Shellfish
BY NICKI HOLMYARD
Strategy versus reality How realistic are ambitions to turn Scotland – and the rest of the UK – into a producer of warm water species through land-based aquaculture?
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n the run up to Sco�sh parliamentary elec�ons on 6 May it was never seriously in doubt that we would see the SNP con�nuing at the helm in Holyrood, whether as a majority party or as the dominant partner in a coali�on. There is no ques�on that the SNP supports aquaculture; it is clearly stated in the party’s manifesto: “Fish farming is something that Scotland is well placed to do well in, but it must grow sustainably, in harmony with the marine environment that supports it.” There is also a pledge of support for innova�on in aquaculture, including the development of closed containment fish produc�on on land, and exploring “the poten�al to produce more shellfish in warm-water, land-based farms, to cut the amount of unsustainably produced fish and shellfish being imported into Scotland.” These pledges build on the Aquaculture 2030 Strategy, published by Scotland Food and Drink a few years ago. This sets out a vision for aquaculture growth in Scotland, and iden�fies key ac�ons required to double the economic contribu�on of the industry from £1.8bn in 2016, to £3.6bn by 2030. Included in the strategy is the need for greater research, development and innova�on (RD&I) in Scotland, to address the challenges faced by the aquaculture industry, such as climate change. Investment is called for to support growth and reflect the industry’s priori�es, which include a shi� to new produc�on models using exposed sites and on-shore ‘super-smolt’ facili�es. While the Sco�sh Aquaculture Strategy makes no specific men�on of
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warm water species, the English Aquaculture Strategy states: “Although current produc�on levels are very small, aquaculture is capable of producing warm-water species and other exo�c species such as �lapia and shrimp that are currently imported. This has the poten�al to grow, especially given changes in the trades and markets following the EU-Exit and COVID-19.” Future of the Sea: Trends in Aquaculture, by Professor K. Black and Dr A. Hughes (July 2017), is a review commissioned as part of the UK government’s Foresight Future of the Sea project. It acknowledges that aquaculture has grown in the last 40 years to be an important component of the UK seafood sector, with a produc�on value in excess of £590m to the UK economy, and that strong government support for the Sco�sh aquaculture industry has contributed to its growth and ongoing plans for expansion up to 2030. The authors iden�fy climate change, energy prices, government policy and social acceptance of aquaculture as key components in shaping how aquaculture develops in the next 50 years, and state: “There is significant poten�al for aquaculture to further develop across the UK, especially in semi-contained recircula�ng aquaculture systems (RAS) on both land and sea, and in offshore cage aquaculture.” The report introduces four development scenarios, and points out that because energy costs impact every aspect of the value chain, future fluctua�ons are likely to have a very large influence on the way that aquaculture develops. As such, scenarios with a higher rela�ve energy cost, reflect higher feed, transporta�on, infrastructure and fabrica�on costs. “In broad terms it can be supposed that if rela�ve energy prices reduce, then those aquaculture produc�on systems which are energy intensive will become more economically viable and vice versa. RAS are highly energy-dependent.
Left: Tilapia feeding Opposite: Vannamei
shrimp (top); Fresh white leg shrimp in market
www.fishfarmermagazine.com
10/05/2021 15:49:22
