Fish Farmer Magazine October 2019 by Fish Farmer Magazine

Fish Farmer VOLUME 42

Serving worldwide aquaculture since 1977

NUMBER 10

OCTOBER 2019

www.fishfarmermagazine.co.uk

INNOVATION GAME

NO-DEAL DELAYS

HOME-GROWN HURDLES

COUNTER ATTACK

The people and ideas shaping farms of the future

French are ready but are we, asks seafood boss

Minister to fight for trout sector growth

Retailers could do better, says Martin Jaffa

October Cover.indd 1

07/10/2019 10:00:11

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Untitled-2 2

07/10/2019 09:21:44

Contents – Editor’s Welcome Contents – Editor’s Welcome Contents – Editor’s Welcome

Contents Contents Contents

38-43 48-49 4-15 4-14 41-43 42-44 38-39 48-49 4-15 4-14 41-43 42-44 38-39 Innovation Brussels News Aqua 2018 Innovation Aquaculture What’s happening happening in in aquaculture aquaculture 48-49 Ones shrimp to2018 watch Salmon market What’s Montpellier preview From torobust salmon Investor advice Brussels 4-15 News 4-14 Aqua Aquaculture Innovation 41-43 42-44 38-39 in the the UK UK and around around the world world in and the Salmon market robust What’s happening in aquaculture Montpellier preview From shrimp to salmon Investor advice Brussels News Aqua 2018 Innovation Aquaculture in the UK and around the world Salmon market What’s happening in aquaculture Montpellier preview From shrimp torobust salmon Investor advice 50-55 44-46 46-49 40-41 JENNY in the UK and around the world JENNY HJUL HJUL –– EDITOR EDITOR 16-21 16-17 16-22 50-55 44-46 46-49 40-41 Brussels Aqua 2018 Innovation Aquaculture JENNY JENNY HJUL HJUL –– EDITOR EDITOR 16-21 16-17 16-22 New processors’ group Industry pioneer News Extra platform Parliamentary inquiry 50-55 Sti rling course Pictures atmarket the exhibiti on Insurance Brussels Aqua 2018 Aquaculture Innovation 44-46 46-49 40-41 JENNY JENNY HJUL HJUL –– EDITOR EDITOR Brexit jitters Steve Bracken SSC’s record results inquiry Stewart Graham The final sessions New processors’ group Industry pioneer News Extra platform 16-21 16-17 Parliamentary 16-22 Sti rling course Pictures at the exhibiti on Insurance market Brussels Aqua 2018 Innovation Aquaculture Steve Bracken SSC’s record results Stewart Graham The fi nal sessions New processors’ groupon Industry pioneer News Extra platform Parliamentary inquiry Sti rling course Pictures atmarket the exhibiti Insurance salmon farming sector in Scotland, when it was to and, The he focus this month istopictures on Europe, where the internati T HE is coincidence that andits videos of unhealthy Sno Fish Farmer went press, there was sti lltold no offi cialonal S we prepared this issue, with focus on innovation Steve Bracken SSC’s record results Stewart Graham fi18-19 nal sessions 22-23 18-19 24-27 44-46 the subject ofwent athat parliamentary inquiry, embraced the HE salmon farming sector in Scotland, when told it(European was to industry will soon be gathering for the joint EAS salmon were sent to news outlets just as the sh news from the Scotti sh parliamentary inquiry into salmon in coincidence particular, on start-up companies, itsti quickly became he focus this month isto on Europe, where the internati onal T be is pictures and videos of unhealthy Sno Fish Farmer press, there was llScotti no offi cial News Extra 22-23 18-19 24-27 opportunity this would provide to explain how it operated. Salmon market SSPO be the subject of a parliamentary inquiry, embraced the Aquaculture Society) and WAS (World Aquaculture Society) parliament went back to work at the start of this month. These farming, conducted earlier this year by the Rural Economy Innovation evident that the global aquaculture industry of the industry will soon be gathering for the joint EAS (European salmon were sent to news outlets just as the Scotti sh news from the Scotti sh parliamentary inquiry into salmon Faroes deal 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 Current trends In good health Julie Hesketh-Laird The industry had nothing to hide and, if given a fair hearing, could Meet the new chief executi ve opportunity this would provide to explain how it operated. Salmon market 22-23 18-19 conference, to be staged over fi ve days in the southern French images had litt le to do with the current state of Scotland’s fi sh and Connecti vity (REC) committ ee. MSPs have now held fi ve SSPO 24-27 Investment perspective future is in safe hands. Some of the world’s best brains, from Aquaculture Society) and WAS (World Aquaculture Society) parliament went back to work at the start of this month. These farming, conducted earlier this year by the Rural Economy 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 address much of the criti cism levelled against it. Current trends In good health Julie Hesketh-Laird The industry had nothing to hide and, if given a fair hearing, could Meet the new chief executi ve city of Montpellier. As well as highlighti ng latest technological farms where sea lice levels are in decline and, in fact, at a fi vemeeti ngs, in private, to consider their report and we must be California to Norway (and not forgetting Scotland), are creating conference, to be staged over fi ve days in the southern French images had litt le to do with the current state of Scotland’s fi sh and Connecti vity (REC) committ ee. MSPs have now held fi ve opportunity this would provide explain how it month. operated. Salmon market SSPO 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 20-21 Fish Farmer supported this view, atreport tiames felt that salmon address much of the criti cism levelled against it. advances inle fast moving sector, Aqua 2018 will also feature year (htt p://scotti pati ent. However, waiti ng their recommendati ons has groundbreaking technology to improve how fish shellfish city oflow As well as highlighti ng the latest technological farms -Montpellier. where sea lice levels are in decline and, inand fact, at five- Meet meeti ngs, in private, toshsalmon.co.uk/monthly-sea-lice-reports). consider their and we be Current trends In good Julie Hesketh-Laird The had nothing to hide and, ifbut given fair hearing, thehealth new chief executive conference, to beour staged over fifor ve days in the southern French images had litt to do with the current state of Scotland’s ficould shabeen and industry Connecti vity (REC) committ ee. MSPs have now held fimust ve 48-49 56 50-58 42-45 farmers were being drowned out by the noisier elements offarming the Fish Farmer supported this view, but atREC tiit. mes felt that salmon Comment sessions on markets and look at the role of sh This latest propaganda campaign, which involves all the usual made harder by leaks from within the to anti -salmon are farmed -emerging not just to increase profitability to address advances in our fast moving sector, Aqua 2018 will also year low (htt p://scotti shsalmon.co.uk/monthly-sea-lice-reports). pati ent. However, waiti ng for their recommendati ons been address much of the criti cism levelled against city of As well as highlighti ng the latest technological farms -Montpellier. where sea lice levels are in decline and, inbut fact, at afihas fifeature vemeeti ngs, in private, to consider their report and we must be 56 Innovation angling lobby, which had called forby investi gati on. But as the 48-49 50-58 42-45 Martin Jaffa farmers were being drowned out the noisier elements of the Book review farming in alleviati ng poverty. Increasingly, industry meeti ngs anti -aquaculture suspects, came as Holyrood’s Rural Economy acti vists. The latest of these (see our news story on page 4)farming Training Aqua 2018 Aquaculture Innovation environmental challenges. sessions on emerging markets and look atinvolves the role of fibeen sh This latest propaganda campaign, which all the usual made by leaks from within the REC to anti -salmon Fish Farmer supported this view, but atthe ti mes felt that salmon advances inharder our fast moving sector, Aqua 2018 will also feature year low (htt p://scotti shsalmon.co.uk/monthly-sea-lice-reports). pati ent. However, waiti ng for their recommendati ons has Making connections sessions progressed, and eventually farmers’ voices were heard, we Focus on cleaner fiInnovation sh angling lobby, which had called for the investi gati on. But as the are broadening their scope, tackling subjects such as the social and Connecti vity committ ee returned from the summer recess to makes grim reading for the industry as it suggests that committ ee Martyn Haines Conference round-up Best of the start-ups Book review The word ‘sustainable’ is embeddded in the aquaculture 56 farming in alleviati ng poverty. Increasingly, industry meeti ngs anti -aquaculture suspects, came as Holyrood’s Rural Economy acti vists. The latest of these (see our news story on page 4) Training Aqua 2018 Aquaculture 48-49 50-58 42-45 farmers were being drowned out by the noisier elements of the sessions onpropaganda emerging andwhich lookREC atinvolves the role-salmon fishusual This campaign, allofthe madelatest harder by leaks markets from within the to anti farming became more opti misti c. We now believe that MSPs, perhaps with acceptability of aquaculture and the contributi on it makes to global sessions progressed, and eventually farmers’ voices were heard, we consider its draft report into the future of salmon farming. members have been willing to listen to those campaigning to Focus on cleaner fi sh are broadening their scope, tackling subjects such as the social lexicon, and the upcoming leaders inasthis field -But such as the Dutch and Connecti vity committ ee returned from the summer recess to makes grim reading forcame the industry itgati suggests that committ ee Martyn Haines Conference round-up Best of the start-ups angling lobby, which had called for the investi on. asngs the Book review farming in alleviati ngof poverty. Increasingly, industry anti -aquaculture suspects, as Holyrood’s Rural Economy activists. The latest these (see our news story onmeeti page 4) Training Aqua 2018 Aquaculture Innovation food security and saving the planet, a move that is to be welcomed. the excepti on of one or two Greens in cahoots with anti -farming became more opti misti c. We now believe that MSPs, perhaps with acceptability of aquaculture and the contributi on it makes to global 50 Those who want to shut down the industry have, as expected, shut down this valuable sector, rather than to those who operate investment fund Aqua-Spark place ethical outlook on a par with consider its draft report into the future of salmon members have been willing to listen to those campaigning to sessions progressed, and eventually farmers’ voices were heard, we Focus cleaner fish are broadening their scope, tackling subjects such as thefarming. social and