders, weight samplers, sensors, automatic feed dispensers, RAS facilities that need smart monitoring and so on, and collaboration with experts on new services like computer vision, artificial intelligence, data science, new vet protocols, genetics and bioinformatics. Feed producers and aquaculture consultants will gain from this as they won’t have to collect data before being able to analyse it.We think that the collaborative environment will help to adapt the solutions and could speed up the future growth of the sector that needs to feel reassured. And by starting from €50/month while keeping it simple, it seems obvious to us that such services will replace all spreadsheets everywhere in a short time.

You can find out more about the company by visiting www.kamahu.com FF

61

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Morenot.indd 62

04/10/2018 09:22:38

Processing and Retail News

Negative image affecting seafood recruitment The negative perception of working in the seafood processing industry is one of the main barriers to recruiting enough British staff, company chiefs have said Their comments are contained in the latest comprehensive Seafish quarterly update on the labour situation, first launched late last year in the light of Brexit.

The result is that, for a variety of reasons including Brexit, seafood processors are finding it harder to recruit enough people.

The survey says that 38 per cent of firms in the sample told Seafish it became more difficult to fill vacancies in the threemonth period between April and June this year, compared with the previous quarter.

Only five per cent said things were easier.

Scotland appears to be having the most problems, with almost half of the Grampian based seafood processors surveyed reporting that re-

cruitment had become more difficult in the April-June period.

Previous research

by Seafish found that processing sites in the Grampian region employed the largest proportion of non-British staff (mostly European).

‘This suggests that seafood processors in the Grampian region are more likely to be affected by changes in the availability of European workers,’ the

report adds.

One Grampian processor said: ‘Our European workers are scared of the Brexit outcome and are returning home.

We’re finding it more and more difficult to attract EU workers.’

On the Humber (Grimsby and Hull), only two of the sample’s seafood processing sites reported that recruitment in April-June 2018 was easier than at the start

of January.

According to 14 per cent of survey respondents (10 processing sites), people from the EU are now less willing to come to the UK to work in seafood processing.

The explanations for this included the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, the lower value of sterling, and efforts of European countries to encourage their citizens to return home (including financial incentives).

Among its conclusions Seafish said: ‘The main barrier to recruiting British staff in the seafood processing industry remains the negative perception of the industry held by potential candidates.’

In total, 55 per cent of processors sampled reported that British workers did not want to work in seafood

Brexit outcome We’re finding it more “and more difficult to attract EU workers ”

processing factories.

The reasons for this included the physicality of the job, the cold and wet working environment, and unsociable hours.

Over 80 per cent of processors in the sample said that they would increase their efforts to recruit locally. Seafish said increasing efforts to recruit locally remained the most common response to recruitment challenges.

Dingwall salmon firm faces closure threat A MAJOR question mark hangs over the future of the Edinburgh Salmon Company (also known as ESCo) and with it, the jobs of around 250 people after its owner announced it was considering a sale or the possible closure of the business.

A press release from owner Europeenne de la Mer, a subsidiary of the global seafood giant Thai Union, said the Dingwall, Scotland, based business was suffering heavy losses as a result of highly challenging marketing conditions and market trends.

The site employs about 160 regular staff and between 80 and 100 agency workers and is one of the main employers in Dingwall, a town with a population of just 5,500.

The news is also a serious blow to the Scottish seafood industry, especially after Young’s closed its Pinneys salmon

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Processing News.indd 63

site in Annan this month, with the loss of 450 jobs.

To compound matters, the Edinburgh Salmon Company, which produces smoked salmon, lost a large salmon supply contract last year to the sandwich and coffee chain Pret a Manger to Young’s of Grimsby.

A year ago, Fish Update reported that the company was blaming high salmon prices for heavy losses at the business, adding that it was unable to make up the deficit by passing

Iceland Seafood’s sales and profits soar

them on to its customers.

The latest accounts show that losses in 2017 amounted to £5.225 million, down from the 2016 figure of £6.86 million, but clearly unsustainable over term.

ESCo said it planned to explore all possible ‘divestment opportunities’ in an attempt to avoid, reduce or mitigate the possible impact on its staff.

The statement added: ‘Our employees at ESCo are our primary consideration. They were informed of the decision on Thursday morning. Its customers were also being informed.

‘Following the announcement to our employees, we have started the process of appointing elected workplace representatives.

‘If we are unable to find a viable alternative to the proposed closure, we will then carry out individual consultations with at-risk employees.’