Connecti vity committ ee returned from the summer recess to makes grim reading for the industry as it suggests that committ ee Martyn Haines Conference round-up Best57 ofonthe start-ups 53-55 60-63 48-49 Also investi gati ng initi ati ves inregard the developing world, Dr Harrison campaigners, will, on balance, the industry in abe favourable food security and saving the planet, aindustry move that isperhaps toanti welcomed. the excepti on ofvaluable one or two Greens in cahoots with -farming stepped up their acti viti es, which now involve breaching the within it.draft commercial potential. Those who want to shut down the as shut down this sector, rather than to those who operate became more opti misti c. We now believe that MSPs, with acceptability of aquaculture and the contributi on ithave, makes toexpected, global Innovation consider its report into the future of salmon farming. members have been willing to listen to those campaigning to 24 20 20-21 28-29 Charo Karisa of WorldFish writes about the farming potenti al inthe 57 53-55 60-63 48-49 light. They will hopefully see that farmers take their environmental Also investi gati ng initi ati ves inbe developing Harrison campaigners, will, on balance, regard industry in-farming a Dr favourable Aquaculture UK biosecure of farm sites to photographs in Of course, such stories may inaccurate in any case, Nor Fishing Aqua 2018 Net cleaning But despite the increasing efforts ofthe farmers to embrace stepped up their acti viti es, which now involve breaching the within it. food security and saving the planet, athe move that isand, toworld, be welcomed. Scottish breakthrough the excepti on ofenvironments one or two Greens in cahoots with anti Those who want tocatf shut down the industry have, as expected, shut down this valuable sector, rather than tosnatch those who operate 24 20 20-21 28-29 Nigeria, both in ish and ti lapia culti vati on. Comment BTA Shellfi sh Charo Karisa of WorldFish writes about the farming potenti al in responsibiliti es seriously and that businesses will only ever invest in Introducti on light. They will hopefully see that farmers take their environmental Farming angle Focus on Africa Robot soluti ons the hope of fi nding incriminati ng evidence against farmers. One committ ee’s fi ndings are not binding. Scotland’s fi sh farmers Aquaculture UK 57 sustainable production and live in harmony with nature and biosecure environments of farm sites to snatch photographs in Of course, such stories may be inaccurate and, in any case, the Nor Fishing Aqua 2018 Net cleaning 53-55 60-63 48-49 Also investi gati ngacti initi aties, veswhich inregard thenow developing world, Harrison campaigners, will, on balance, the industry inofa aDr favourable stepped up their viti involve breaching theng game within Init.Scotland, the summer has been something waiti What’s in a name? Dr Nick Lake Nigeria, both in catf ish and ticredentials lapia culti vati on. Phil Thomas growth that is sustainable. BTA Shellfi sh 24 20 20-21 responsibiliti es seriously and that businesses will only ever invest in Comment 28-29 Introducti on campaigner lmed himself searching, unsuccessfully, for dead have always been fortunate to have the support of their minister, despite the planet friendly of fish farming they are Farming angle Focus on Africa Robot soluti ons the hope of fi nding incriminati ng evidence against farmers. One committ ee’s fi ndings are not binding. Scotland’s fi sh farmers Charo Karisa of WorldFish writes about the farming potenti al in light. Theythe will hopefully see that farmers take their environmental Aquaculture biosecure environments of farm sites tosomething snatch photographs ingame Of while course, such stories may be inaccurate and, inof any case, Nor Fishing Aqua 2018 UK Net52-53 cleaning parliament is in recess and the members Holyrood’s Scotland, the summer has been aofof waiti ngthe IfInthe ee members, especially those who have yet to What’s in a name? Dr Nick Lake Phil Thomas growth that is sustainable. fi sh at acommitt Marine Harvest site. Another said he saw ‘hundreds’ ofto Comment Fergus Ewing, to grow still coming under attack. In Canada, salmon farmers have had Nigeria, both in catf ish and tisustainably. lapia culti vati on. campaigner fibeen lmed himself searching, unsuccessfully, for dead have always fortunate to have the support their minister, BTA Shellfi sh responsibiliti es seriously and that businesses will only ever invest inup Introducti onons Farming angle Focus on Africa Robot soluti the hope of fi nding incriminati ng evidence against farmers. One committ ee’s fi ndings are not binding. Scotland’s fi sh farmers Rural Economy and Connecti vity committ ee conti nue to weigh while parliament ishas in recess and the members of 58-59 60-63 68-69 51 visit a itthe salmon farm, likeespecially tosomething learn more about the subject of Phil IfBut the ee members, those who have yet infested salmon in awould pen, but we only have his word against that should not go unchallenged that some MSPs on theto REC In Scotland, the summer been ofhe aof waiti ngHolyrood’s game 22-23 defend their businesses against asalmon threat by the Liberal and Green fi sh at acommitt Marine Harvest site. Another said saw ‘hundreds’ of Fergus Ewing, to grow sustainably. Innovation What’s in a name? Dr Nick Lake Thomas growth that isfibeen sustainable. campaigner lmed himself searching, unsuccessfully, for dead have always fortunate to have the support their minister, the evidence in their inquiry into farming. We don’t expect 26 22-23 30 Rural Economy and Connecti vity committ ee conti nue to weigh up 58-59 their we have plenty of good stories in our May issue. Even 60-63 68-69 51 visit ainquiry, farm, would like to learn more about the subject of of while the parliament istheir in recess and the members Holyrood’s of professional and biologists who manage the welfare committ with own agendas against the growth of the Aquaculture Mort removal Parties toee, close open net pen farming inof British Columbia. infested salmon in avets pen, but we only have his word against that But itsalmon should not go unchallenged that some MSPs on the REC Australia Training Sea bass UK If the committ ee especially those who have yet to SSPO sh fi sh at athe Marine Harvest site. Another said hefarming. saw ‘hundreds’ ofexpect Fergus Ewing, to grow sustainably. their report unti ldown the autumn but hope the MSPs are using the time the evidence inmembers, their inquiry into salmon We don’t 26 22-23 30 Shellfi Comment BTA bett er, they could head to Highlands later this month, where Rural Economy and Connecti vity committ ee conti nue to weigh up their inquiry, we have plenty of good stories in our May issue. Even Chris Mitchell these farms on a daily basis. industry, are in breach of the Code of Conduct for MSPs. As they Barramundi boomUK Martyn Haines European leaders And in Scotland, the environmental watchdog Sepa stands of the professional vets and biologists who manage the welfare of committ ee, with their own agendas against the growth of the Aquaculture 58-59 Australia Training Sea bass 60-63 68-69 51 visit a salmon farm, would like to learn more about the subject of Foodie friends fully with the facts sh farming. infested salmon in go aacquainted pen, but we only have hisabout wordfiare against that Butto itbecome should not unchallenged that some MSPs on the REC their report unti l inquiry the autumn but hope the MSPs using the time 26 Montpellier report Dr Marti nsh Jaff a Doug McLeod they will meet the aquaculture industry en masse at Scotland’s the evidence in their into salmon farming. We don’t expect Shellfi Comment 22-23 BTA 30 bett er, they could head to the Highlands later this month, where If the industry is proud of its high standards, as it says it is, it are in a positi on to infl uence the future course of salmon farming, Chris Mitchell accused of trying to stifle growth and harm fish welfare with its these farms on a daily basis. industry, are in breach of Code of Conduct for MSPs. As they Barramundi Martyn Haines European leaders their inquiry, we have plenty of good stories in our May issue. Even This month also sees the reti rement of Marine Harvest’s longest of the professional vets andagendas biologists who manage the welfare committ ee, with their own against the growth of the of Aquaculture UK toreport become fully acquainted with the facts about fiusing sh farming. Australia Training Sea bass boom theirbiggest unti l the autumn but hope the MSPs are theait tiright me Montpellier report Dr Marti n Jaff a fi sh farming show. Doug McLeod they will meet the aquaculture industry en masse Scotland’s must mount adaily much more robust defence of itself, through its and of vital toBracken. Scotland’s economy, we have feed cap proposal (page 7). The SSPO, quite rightly, has reminded Iffarms the industry is proud of its high standards, as itsalmon says is, it are in abusinesses positi on to infl uence the future course ofat farming, Shellfi sh Comment BTA bett er, they could head to Highlands later this month, where serving employee, Steve We had no trouble collecti ng Chris Mitchell these on a basis. industry, are in breach of the Code of Conduct for MSPs. As they This month also sees the reti rement of Marine Harvest’s longest Barramundi boom Martyn Haines European leaders to become fully acquainted with the facts about fi sh farming. 24-25 We will certainly at Aquaculture UK inindustry, Aviemore and look biggest fish farming show. representati body, the SSPO, than itthe has done tothrough date. to who are, and we hope its the agency that itsbe role should be an enabling one, and must mount athey much more robust defence of through its and of businesses vital to Scotland’s economy, we have awarned right Montpellier report Dr Marti n Jaff a Doug McLeod warm tributes from his friends and colleagues to mark the 28-31 24-25 they will meet the aquaculture industry en masse at Scotland’s 32-33 serving employee, Steve Bracken. We had no ng If the industry isve proud of its high standards, as ititself, says itcollecti is, itThe are in aknow positi on to infl uence the future course oftrouble salmon farming, This month also sees the reti rement of Marine Harvest’s longest forward to seeing many of you there too. We will certainly be at Aquaculture UK in Aviemore and look campaigners, we now see, will stop at nothing, and farmers ves, will pressure the parliament to investi gate before Sepa boss Terry A’Hearn that its ‘poor performance’ is damaging Shellfish representati ve body, the SSPO, than it has done to date. The to know who they are, and we hope the industry, through its milestone and, along with the rest of the industry, thea team at Fish biggest fishtributes farming show. warm from his friends and colleagues to mark the 28-31 24-25 32-33 must mount a much more robust defence of itself, through its and of businesses vital to Scotland’s economy, we have right SSPO Comment Scottish Shellfi sh Sea Farms serving employee, Steve Bracken. We hadtoo. no trouble collecting forward to seeing many of you there should be prepared to fiwe ght back. the REC report is published. Nicki Holmyard the industry. Itbe isall now up to Sepa to get its act together. campaigners, we see, will stop nothing, and representati ves, will pressure the parliament investi gateatbefore Farmer wish him the very best for the future. will certainly at Aquaculture UK inat Aviemore look milestone and, along with the rest of industry, thefarmers team Fish 28-31 representati ve body, the SSPO, than itthe has done toto date. The toWe know who they are, and hope industry, through its Rising stars Marti nBrown Jaff Orkney anniversary Janet warm tributes from his friends and colleagues to mark the SSPO Comment Scottish 24-25 Shellfi sha Sea Farms 32-33 should be prepared toyou fivery ght back. the to REC report ispressure published. Farmer wish him all the best for the future. forward seeing many of there too. campaigners, we now see, will stop at nothing, representati ves, will the parliament toand investi gateatbefore milestone and, along with the rest of the industry, thefarmers team Fish Rising stars Marti Jaff a Farms Orkney anniversary Janet SSPO Comment Scottish Sea Shellfi shnBrown 26-27 should prepared to fivery ght back. the RECbe report published. Farmer wish himisall the best for the future. Rising stars Marti n Jaff a Orkney anniversary Janet Brown 32-33 26-27 26-30 34-35 54-55 www.fishfarmer-magazine.com Fish Farmer is now on @fishfarmermagazine 69 BTA Conference 64-67 70-73 52-54 32-33 26-27 26-30 34-35 www.fishupdate.com Facebook and Twitter Shellfi sh Cleaner fi sh Scottish Sea Farms Comment www.fishfarmer-magazine.com Fish Farmer is now on Innovation UK Message from the Minister @fishfarmermag 69 www.fishfarmermagazine.com 64-67 70-73 52-54 Aquaculture Nigeria Networking Research Janet Machrihanish Orkney farm visit Marti nBrown Jaff afiSea www.fishupdate.com Facebook and Twitter Shellfi sh Cleaner sh Scottish Farms 32-33 26-27 26-30 Comment 34-35 New diets www.fishfarmer-magazine.com Fish Farmer is now on Meet the team UK Boosti ng producti on Dave Conley Chris Mitchell Aquaculture 69 Nigeria Networking Research 64-67 70-73 52-54 Contact us Meet the team Janet Machrihanish Orkney farm Marti nBrown Jaff a visit www.fishupdate.com Facebook and Twitter Shellfi sh Cleaner fi sh Scottish Sea Farms Comment Meet the team Boosti ng producti Dave Conley Chris Mitchell Contact us131 Meet theAdvisory team Board: Aquaculture Editorial Advisory Board: Steve Tel: +44(0) 131 551 551 1000 1000 Editorial Tel: +44(0) Nigeria Networking Research UK on Janet Machrihanish Orkney farm Marti nBrown Jaff a visit 56-60 34-35 28-29 32-33 36-41 Fax: +44(0) 131 551 7901 Fax: +44(0) 131 551 7901 Meet the team on Scott Landsburgh, Hervé Contact Steve Scott Landsburgh, Hervé Migaud, Boosti ng producti Dave Conley Chris81-82 Mitchell Editorial Advisory Board: Steve Tel: +44(0) 131 551 1000 usjhjul@fishfarmermagazine.com MeetBracken, the Bracken, team 76-77 56-59 Email: email: Jim Treasurer, Chris Mitchell, Migaud, Patrick Smith and Jim 34-35 28-29 32-33 Hervé Migaud, Patrick Smith, Patrick Smith, Jim Treasurer and 36-41 Fax: +44(0) 131 551 7901 Bracken, Scott Landsburgh, Hervé Steve Bracken, Scott Landsburgh, Hervé Migaud, Research Comment Cleaner fi sh Orkney Farm visit 81-82 Editorial Advisory Board: Steve Tel: +44(0) 551 1000 76-77 56-59 Aquaculture UK jhjul@fi131 shupdate.com From the Archive Value chains Jason Cleaversmith and Hamish Treasurer, Wiliam Dowds Jim Treasurer and William Dowds William Dowds Patrick Smith and Jim Hervé Migaud, Patrick Smith, Patrick Smith, Jim Treasurer and Fax: email: ARCH-UK projects Marti nofJaff afiera Vaccines New player Dawn new Comment Cleaner sh Orkney 34-35 28-29 32-33 Farm visit +44(0) 131 551 7901 Publications, 36-41 Bracken, Scott Landsburgh, Hervé SteveMigaud, Bracken, Scott Landsburgh, Hervé Migaud, Awards Head Office: Special David Litt le reports Growth in China Developing trends Aquaculture UK 81-82 jhjul@fishupdate.com From Archive Value the chains 76-77 56-59 Macdonell Editor: Jenny Hjul Treasurer, Wiliam Dowds Jim Treasurer andand William William Dowds Marti noffi Jaff a era Vaccines Newvisit player Dawn new Migaud, Patrick Smith Jim Head Offi ce:496 Special Publicati ons, Farm Hervé Migaud, Patrick Smith, Patrick Smith, Jim Treasurer andDowdsemail: Fettes Park, Ferry Road, Comment Cleaner sh Orkney Awards David Litt le reports Growth in China Developing trends Designer: Andrew Editor: Jenny Hjul Balahura Editor: Jenny Hjul Aquaculture UK jhjul@fi shupdate.com From the Archive Value chains Fett esOffi Park, 496 FerryPublicati Road, ons, Dawn Treasurer, Wiliam Jim Treasurer and Dowds William Dowds William Dowds Edinburgh, 2DL 62-63 Head ce:EH5 Special Marti nofJaff a era Vaccines New43-45 player new Adverti sing Manager: Team Leader: 36-39 32-35 34-35 Designer: Andrew Balahura Awards Designer: Andrew Balahura David Litt le reports Growth in China Developing trends Edinburgh, EH5 2DL 28-32 Editor: Jenny Hjul 91 Fettes Park, 496 Ferry Road, 78-79 63 Processing News Dave Edler HeadSubscriptions Office: Special Publications, Adverti sing Manager: Team Leader: 36-39 32-35 34-35 43-45 Commercial Manager: Wild salmon decline Cleaner fi sh Orkney IoA careers Edinburgh, EH5 2DL Designer: Andrew Balahura 91 78-79 63 BTA Conference Asda’s seafood Retail & Marketing Fett es Park, 496 Ferry Road, dedler@fi shupdate.com Processing &mapRetail News Dave Edler Janice The mackerel hypothesis Transport Leask Marine Sti rling students Adverti singJohnston Manager: Team Leader: Wild salmon decline Cleaner fish Orkney 36-39 32-35 34-35 Subscriptions IoA careers 43-45 Selling seafood Edinburgh, EH5 2DLAddress: Fish Eat more fish Adverti sing Executive: Save Pinneys jobs Carlisle jobs Recruitment challenges Retail & Marketing 91 Subscriptions dedler@fi shupdate.com Processing & Retail News 78-79 63 jjohnston@fishfarmermagazine.com Dave Edler The mackerel hypothesis Transport Leask Marine Farmer Magazine Subscriptions, IoA Sti rling students Wild salmon decline Cleaner fi sh Orkney Scott Binnie careers Eat more fi sh Adverti sing Executi ve: Save Pinneys jobs Carlisle jobs Recruitment challenges Subscriptions 64-65 Salesshupdate.com Executives: Subscripti ons Address: Wyvex Retail & Marketing dedler@fi Processing & Retail News Warners Group Publications plc, Sti The mackerel hypothesis Transport Leask Marine sbinnie@fi shupdate.com rling students Scott Binnie Media, FREEPOST RTEY YUBG TYUB, Scott Binnie Media, FREEPOST RTEYStreet, YUBG TYUB, Eat more fishSource Adverti sing Executive: Save Pinneys jobs Carlisle jobs 92-93 Recruitment challenges Subscripti ons West Address: Wyvex 34-35 Subscriptions The Maltings, Bourne 80-81 64-65 Aqua Directory Publisher: Alister Bennett shupdate.com Trinity House, Sculpins Lane, Trinity House, Sculpins Lane, WethersCallum Media, FREEPOST RTEY YUBG TYUB, Media, FREEPOST RTEY YUBGWethersTYUB, Scottsbinnie@fi Binnie Docherty Lincolnshire PE10 9PH Find all you need for the industry 92-93 80-81 64-65 Aqua Source Directory Subscripti ons Address: Wyvex Innovation Publisher: Alister Bennett fi eld, Essex 4AY fi eld, Braintree, Braintree, Essex CM7 CM7 4AY cdocherty@fishfarmermagazine.com Trinity House, Sculpins Lane, WethersTrinity House, Sculpins Lane, Wetherssbinnie@fi shupdate.com Tel: +44 (0)1778 392014 Media, FREEPOST RTEY YUBG TYUB, Media, FREEPOST RTEY YUBG TYUB, Find all you need for the industry Transforming technology Aqua Source Directory 92-93 Tel: +44 (0) 1371 851868 80-81 64-65 Cover:Alister Alison Hutchins, Dawnfresh Cover: Steve Bracken explains Lumpsucker Scotti sh Sea Farms regional fifield, Braintree, Essex CM7 eld,Subscriptions: Braintree, Essex CM7 4AY Publisher: Alister Bennett Publisher: Bennett £75 a4AY year Trinity House, WethersTrinityUK House, Sculpins Sculpins Lane, Lane, Wethersfarmingfarming director, Loch Etive. salmon toon Prince Charles producti on manager for Orkney, 66 Find all you need for the industry UK Subscripti ons:851868 £75 a year Tel: +44 (0) 1371 Cover:his Alison Hutchins, Cover: Steve Bracken explains Lumpsucker Scotti sh Sea Farms regional Aqua Source Directory ROW Subscriptions: £95 a year Picture: Scott Binnie during visit to Marine Harvest Essex Richard Darbyshire (left ),Dawnfresh and theat fifield, eld, Braintree, Braintree, Essex CM7 CM7 4AY 4AY Cover: Nathan Tyler of the SSPO farming director, on Loch Eti ve. salmon farming to Prince Charles producti on manager for Orkney, ROW Subscripti ons: £95 a year UK Subscripti ons: -£75 a year 36-37 82 66 Opinion in 2016. Photo: Iainat Ferguson Westerbister Scapasite Pieron Tel: +44 Find 94 all you need for the industry Cooke Aquaculture’s Pegal including postage All Air Mail (0) 1371 851868 Cover: Alison Hutchins, Dawnfresh Cover: Steve Bracken Lumpsucker Scotti sh Seateam Farms regional Picture: Scott Binnie during his visit toexplains Marine Richard Darbyshire (left ), Harvest and the 46-47 including postage - All£95 Air Mail ROW Subscripti ons: a year Orkney (photo: SSPO) 40 37 36-37 By Nick Joy 94 farming director, Loch Eti ve. Pier salmon farming toon Prince Charles producti on manager for at Orkney, 82 66 in 2016. Photo: Iain Ferguson Westerbister team Scapa Opinion Innovation UK Subscriptions: £75 a year Picture: Scott during his visit Binnie to Marine Richard Darbyshire (left), Harvest and the 46-47 including postage - All Air Mail Ltd, Brussels 40 37 36-37 By Nick Joy Aqua-Spark ROW Subscripti ons: £95 a year Printed in Great Britain for the proprietors Wyvex Media Ltd by J Thomson Colour Printers Innovation conference Cleaner fi sh Aquaculture Innovation Printed in team Great for the 94 82 66Opinion in 2016. Photo: IainBritain Ferguson Westerbister at Scapa Pierproprietors Wyvex Media Ltd by J Thomson Colour Printers Ltd, Introducti on Glasgow ISSN 0262-9615 Glasgow ISSN 0262-9615 Brussels 46-47 including postage All Air Mail Novel technology Temperature Introducti on By Nick Innovation Cleaner fishconference Aquaculture Innovation Opinion Joy 37 36-37 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,40 Introducti on Glasgow Glasgow ISSN ISSN 0262-9615 0262-9615 Novel technology Temperature Introducti on Brussels By Nick Joy Innovation Cleaner fishconference Aquaculture Innovation Printed in Printed 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, 33 www.fishfarmermagazine.com www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