Above: Helgi Anton Eiríksson

THE international fish trading company Iceland Seafood International (ISI) has reported a significant rise in its 2018 half year sales and profits.

As part of its growth strategy, ISI has agreed two strategic purchases already this year, the Spanish acquisition Solo Seafood/ Icelandic Iberica in August (finalised this month) and the Irish fish trading business Oceanpath, in March.

Sales shot up by 29 per cent to €150 million, while the operating profit soared by 71 per cent to €2.7 million.

CEO Helgi Anton Eiríksson said: ‘It is very pleasing to report strong results for the first half of the year and a successful completion of the acquisition of Oceanpath, in line with our announced strategic intent of investing in value added companies internationally.’

The purchase of Solo Seafood, the parent of Icelandic Iberica, should take group sales to €400 million and pre-tax profits above €10 million.

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03/10/2018 15:20:06

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65

04/10/2018 09:25:38

Opinion – Inside track

The pen is mightier than the cage

BY NICK JOY

A

S salmon farming goes through another period where perception overrules reality, maybe it is time we spent a little more time thinking about how we are seen rather than what the real picture is.

I am not suggesting that we should not try to explain our position, but that we should look much more closely at how we are explaining it.

Salmon farmers and aquaculturalists are just as prone to jargon as the next industry but some of ours is patently idiotic.

If you produce quality food then it is inevitable that you will have railed at the uninformed consumer. But we buy a much wider range of foods these days, from the primary to the processed, and the average consumer cannot know each and every requirement for each item of food, if you think about the sheer volume of information required.

So it behoves us, as the producers, to explain what we do well and accurately.

For more than 40 years, the issue of battery chickens has been raised.The image of chickens unable to turn around in a cage for their entire life is at best unpleasant and at worst disgusting. For over 20 years I have refused to eat chicken (actually, not entirely true now because I eat field raised chickens).

Now we hit the nub of the matter.The issue that bedevils chickens is caged farming.The use of cages is an extremely emotive issue. Animals kept in cages in zoos upset people.

The word ‘cage’ never, ever has a positive connotation. So please explain to me why an industry so bedevilled by bad press cannot get rid of this descriptor?

I began to realise how idiotic the use of this word was when a Swiss customer was trying to write a standard for salmon farming and included the words ‘salmon shall not be reared in metal cages’.

This was a guy who bought farmed salmon! If he didn’t know, then what must the poor befuddled consumer think?

It’s not as though there aren’t better words, but we seem to be attached to this one. Maybe conventional cattle farmers should describe their enclosures as prison camps.

We use nets made of really soft material to ensure that our fish aren’t damaged by rubbing on them.We look out for projections or obstructions to ensure that when the fish jump they aren’t hurt.

We concentrate on making sure that the number and weight of the fish is such that they have the optimum health conditions.We strive every day to keep them clean so that the best water flow is achieved.

Then having spent all this time and effort we offer those who don’t like us the words ‘caged salmon’. I mean, with the greatest of respect to all of those in this industry, how dumb is that?

So let’s try some new nomenclature: You keep your fish in pens or enclosures.

You pen your fish in, you don’t net them, unless you are talking about fish by fish.

You use medicines not therapeutants.

I could go on and on.

I am not saying this will change the world overnight, but it will take away some easy shots from our opponents.

Everything you do is for the optimum welfare and health of your animals.

You fail, as every farmer does.We fail because animals aren’t robots and we grow them in an open and varied environment.

66

Nick Joy.indd 66

It’s not as “though there

aren’t better words, but we seem to be attached to this one

”

The problem that underlies most criticism of our industry (apart from the angling lobby) is the deluded idea that animals live a pristine wonderful life in nature.

The deduction from this is that if we just left it all alone, it would all be perfect and there would be wonderful welfare.

It takes almost no time to debunk this sort of thinking. In the wild, only the replacement rate with a little added survive to adulthood in all species.

What happens to all of the others? Are they gently euthanased? Of course not; they become food for other species and often die horribly.

In farming, hugely greater numbers survive, though sometimes we get it wrong and a big mortality occurs. It happens often in agriculture, too, but the public understand and are used to that.

So when you think about your advert or you are speaking to the public, suppliers or customers, can we drop this out-of-date, inaccurate use of the word ‘cage’ because it feeds the sort of thinking I have described above.

We need to stop shooting ourselves in the foot before we enter the competition for public opinion. FF

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

03/10/2018 15:20:57

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04/10/2018 09:27:05

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