Fair hearing French connection Farmers must fight back Uphold the code Industry bites back Fair hearing French connection Farmers must fight back Uphold the code Fair French connection Farmers must Uphold the codefight back TIA A hearing

T I A TIA

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.

Glasgow Glasgow ISSN ISSN 0262-9615 0262-9615

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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 10. theExamples purse seiner ‘Brennholm’ at an arbitrary west of Lofoten Figure of the young mackerel currentlyposition growing100 up nm ‘all over’ thethe North Sea, Isles in January 2018. thisalong stagethe these small mackerels are moment. competitors to the postsmolt Norwegian SeaAtand Norwegian coast at the These were caught insalmon, a ‘washing later they be seiner both competitors potential predators. and abundant availability set’ by thewill purse ‘Brennholm’and at an arbitrary position The 100 new nm west of the Lofoten Isles in Figure 10.ofExamples of the young mackerel currently growingfeeding up ‘all over’ North Sea, explanation to juvenile mackerel the multi winter salmon areasthe may bepostsmolt a good January 2018. At thisinstage thesesea small mackerels are competitors to the salmon, Norwegian Sea and along the have Norwegian at the moment. Thesedespite were caught in a ‘washing why fishes such acoast good present their early sea growth. laterthe theyMSW will be both competitors andcondition potential at predators. The new andpoor abundant availability set’ by the purse ‘Brennholm’ at an arbitrary position 100 nm west of the Lofoten Isles in Photo JCseiner Holst. of juvenile mackerel in the multi sea winter salmon feeding areas may be a good explanation to January 2018. At this stage these small mackerels are competitors to the postsmolt salmon, why the MSW fishes have such a good condition at present despite their poor early sea growth. later they will be both competitors and potential predators. The new and abundant availability Photo JC Holst. of juvenile mackerel in the multi sea winter salmon feeding areas may be a good explanation to why the MSW fishes have such a good condition at present despite their poor early sea growth. Photo JC Holst.

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United Kingdom News

NEWS...

Mowi plans multi-trophic site off Scalpay

Above: Ben Hadﬁeld

SCOTLAND’s biggest salmon farmer, Mowi, has conﬁrmed it will close its Loch Ewe site at the end of the current production cycle, and relocate the biomass to a new high energy site near Scalpay, in the Outer Hebrides. The new farm will combine salmon farming with the rearing of other marine species, and

could also become a visitor attraction, with tours part of the proposal. The company announced in July its intention to move from Loch Ewe and Loch Duich to ‘locations more appropriate for modern day aquaculture’. Stephen MacIntyre, head of environmental management at Mowi Scotland, said: ‘This relocation initiative aligns our growth plans with the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee’s (RECC) recent recommendations to sustainably grow our fish production levels over the next few years, by expanding into new high energy farming areas in more appropriate open water locations.’ The company’s relocation plan will increase employment in remote locations, while retaining the services of its experienced and dedicated staff. Employees currently working at Loch Ewe have been consulted and may continue their employment at other new or expanded locations, said Mowi. The Loch Ewe location is set to be retired at the end of the current fish cycle, at the end of 2020. The new farm near the Isle of Scalpay is located in an open water environment well suited for modern day fish farming, said Mowi.

‘The farm will be unique to Scotland – forming part of an integrated multi-trophic growing project, involving multiple species of sea life, which will examine ways to improve the productivity and environmental sustainability of marine aquaculture practices.’ And there are plans to link the farm location to the proposed visitor experience centre at Kyleakin, providing a ﬁrst-hand view of an operating farm for interested tourists and Skye locals. Ben Hadﬁeld, Mowi Scotland’s managing director said he was pleased to see Scotland’s regulatory system – which approved the application - supporting the company’s plans. ‘Success for this relocation initiative will be a net increase in production, a net increase in export value for Scotland and a net reduction in our environmental footprint at sensitive locations. ‘Scotland’s potential exit from the EU is challenging for us, and as a major and growing employer in the country, we will do our utmost to retain and develop our experienced staff.’ The Scalpay farm is set to start production in spring 2020. It will have 12x120m pens fed from a Gael Force barge, according to Mowi.

Farmed lumpfish ferried to Faroes MOWI Scotland has delivered lumpfish to its sister company in the Faroe Islands for the first time, after buying the cleaner fish company Ocean Matters earlier this year. The fish made their five-day journey to the Oyndarfjordur site, it was reported in The Scoop, Mowi’s monthly newsletter. ‘This was the first ‘proof of concept’ delivery so it’s great to know that we can successfully deliver these fish from our Anglesey hatchery in Wales,’ said Dan Phillips, cleaner fish production manager. Gudny Vang, quality manager of Mowi Faroes, said:‘It is not currently permitted to import fish directly to the Faroes using wellboats so the only other option was to use the ferry links and the standard transport lorries, which supply the Mowi Scotland sites. ‘We were obviously concerned about the water quality and fish welfare on such a long journey, but our local vets checked the fish on arrival and were very happy with the health condition and quality of the lumpfish.’ Plans for future deliveries are already underway, including investigation of faster and more efficient delivery options. ‘Supplying to the Faroe Islands during the summer months is a logical part of our strategy,’ added Dougie Hunter, head of cleaner fish and technical at Mowi Scotland. ‘This is typically when we see fewer deployments in Scotland and Ireland due to higher water temperature at the sea sites, whereas in the Faroes, this

UK news.indd 4

is not such an issue for our farms there. ‘Having year-round deliveries will make our lumpfish production much more efficient and make more fish available to our internal and external customers. ‘It’s still early days but there are obvious opportunities to supply other salmon farmers in the Faroe Islands as well.’

Above: Lumpﬁsh -year-round deliveries planned

www.fishfarmermagazine.com

07/10/2019 10:13:30

All the latest industry news from the UK

Scottish salmon production drops…but hopes high for next year SCOTTISH salmon production fell by 33,682 tonnes, or 17.8 per cent, last year to 156,025 tonnes, with the reduction attributed to fewer fish in the water. But the projected estimate for 2019 suggests an increase to 190,499 tonnes, according to the annual Scottish fish farm production survey. Commenting on the figures, Julie Hesketh-Laird, chief executive of the SSPO, said: ‘The anticipated dip in production in 2018 was the result of a one-off adjustment by farmers on stocking the year before to ensure control over some biological issues which had been witnessed in previous years. The result was that in 2018 there were fewer fish in the water to harvest. ‘The outlook for 2019 is good, with production predicted to be up because of adjusted stocking levels and good continued management of fish health, and in line with the general trend of growth which has characterised the Scottish salmon sector over the last few years.’ The survey also revealed that the total number of staff in marine salmon production in 2018 increased by 77 to 1,466. Full time staff increased by 95 to 1,415 while part time staff decreased by 18 to 51. In 2018, freshwater production was undertaken by 24 businesses at 71 sites. The number of businesses operating remained the same as in 2017 while the number of active sites decreased by eight compared with 2017. The total number of smolts produced in 2018 increased by 945,000 (two per cent) to 47.1 million. The number of ova laid down to hatch increased by 7.2 per cent to 70.5

million, with the majority of these (87 per cent) being derived from foreign sources. In 2018, some 23,000 ova were exported. The total number of staff in freshwater production in 2018 decreased by 13 from the 2017 figure with 278 employed (239 full time and 39 part time). In 2018, freshwater production was undertaken by 12 businesses farming 221 active sites. This is the same number of businesses seen in 2017 but a decrease of five active site compared with 2017. In 2018, rainbow trout production was carried out by 23 businesses operating 53 active sites. Total production in 2018 decreased by 1,224 tonnes (16 per cent) to 6,413 tonnes. The number of ova laid down to hatch decreased by 723,000 (10 per cent) on the 2017 figure to 6,318,000. The number of staff employed in rainbow trout production 2018 increased by four to 136 people. The Scottish aquaculture industry has continued to farm other species of fish during 2018. Brown/sea trout production decreased by 41 tonnes to 20 tonnes. There was also production of halibut during 2018 but this figure cannot be shown without revealing the production of an individual business. In 2018, lumpsucker and various species of wrasse were cultured for use as a biological control for parasites. In total, 553,000 lumpsuckers and 103,000 wrasse were produced, with 1.5 million and 37.0 million ova being laid down to hatch respectively.

Three pioneers scaling up for future challenges scaleaq.com

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07/10/2019 10:13:52

United Kingdom News

Cooke buys Skretting’s UK feed plant

Award is ‘icing on the cake’ for Highlands haulier HIGHLANDS haulier Ferguson Transport & Shipping has been named Highland Business of the Year 2019, a fitting tribute as the company marks its 60th year in business. The family firm was shortlisted in three categories in the Highland Business Awards, which celebrate the achievements of businesses and individuals throughout the region. Group managing director Alasdair Ferguson was also the winner of the Business Leader of the Year award. Ferguson Transport & Shipping, founded in 1959, has grown to become one of the largest independent logistic companies in the Highlands and islands of Scotland. After the ceremony, at the Drumossie Hotel, Inverness, on September 27,Alasdair Ferguson said:‘We were delighted and honoured to receive these awards last week. It is a great achievement for us as a business, family and team, and a testimony to our hardworking, dedicated staff who have played a major part in the growth and continuous development of our business. ‘Reaching our 60th year is a huge milestone for us and these awards have been the icing on the cake.’

Above: The former Skretting plant in Invergordon

CANADIAN owned salmon farmer Cooke has bought Skretting’s Scottish feed mill in Invergordon, which ceased production in April this year. New Brunswick based Cooke announced the establishment of Northeast Nutrition Scotland at the Easter Ross site. Skretting, owned by Nutreco, said last year that the decision to close its UK operation was due to an oversupply in the salmon feed market. The move followed the construction by salmon farmer Mowi of its Kyleakin, Skye, feed factory, which will have an eventual capacity for 240,000 tonnes of fish feed. The Mowi plant, estimated to cost more than £125 million, became operational in the summer and will supply feed to Mowi farms in Scotland, Ireland and the Faroes, with the potential for sales to other companies. Northeast Nutrition Scotland will manufacture fish feed for Cooke Aquaculture Scotland, which farms in Shetland and Orkney.

UK news.indd 6

‘We are excited to include domestic feed manufacturing in Scotland, adding to the vertical integration of our operations and further enhancing the full traceability of our fish,’ said Glenn Cooke, CEO of Cooke. Cooke plans to work with former Skretting employees who were affected by the closure, to resume operations at the mill. ‘We are thrilled to be in a position to offer new opportunities to those employees and have an engaged and experienced team in place from day one,’ said Chris Bryden, mill manager. ‘As a rural coastal community, Invergordon has a population of approximately 4,000 residents. Joining the Cooke family of companies provides us with the opportunity to keep Scottish jobs and be an important part of a globally respected growing seafood leader.’ Skretting produced 100,000 tonnes of feed in the United Kingdom in 2017, mostly Atlantic salmon and trout feed.

Above: Alasdair Ferguson (second left) and the team at the awards

Another stunning achievement for Ace team DUNDEE company Ace Aquactec has been named as one of three finalists for the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s (GAA) annual Global Aquaculture Innovation Award. The aquaculture technology firm’s multi-prize winning Humane Stunner Universal (HSU), which harvests fish in an ethical and humane manner, was chosen for its contribution to animal welfare. Mike Forbes, head of sales and marketing at Ace Aquatec, said there had been a lack of equipment to help people farm their fish ethically when it came to slaughter. ‘We saw stunning systems that damage the fish or don’t produce an even electrical field, meaning some fish get more stunned than others,’ he told the GAA. ‘So our goal was to create a more humane and efficient version of electric stunning that would leave fish unconscious for two to three

minutes, enough time to bleed and kill the fish immediately or to put them on to ice so they’ll remain unconscious until they die.’ John Forster, a GAA consultant specialising in fish welfare, said: ‘Ace Aquatec is the leading company when it comes to instant stunning prior to slaughter, and they’re obviously really good at using electricity in water.’ Also selected for the GAA award is alternative feed ingredient producer Arbiom, of North Carolina in the US. All finalists will attend the GAA’s GOAL conference in Chennai, India, from October 21-24,.

www.fishfarmermagazine.com

07/10/2019 10:14:50

All the latest industry news from the UK

Scottish salmon farmers hit back at ‘damaging’ regulator SCOTLAND’S salmon farmers have rejected a proposal by Scotland’s environmental regulator to introduce a feed cap to control organic deposits from farms, instead of the current biomass limits. The Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO) described the initiative as ‘lazy regulation’ which, if introduced, would raise significant fish health and welfare concerns and could undermine the global reputation for quality the sector has built up over the last few decades. Julie Hesketh-Laird, chief executive of the SSPO, wrote to Terry A’Hearn, chief executive of Sepa (the Scottish Environment Protection Agency), raising serious concerns about the performance of the regulator. On the consultation launched earlier this month by Sepa, regulating fish faeces from farms, Hesketh-Laird said:‘ Sepa’s decision to consider a feed cap as a way of controlling organic deposits from salmon farms has no environmental basis, is wrong, misguided and could threaten fish health and welfare. ‘It would also undermine the global reputation for quality Scottish

Above: Julie Hesketh-Laird

salmon that farmers have built up over decades.’ She added:‘The consultation proposes to introduce a limit on the amount of feed given to salmon. But farmers must be able to judge the appropriate amount of feed necessary to rear their stock and keep them healthy. ‘This sets a dangerous precedent for a regulator to limit how farmers feed their stock. ‘They should not face arbitrary restrictions. Feed is central to fish health, welfare and growth. It is also key to achieving first-class quality and

Harbour seals like west coast best

THE strength of seal populations in Scotland varies dramatically, depending on which part of the coastline they inhabit. While stocks of harbour seals are thriving on the west coast and in the Western Isles, they have declined on the east coast, according to research commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). A four-year survey, carried out by the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) at the University of St Andrews, counted 3,533 harbour seals around the

Western Isles in 2017 – the highest number in the area since surveys began in 1992,. In many of the west coast areas surveyed, harbour seal numbers were either comparable or slightly higher than previous counts. But on the east coast, the number of harbour seals counted in the Moray Firth was 831. And numbers in the Dornoch Firth reached a low of 39, while the population at Culbin and Findhorn increased to 526. Only 29 harbour seals were counted in the Firth of Tay and Eden Estuary. The latest estimate of the harbour seal population around Scotland is 26,565.The reasons for the variation include prey, competition from grey seals, and predation by grey seals and killer whales.

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UK news.indd 7

nutritional benefits for consumers. ‘This consultation is simply lazy regulation. I am dismayed that Sepa is considering a system which has already been tried and rejected elsewhere. ‘The Scottish salmon farming sector has worked effectively with Sepa’s existing biomass controls for many years and are committed to do so into the future.’ Hesketh-Laird set out a number of concerns about what she said was the ‘poor performance’ of the regulator that stifles the sector and constrains sustainable growth.

Licences for new salmon farms or for changes to existing farms should be determined by Sepa within 120 days – but according to data collated by the SSPO, the average time for salmon farming applications to be dealt with by the regulator in April 2019 was 294 days. Hesketh-Laird said:‘The relationship between a regulator and sector must be rigorous and call companies to account. But it must also be enabling. ‘The delays in responding to applications are damaging on a day to day operational level but are also undermining strategic planning and decision making. ‘Salmon is a major player in Scotland’s food industry and a key contributor to the rural and national economy, so it deserves timely, efficient, strategic and enabling regulation.’ She added: ‘It is in all of our interests to nurture and protect Scotland’s marine environment but this is best done through strong, robust and clear regulation that enables the sustainable growth of aquaculture.’

Stirling explores feed factor in sea lice fight sediments, the novel product tested here A NEW £300,000 study involving Stiris non-toxic and short-lived in the environling’s Institute of Aquaculture (IoA) and ment.’ a leading animal feed manufacturer will The team will test the theory that explore how feed ingredients can reduce modified aquaculture diets that include infections in farmed fish. Brinicombe’s patented bioactive comLed by Dr Armin Sturm, a senior lecturpound premix – derived from natural er at the Institute and a sea lice expert, feed sources – will have a positive impact the research could reduce the need for on the health of farmed fish by reducing anti-parasite treatments in aquaculture. infection rates, survival and reproductive If effective, such feed ingredients could output of sea lice. add to the growing arsenal of non-mediciSea lice infections can adversely affect nal control strategies currently employed farmed fish performance by reducing apto tackle sea lice infections, said the unipetite and growth, and compromising the versity in a press release. animal’s immune responses, potentially The IoA is working with Devon based leading to secondary infections. Denis Brinicombe Group, which makes Dr Sturm will work alongside a widfeed products for the ruminant and equeser IoA team, including Professor trian markets, on the three-year James Bron and Professor Brett project. Glencross, on the project. Dr Sturm said: ‘I am very They believe that their excited about this project, work will help combat rewhich will allow us to sistance to existing salmassess the effectiveness of on delousing treatments specific feed ingredients and that developments in preventing sea lice in the use of novel feed infections. ingredients could substan‘While some of the tially improve aquatic animal veterinary drugs used to health and reduce dependence control sea lice can affect upon medicinal and other other marine organisms and Above: Dr Armin Sturm non-medicinal treatments. may accumulate in marine

07/10/2019 10:15:09

European News

NEWS...

Bakkafrost expecting large Q3 harvest increase

Above: Regin Jacobsen

FAROESE salmon farmer Bakkafrost, which last month bought a controlling interest in the Scottish Salmon Company (SSC), is predicting significantly higher output for the third quarter of this year. In a trading update, the company said harvest volumes for the three months between June and September will be 12,900 tonnes compared with 7,217 tonnes in Q3 last year. In Q3 2018, it had experienced a number

of challenges, including higher mortality and delays to the start-up of a new factory. Feed sales for Q3 this year will total 33,900 tonnes. The full Q3 report will be released on November 5. Output and profits from Bakkafrost’s acquisition of SSC will not become known until the final quarter results are published early next year, but they will almost certainly provide a substantial increase to company results. CEO Regin Jacobsen has said the company

is likely to make an offer for the remaining 31.4 per cent of SSC. Meanwhile, Bakkafrost is celebrating a major Faroese business initiative award for its new biogas plant. The new plant is its biggest investment into impactful circular solutions to date. It will use waste products from its operations and other fish, and from dairy farmers, to produce renewable energy and liquid fertiliser, with the aim of minimising the negative impact from farming the

ocean environment. When in operation, the plant will have the capacity to convert up to 90-100,000 tonnes annually of all waste from farms, providing enough renewable heat for 10 per cent and electricity for two per cent of homes in the Faroe Islands. This is projected to save 11,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, based on the equivalent fossil fuel replacement, annually. The award was made by the Faroese Employers’ Association.

 Conquering Faroes: Report page 18.

Norwegians probe rise in salmon escapes

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affect wild fish in SEAFOOD Norway has Norway’s many rivers. called on its members Sivertsen stressed that to carry out a thorough the industry had made investigation into why progress in recent so many salmon have years, particularly in escaped from fish farms relation to farmed fish this year. getting into rivers. The latest figure of more But he admitted that than 280,000 escapes Above: Harald T Nesvik the high figure this year in 30 separate incidents – with three months of 2019 still to go is one of the highest for many years, – had been an unfortunate setback. and Harald T Nesvik, Norway’s Meanwhile, in a move which has seafood minister, has told the industry the backing of Seafood Norway, the it is time to get its house in order. country’s Directorate of Fisheries has The organisation which represents ordered companies to monitor all wild aquaculture and fishing companies fish rivers near their farms to ensure has said it regrets the high figure. they are kept free of escaped salmon. Tarald Sivertsen, head of Seafood Sivertsen also said the industry Norway’s escapes committee, said: would continue to focus on measures ‘We need to find out why this is hapto prevent escapes in the future. pening and then share the experience Nesvik has called a meeting with with the various companies. As an farmers to discuss the problem. industry, our vision is to have zero ‘We already have strict rules in escapes.’ place but the industry has to learn He said it was important that lessons from recent events and get measures be taken to ensure that the figures down to zero,’ he urged. escaped salmon do not adversely

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07/10/2019 10:19:55

All the latest industry news from Europe

Brussels show to move to Barcelona THE world’s biggest seafood show, held in Brussels every spring, is to move to Barcelona in 2021.Organiser Diversified Communications said the change of location after 28 years was because the show had outgrown its Belgian venue. The decision was the result of extensive market research based on exhibitor and attendee feedback over the years and an evaluation of major destinations throughout Europe, said Diversified. Barcelona’s wealth of hotels will provide visitors and exhibitors with value for their investment, and the larger, modern venue will present long-term growth opportunities. Seafood Expo Global has taken place in Brussels since 1993, and this year – at the later date of May 7-9 – it attracted a total of 29,288 buyers and suppliers, with more than 2,000 exhibiting companies, making it the largest and most successful event in the expo’s history. Diversified is working to ensure that the transition to Barcelona in 2021 ‘prioritises visitor and exhibitor comfort’, said Mary Larkin,

NRS sells off southern sites

president of Diversified Communications’ US operating division. The event is scheduled to take place from April 27-29 at the Fira de Barcelona, Gran Via, described by Diversified as ‘one of the largest and most innovative venues in Europe’. ‘The Brussels Expo and the city of Brussels were great partners to launch and grow this event, and we appreciate the services and support they provided over the years,’ said Larkin. ‘Moving the event to a larger city and venue, with opportunity for long-term growth, is a necessary evolution. It will enhance the visitor experience and the business being done between buyers and sellers.’ The venue features 200,000 square metres of floor space, eight exhibit halls, and more than 40 restaurants. Diversifed is now liaising with accommodations company B-Network and has secured a hotel room block. Meanwhile, the 2020 show will take place from April 21-23 at the Brussels Expo, as usual.

ONE of Norway’s biggest salmon producers, Norway Royal Salmon (NRS), has sold its southern farming operations to a local cluster of farmers. NRS agreed a deal with Tombre Fiskeanlegg, Lingalaks and Eidesvik Laks to sell its subsidiary, Sør Farming, for NOK 1.2 billion (nearly £108 million). Sør Farming has six salmon licences amounting to a total biomass of 4,680 tonnes, but the region has had biological costs in the past year. Norway Royal Salmon reported reported an operating profit of NOK 116 million (£10.5 million) in the second quarter compared to nok 181 million (£16.4 million) for q2 last year. Biological issues such as the algae bloom outbreak last May hit the Northern region, the company’s main production area, and the harvest volume forecast for 2019 has been reduced by 2,500 tonnes to 35,000 tonnes. Chief executive Charles Høstlund said: ‘The group’s biomass has increased by 26 per cent on the same quarter last year. To meet the growing demand for healthy Norwegian salmon, NRS continues to increase the activity in northern Norway.’ The company, which also owns Arctic Fish in Iceland, has started construction of a new smolt facility outside Tromsø. Above: Charles Høstlund

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Gentle solution’ for new concept wellboat A NEW wellboat, being billed as the world’s biggest and currently under construction in Turkey, is to be fitted with a Cflow fish handling system, it was announced last month The wellboat, commissioned by Norwegian firm Frøy Rederi and being built at Sefine Shipyards in Turkey, which is also Cflow’s contracting party, will be 83.72m long, 30.9m wide, and have a storage capacity of 7,500 cubic metres. Due to be delivered in 2021, it will exceed the capacity, although not the length, of today’s largest wellboat, the Solvtrans owned Ronja Storm. Ronja Storm is 116 m long, 23m wide and has 7,450 cubic metres capacity, twice as much as standard wellboats. The NOK 500 million (£45.5 million) Solvtrans wellboat was due to sail this autumn across the world to Australian salmon farmer Huon, from its builders, Havyard in Norway. The new Frøy Rederi ship is reportedly for a Norwegian salmon

Above: How the new wellboat will look

farmer and its cost has not been disclosed, but it represents an innovative ‘concept with several new solutions for the future aquaculture industry’, said Cflow, which designed the vessel with Frøy Rederi and Møre Maritime. ‘A vessel of this size obviously requires a fish handling system that is capable of processing large volumes of fish,’ said Gunnar Hoff, CMO and head of the fishery and aquaculture business areas at Cflow. ‘I firmly believe that we have the market’s most gentle solutions

for pumping, delousing, transport and cooling of fish, and that this has helped us secure this contract.’ Cflow will deliver a complete system for handling of live fish, including large sliding bulkheads for the vessel’s storage area. The equipment will be delivered in 2020 and early 2021, and Frøy Rederi and Sefine Shipyards have contract options to equip the vessel with further on-board fish handling solutions. Arnstein Johansen, CEO of Cflow, said: ‘The size of the contract

reflects the size of the vessel and its fish handling system. ‘It is easy to understand that this is an important contract to us. This will become an impressive wellboat and we are proud to contribute towards the project.’ Cflow will assemble its fish handling system at the company’s facility in Langevaag outside Aalesund, Norway. Cflow, a subsidiary company of PG Flow Solutions, based in Sande, Vestfold, develops, designs and manufactures fish handling systems for the fishery and aquaculture industry. Steve Paulsen, CEO of the PG Flow Solutions group, said: ‘When we became co-owners of Cflow, our intention was to combine the company’s unique fish welfare competence and technology with PG Flow Solutions’ liquid handling and pump competence. ‘This contract confirms that we are succeeding with this approach, with Cflow as the group’s spearhead towards the aquaculture industry.’

Icelandic salmon makes its China debut

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European News.indd 10

between the two countries ICELAND has sent its back in 2013 but which first consignment of is only now being fully tariff free farmed activated. salmon to China Sigurður Pétursin what it hopes son said: ‘The sitwill become uation now is that the main export the Asian market market for its is paying some of growing aquathe highest prices for culture sector. quality products, and at The air shipment a higher price than is also adds Iceland to the list of salmon Above: Sigurdur Pétursson available in European markets. farming countries ‘This free trade agreement now competing to sell into China and gives us the opportunity to sell into its Asian neighbours, a region that the duty free market, which should is willing to pay higher prices than give us 10 to 12 per cent higher markets in Europe or the United return. States. ‘It took a long time to complete The consignment was sent by all the required registration work Arctic Fish, which has salmon and we received great help from farms in the Westfjords. Its manour embassy in China. We also aging director, Sigurdur Pétursson, plan to start exporting more fish described it as a move of ‘great significance’ for Iceland’s aquacul- to China in the days and weeks ahead.’ ture sector. Arctic Fish, which has its The trial shipment came from the main farms at Dyrafjordur and company’s main breeding grounds Önundafjordur, on the Westfjords and took off from Keflavik for peninsula, was the first Icelandic Shanghai. aquaculture company to receive It was made possible thanks to ASC certification. a free trade agreement signed

www.fishfarmermagazine.com

07/10/2019 10:21:59

All the latest industry news from Europe

Tromsø farm future in balance after elections THE future of open fish farming in and around the Norwegian city of Tromsø continues to hang in the balance after local elections produced a mixed bag of results. There were major gains for both the Socialist left party and the Greens, which are strongly in favour of a total ban on further open farming, while Labour, which has since taken a more moderate stance, lost ground. Until the new council meets and coalition alliances are formed, it is difficult to assess if the authority will continue with its controversial policy on aquaculture. But the left leaning parties would seem to have the edge and much may depend on whether Labour, which took the largest share of votes, intends to stick to its original policy of allowing open farms, provided they comply with certain

Above: Tromsø

environmental conditions. However, there were also gains in both urban and rural areas for the more moderate Centre Party, which is against a ban. It now holds 14 seats on Tromsø Council. Local elections in Norway are divided between municipal or town councils and county authorities and frequently produce contrasting results. Unlike the UK, they seldom give full control to a single political party. The turnout in Tromsø was 63.6 per cent. It was almost a year ago that Tromsø City Council shocked the fish farming industry by announcing it only wanted closed land based farms in future. Tromsø is Norway’s ninth largest city and, with a population of 75,000, it covers an area of almost 1,000 square miles. The farm ban decision was immediately attacked as irresponsible by the industry, which accused the council of exceeding its powers and damaging the local economy. Lerøy vice president Stig Nilsen said fish farming was one of the most environmentally friendly methods of food production in the world.

Iceland salmon farmers win back licences TWO Icelandic salmon farming companies, which had their development plans put on hold a year ago following objections from environmental groups, have been handed back their operating licences. Iceland’s Food Agency, known as MAST, told Fjarðalax, owned by SalMar subsidiary Arnarlax, it can proceed with its intention to farm up to 10,000 tonnes of salmon at Patreksfjörður and Tálknafjörður, two coastal communities in the far north west of the country. MAST has also granted Arctic Sea Farm permission to go ahead with its plan to farm up 6,800 tonnes of salmon in the same two communities. The Food Agency said it had carried out its own environmental assessment and taken into account a risk assessment carried out by the Marine Research Institute. It is more than three years ago since both companies unveiled their schemes. These appeared to be running smoothly until September last year when their licences were revoked by Iceland’s Environmental and Natural Resources Committee, following objections from anti-fish farming groups. The new ruling will come as a relief to the two communities, which said they will bring much needed employment. It is estimated that the companies will eventually bring more than 100 jobs to an area with a population of just 1,100.

www.fishfarmermagazine.com

European News.indd 11

EU law on gene editing ‘barrier to innovation’

Above: Anthea McIntyre

THE European Union Commission must support innovation in biotech and gene editing if it is to achieve its ambitions for creating clean technology and high value jobs, a British MEP has warned. Anthea McIntyre, UK Conservative spokeswoman on agriculture and the environment, said population increase, climate change and pressures from alternative land use all challenged future food production. Speaking at a symposium on gene editing held in the European Parliament as part of European Biotech Week in September, she said: ‘Our ambition as Europe is to be world leaders in clean tech, innovation, high value jobs, an inclusive society and good access to health care for all. ‘This has been reflected recently in the new Commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s mission letters to the commissioners designate. ‘But we simply cannot deliver on this ambition without supporting innovative sectors such as biotech. ‘We have seen most recently the impact of the European Court ruling, just over a year ago, on the plant based innovation sector.’ The European courts took the controversial decision last summer to subject gene edited organisms to the same controls as GMO (genetically modified organisms). With GMO, foreign genetic material from different organisms is introduced, whereas gene editing technology, such as CRISPR-Cas9, involves making alterations within the original genome of an organism. Techniques like CRISPR-Cas9 have many potential applications in the aquaculture industry; scientists have used the system to create organisms with traits such as increased size, pathogen resistance and sterility. McIntyre said: ‘Widespread alarm has been raised by EU researchers and academics on the likely negative impacts on this world leading sector and on the possible consequences for food waste and food security. ‘The current legislation is not fit for purpose and urgently needs review to ensure risk based, proportionate and science based policy. ‘I hope that the new commission will commit to working on this over the coming five years and I know industry stands ready to support this process. ‘We must provide the most fertile ground for EU innovation and we need to keep doing what we do best, which is collaborating and working across nationalities and disciplines.The EU, and particularly this parliament, has to decide whether we accept science or not in our decision making.’

07/10/2019 10:22:37

World News

NEWS...

Trudeau farm ban plan ‘nonsense’ says Canadian salmon sector

Above: Justin Trudeau

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CANADA’S salmon farmers have one word for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s plan to ban open net salmon farming in British Columbia: nonsense. Trudeau’s Liberal Party, backed by the Green Party, has included the pledge to move all ocean based salmon farms in British Columbia to land based closed containment systems by 2025 in its manifesto for the forthcoming federal elections. But salmon farming organisations across Canada have been quick to attack the proposal. Timothy Kennedy, president and CEO of the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA), said: ‘The Liberal platform commitment to moving all salmon production in British Columbia to ‘closed containment by 2025’ is highly irresponsible, with potentially serious and far-reaching negative consequences for Canadian jobs and the environment. ‘This is a reckless policy, not grounded in science, and it will threaten good, middle-class jobs across Canada.’ The Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association (ACFFA) agreed, saying that the lack of knowledge behind the election promises was ‘quite astonishing,

especially from two parties that claim to be serious about taking action on climate change’. ACFFA executive director Susan Farquharson published a response on the association’s website, with a warning of the dire consequences of the politically motivated initiative. ‘Even if it were possible to move all ocean based farms to land by 2025 (which it’s not because the technology does not exist on that scale), such a move would bring significant environmental, fish health welfare concerns and devastating socio-economic damage in rural coastal communities. ‘Our salmon farmers are experts in closed containment because their fish spend more than half their lives in land based hatcheries where water recirculation systems are used. ‘Land based technology continues to evolve (salmon farmers are the ones driving that innovation!), but at this point, the evidence is clear: the ocean is the best place for that final stage for salmon to grow from smolts to market size – just as they do in nature. ‘Those who advocate moving all salmon farms from the ocean onto land need to re-

alise that the practice of growing salmon to full maturity in tanks poses very real challenges. ‘To grow salmon to market size and meet the global demand would require massive amounts of land, water and energy. And most importantly there are animal welfare considerations.’ Farquharson added that increased use of land based farms would encourage the relocation of production closer to the main markets. ‘This would have a major socio-economic impact on coastal communities around the world,’ she said. Atlantic salmon is one of the most energy efficient farmed animals, and ‘decades of peer reviewed research show that salmon farms have little long-term impact on the marine environment’. Farquharson said the election promises were an ‘attempt to pander for votes to a vocal minority who oppose salmon farming in British Columbia’. On the east coast, the majority of Atlantic Canadians support salmon farming. Canadians vote on October 21. Trudeau has been in power since 2015 but his future is looking uncertain, say polls.

www.fishfarmermagazine.com

07/10/2019 10:33:07

World News

Excitement builds for first African WAS show THE feed company Aller Aqua is to sponsor the first show organised by the World Aquaculture Society’s (WAS) African Chapter. The international conference and exposition, due to be staged annually, will launch its inaugural event in Alexandria, from November 28 to December 1, 2020. It hopes to attract government and developmental agencies, NGOs, industry players, researchers, experts, students, and other stakeholders from Africa and around the world. The Aquaculture Africa Conference takes place one year after the establishment of the African Chapter of WAS – and hence will be a special celebration, said Aller Aqua. The Alexandria conference will highlight some of the latest aquaculture research, innovations and investments that underpin continued growth of the aquaculture sector in Africa. And it will include a scientific forum (with both oral and poster presentations), a trade exhibition, industry forums, workshops, student events, receptions and other meetings. Keynote speakers from Africa and beyond are expected. The Danish headquartered feed manufacturer has grown significantly in African markets in recent years, with feed mills established in Egypt and Zambia, as well as subsidiaries in Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria. It has a dedicated feeding range for tilapia, produced using locally sourced raw materials.

Among the countries it supplies on the continent are Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, Benin, Cameroon, Angola, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and Madagascar. Aller Aqua has launched several initiatives to promote aquaculture in Africa – such as hosting seminars and supporting farmers during the start-up of new fish farms. Hussien Mansour, CEO of Aller Aqua Egypt, said: ‘It is very exciting that the WAS African Chapter has decided on hosting its first event in Alexandria. ‘I am proud to be on the steering committee, and happy that the event will be hosted in my country. We are dedicated to producing high quality fish feed for the African market, and getting involved with the WAS African Chapter is a good addition to the ongoing support we provide for an increase in African aquaculture.’

Chile tightens sea lice controls CHILE’S Secretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Subpesca) announced new sea lice regulations last month, following higher parasite levels in two farming regions in July. The modifications are aimed at encouraging farms with high levels of lice to reduce their biomass until conditions improve, and to use non-medical treatments. The increase in sea lice at salmon farms in the Aysen and Los Lagos farming regions is due to oceanographic and environmental conditions and the lower efficacy of the treatments currently used by the aquaculture industry, Subpesca said.

The revised rules involve volume of treatments and the frequency of treatments per site. Those sites falling into the high dissemination category three times in a row will have to submit a voluntary harvesting plan to reduce their biomass by at least 25 per cent within 21 days. When the lice reduction plan works, the site will be taken off the high monitoring list.

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World news.indd 13

07/10/2019 10:33:29

World News

Fishermen told to switch to aquaculture FISHERMEN in Malaysia are being urged by their government to take up fish farming to protect their future and save depleting wild fish stocks at the same time. The call came from the country’s deputy agriculture and agro-based industry minister, Sim Tze Tzin, at the opening of the 2019 World Seafood Congress in Georgetown, capital of the Malaysian state of Penang. He told a large international audience at the three-day event, being held in Asia for the first time, that aquaculture in a country with a huge appetite for seafood could do much to help prevent over-fishing in the long term. He said that Malaysia’s aquaculture industry was highly profitable, producing 427,022 tonnes of seafood, worth more than £580 million a year. The country was now the world’s 15th largest producer of farmed seafood. But conventional fishing, at almost 1.5 million tonnes a year, was putting huge pressure on wild stocks which, were now depleting at a worrying rate. He said: ‘The sustainable thing to do is to move away from captured fisheries towards aquaculture.’ Minister Sim outlined how the state governments could help by giving fishermen temporary occupation licences to kick start their aquaculture projects. In Malaysia, the aquaculture industry includes both freshwater and sea farmed seafood, with prawns making up a large part of the production. Penang state is one of the active aquaculture areas, worth around £300 million a year and accounting for more than half the country’s total output of £580 million. Its main species are marine finfish, including sea bass, grouper and snapper.

Kenya farmers harvest new crop IN a move to address climate change, drought and food security challenges, farmers in rural areas of Kisumu, Kenya, are adapting by harvesting fish. As part of a project organised by the international development group World Neighbors, farmers dig large, plastic lined ponds to retain precious rainwater. Into the ponds they put tilapia and other fish. Some of the ponds hold up to 1,000 fish. Pond water is replenished from tanks that store additional captured rainwater. To keep it clean, water

World news.indd 14

is periodically pumped from a pond, with solar powered pumps. The pumped water, which contains nutrients from fish waste, is then used in drip irrigation systems to water multiple crops, including kale. And the inedible parts of the vegetables, as well as some kitchen waste, are in turn used as fish feed. It

is a low cost, sustainable and scalable system that provides more than enough vegetables and fish for a farm family, said World Neighbors. Surplus is sold in local markets, and profits are used in a collective savings and credit programme that provides working capital for additional fish ponds, pumps, rainwater storage tanks, and so on. World Neighbors provides the training and support for the project, which it says could be applied in other communities with limited water and sources of affordable protein.

www.fishfarmermagazine.com

07/10/2019 10:34:09

Untitled-6 15

07/10/2019 16:02:24

News extra - Brexit

Get a move on

Our systems for frictionless transport to the EU haven’t been road tested yet no deal Brexit, and the support the Boulogne officials can provide. The delegates also travelled south to DFDS in Larkhall, from where Scotland’s farmed salmon is distributed to destinations at home and abroad. Jean-Noel Calon from Capecure Boulogne sur Mer, who was part of the delegation, said: ‘Working with Scotland is a top priority for Boulogne Seafood Cluster, which is the main gateway to EU markets for UK products. ‘The quality, sustainability and diversity of Scottish seafood is really appreciated by our consumers. We now need to work together in order to overcome the challenges ahead of us.’ The visit, and previous visits by Scottish

Left: Industry discussion on Brexit issues Below: French guests at Peterhead fish market Opposite: With the Seafood Scotland team in Peterhead

ONCERNS in the seafood sector over exports to Europe in a nodeal Brexit are more focused on the UK than the French side of the Channel. ‘Nothing is nailed, nothing is certain,’ said Seafood Scotland boss Patrick Hughes, talking to Fish Farmer after a delegation from the French port of Boulogne sur Mer visited Scotland last month. The French guests took part in talks to further advance plans for the frictionless transport of seafood into Europe post Brexit. The trip, which included logistic specialists, seafood buyers and the economic development team of Boulogne sur Mer, is the third in a series of visits, led by Seafood Scotland. Boulogne is the go-to port for a vast amount of Scotland’s exported seafood and can provide a fast-track route for the continued movement of Scottish seafood to Europe, regardless of the outcome of Brexit. The five-strong group – from Select Opale, Stef Transport Boulogne, Transport by Delanchy and Capecure Boulogne sur Mer Port – was given a tour of Peterhead fish market. They then attended a round-table event with industry, trade bodies and government to discuss the issues facing the sector in the event of a

New Extra - Brexit.indd 16

www.fishfarmermagazine.com

07/10/2019 10:45:44

Get a move on

“isWhat very

encouraging is the French have processes in place that they have verified

”

seafood leaders to Boulogne sur Mer, ‘demonstrates the willingness other countries have to work in partnership with Scotland to facilitate transport of Scottish seafood to Europe’, a Seafood Scotland spokesman said. Hughes added: ‘What is very encouraging is the French have systems and processes in place that they have verified and are happy with and they have road tested them. ‘The next step for us is to really nail down what our systems are going to be, whether that be producing and issuing environmental health export certificates or looking at lane prioritisation - and then we need to road test them very, very quickly.’ He said the Scottish agencies thought that lane prioritisation wasn’t going to be considered by the UK government, ‘but we’re hearing a different story now’. ‘We are hearing that the government is looking at ways that maybe perishable goods could go into a prioritised lane, but they would need the reassurance and the guarantee that the paperwork that goes with it is totally and utterly watertight.’ This depends on getting an online system up and running, but the authorities weren’t there yet. Hughes said an online portal for export health certificates is apparently being piloted, but again nothing is set in concrete.

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New Extra - Brexit.indd 17

‘The industry has not seen these systems yet, it’s going take time for them to get familiar with them, and the increased administrative burden. ‘The more time that we can get industry to be familiar with these systems, means that come October 31, come a no deal – all this is for a no deal scenario anyway – the industry is best placed to deal with it. ‘Everybody is working very hard but at some point we need to see a product, we need to see the end result. ‘The deadline, whether it be October 31 or not, is rapidly approaching and therefore we really need to get these systems in place.’ The Animal Plant Health Association (APHA), based in Carlisle, is leading the development of the portal, said Hughes. The details would be submitted by individual businesses to this portal, and they would then go to the respective local authority to be signed off for the inspectorate. Although the system would be UK wide, it is in the main seafood that would be affected, in terms of the volume of export health certificates, ‘So although it is a nationwide issue, it has a particular impact in Scotland,’ said Hughes. ‘There is only one local authority in Scotland at this time that doesn’t issue export health certificates on seafood.’ But local authorities are clearly concerned about the resourcing of environmental health officers, he added. Hughes is part of the Scottish government Resilience Group, which meets every two weeks, and is setting up a specific seafood group, and he also sits on a Defra business panel, which is more targeted at free trade agreements and where the markets should be focused post Brexit. With Brexit negotiations and discussions ongoing, Seafood Scotland and the Scottish government will continue to work together to ensure alternative options are made available to Scottish seafood businesses. FF FF  Seafood showcase: Page 28

07/10/2019 10:46:09

News extra - Scottish Salmon Company

Conquering

Faroes

Change ahead as Bakkafrost buys into Scotland’s salmon sector

HE announcement late last month that Faroese salmon farmer Bakkafrost had bought a majority share in the Scottish Salmon Company (SSC) changed the dynamic of the Scottish sector overnight. Bakkafrost CEO Regin Jacobsen listed the reasons for moving into the Scottish market, signalling a more vertically integrated operation, which will see the Faroese producer supplying feed to its new acquisition. Bakkafrost acquired 68.6 per cent of SSC from Northern Link on September 25 in a deal worth £517 million, ending much speculation in the industry after the company was put up for sale in July. But Jacobsen said in a presentation at the company’s Faroese headquarters the next day that he intended to ‘trigger a mandatory tender offer for the remaining 31.4 per cent free float in SSC’. He added: ‘(This acquisition) creates a combined differentiated global leader in premium salmon with dual exposure to Faroe Island and Scottish premium salmon. ‘It creates positive synergies and it also diverges Bakkafrost from a

New Extra - SSC.indd 18

purely Faroe Island farming company into a company with a presence in two attractive salmon farming markets.’ The priorities now were to improve SSC’s proﬁtability over the next ﬁve years, and create positive synergies, along with transferring best practices from the Faroe Islands, including those around feed and the use of larger smolts, which the company has spearheaded at its Faroese farms. Jacobsen said: ‘The Scottish Salmon Company has 12 hatcheries. We believe that we shall use the same pattern as in the Faroe Islands with larger smolt, and therefore we need to build capacity in this area.’ On feed, which Bakkafrost produces at its Havsbrun subsidiary, he said: ‘We can use the

www.fishfarmermagazine.com

07/10/2019 10:48:00

Conquering Faroes

“Wethatbelieve we shall use the same pattern as in the Faroe Islands with larger smolt

”

Left: Faroes Islands Above: Scottish Salmon Company salmon

excess capacity that we already have in place – fishmeal, fish oil and feed. ‘We have investment in our five-year programme to take the capacity further up.’ Jacobsen said there were further synergies in the market place. As SSC was particularly dominant in the UK (33 per cent of sales) and Europe (48 per cent) and as Bakkafrost’s main markets were in North America, China and other parts of Asia, the deal would give the combined company a stronger presence on the global stage. One of SSC’s successes has been the development of its premium brands and Jacobsen made it clear that Bakkafrost plans to continue to focus and grow this brand strategy. It also fitted with the Faroese company’s mission of delivering healthy and sustainable salmon to the world. Bakkafrost had been on a long journey in the Faroe Islands to improve its operations and Jacobsen said he planned to bring the same policy to its new acquisition. ‘We believe that experience will be good for the Scottish salmon Company and that the investment we have carried out in the Faroe Islands should be replicated in Scotland. We can learn from each other,’ he added. ‘Faroe Island has very high quality salmon and Scottish salmon is also perceived as being of very high quality. ‘We believe we have a very strong high end market waiting for us.’ Scottish Salmon Company CEO Craig Anderson said after the deal was announced: ‘I’m proud of the way the SSC team has conducted itself under my tenure, and they have all contributed to building a highly successful business that has ultimately become a compelling investment opportunity for Bakkafrost. ‘The management team will now work closely with the new owners of the business to understand its strategic vision and implications for all Scottish Ssalmon Company stakeholders.’ Edinburgh headquartered SSC produced 29,913 tonnes of salmon in 2018, and 18,463 tonnes in the first half of this year. Its total harvest capacity is 50,000 tonnes.

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New Extra - SSC.indd 19

The company, which farms on the west coast of Scotland and the Hebrides, generated an EBITDA of £56.7 million in 2018 and £35.7 million in H1 this year. Exports accounted for 65 per cent of sales. Jacobsen said: ‘The entire Bakkafrost team is looking forward to working with the SSC management team to continue to enhance performance of the business and drive value in the years ahead.’ FF

Regional recognition for SSC THE Scottish Salmon Company has been recognised in four categories in the Highlands & Islands Food & Drink Awards, to be held in November. The company was shortlisted for its achievements in Business Growth, Sustainability, Export and Marketing, it was announced before news broke of the sale to Bakkafrost. The awards, now in their 15th year, celebrate businesses that help put the Highlands and islands on the food and drink map. Craig Anderson, chief executive of the Scottish Salmon Company, said: ‘We are very proud of our Highlands and islands heritage. ‘To be shortlisted in four categories is a real recognition of our commitment to building a sustainable business that supports the regional economy while providing long-term employment.’ Elaine Jamieson, head of Food and Drink at awards sponsor Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), said: ‘These awards are a great opportunity to celebrate our food and drink products, food service and the fantastic people who work in one of our region’s most important sectors.’ The winners will be revealed at a ceremony at Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness on November 15.

Above: Craig Anderson

07/10/2019 10:48:22

Comment

BY DR MARTIN JAFFA

Here’s an idea Industry fund could help young businesses get off the ground

QUA Nor was a timely reminder of the many new products, developments and services that are launched to help the aquaculture industry and, especially, salmon farming. There is always the prospect of something new on the horizon. I mention this because I am sometimes contacted by people with new ideas. They eventually come to me because they are struggling to find the necessary help to bring their idea to the industry, particularly help with funding, and they hope that I might be able to point them in the right direction. This may have been true once, but the innovation climate has changed considerably since I was last involved. I too had an ‘idea’ that I hoped would benefit the industry and, many years on, I still think that it has merit. The idea was sub-surface feeding. By introducing buoyant feed into the bottom of a net pen, the feed would still pass through the water column, but upwards rather than down. Uneaten feed would not pass out into the open water but would appear at the surface, ensuring feeding would immediately stop. The real benefit is that by feeding the salmon lower in the pen, they would be encouraged to avoid the surface layers, where larval sea lice tend to congregate. Unfortunately, development of this product stumbled along the way. My view now is that this approach was probably too far ahead of its time. Funding eventually ran out, despite help from the enterprise network. The concept was more recently put to the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) for them to pursue, but they weren’t interested. Against this background, I can fully understand the frustration of young companies that have a great idea but are unable to find ways to take it forward because they don’t have enough resources. The reality is that the support no longer exists as it used to. This is in part due to the national austerity programme. It means less money to advise companies and less money to fund projects. Although there are programmes specifically aimed at helping the Scottish salmon industry, they are of little help to the entrepreneurial small business. Instead, they are more geared towards promoting collaborative academic research and are intended to attract companies with money. Recently, the UK government announced the launch of a new Seafood

Martin Jaffa.indd 20

Innovation Fund (SIF) and Stephen Kerr, MP for Stirling, suggested that some of this new money should be invested in the University of Stirling as it already has aquaculture expertise. However, we also know of another small company hoping to apply to SIF for help. This company seemingly must compete against universities, innovation centres and research organisations for this funding, and thus its chances of taking the project forward are minimal. The odds are always stacked against the small innovators, simply because while their ideas are good, they don’t have the necessary experience to effectively enter the application process. It might be helpful if some of the existing expertise of big organisations could be redirected to help small companies succeed in the competition process. Help with aquaculture research used to be available through the Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum (SARF). This now defunct initiative was partly funded by member organisations, but the problem was that independent companies were unable to apply directly for help. It seems to me that while new developments for aquaculture are coming on stream all the time, there are some ideas that simply cannot get off the drawing board because the proper guidance and funding is extremely difficult to access, even if it were available. Perhaps it is time for a new alternative initiative to help promote and safeguard the future of the industry. I would like to see a new innovation fund established by the industry itself - after all, any innovations will benefit all. I have heard of small businesses approaching

Above: The industry has an interest in safeguarding access to the best innovations

www.fishfarmermagazine.com

07/10/2019 10:53:59

Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an idea

individual farming companies to ask for help, only to be told that they would expect exclusivity. This is understandable but, at the same time, it is rather restrictive for what is a small industry. Farming companies should contribute to a fund which could be administered by a small team from within the industry, who would assess the viability of any proposals. However, it is not all about money; the fund could also link up young companies with mentors who have had experience of the innovation and development process, to ensure that the new idea is realised.

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Martin Jaffa.indd 21

The industry has an interest in safeguarding access to the best innovations and technology but often there are too many obstacles to overcome to allow the new development to come to market. An industry fund and mentoring service might help this actually happen. FF Retailers must put fish on the radar: Page 29

are always stacked against â&#x20AC;&#x153;The odds the small innovators â&#x20AC;? 21

07/10/2019 10:54:23

Trade Associations – Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation

BY NATHAN TYLER

Influencing people Building credibility through social media helps Scottish salmon reach new audiences

LYING into Kirkwall’s tiny airport you would be hard pressed to imagine anywhere else in the UK where a population of only 26,000, spread across 16 or so inhabited islands, could deliver such an incredible breadth of fine quality food and drink. The islands’ produce ranges from renowned whiskies, gins, cheeses and meats to chocolate and seafood, including farmed salmon that is among the best in the world. I hosted a group of six social media food ‘influencers’ and photographers on a three-day trip to Orkney, hoping to harness their social reach to engage with new audiences, debunk some of the myths about Scottish salmon farming, and offer consumers an insight into how the number one fish of choice for UK shoppers is actually grown. Key to achieving this was allowing the unpaid influencers (Instagram and other social media users who have an established credibility and audience), and in turn their followers, to make up their own minds about the sector, see for themselves almost every stage of production and processing, the communities and environments in which salmon is farmed, and to speak freely with those tasked with growing and caring for the fish. Social media offers trade bodies such as the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO) the opportunity to engage in new ways with opinion formers, decision makers and consumers. Just like growing healthy salmon, the key is in ensuring the right raw ingredients – in this case transparency and credibility – are in people’s social media feeds, packaged and delivered in the right formats, on the right platforms and, crucially, by the right people for the audiences they are aimed at.

SSPO.indd 22

Orcadian entrepreneurism was evident from the very start of our trip where, having gathered everyone off their early morning flights, we went for coffee at the Orkney Roastery. Tucked away on a small industrial estate between engineering workshops and smokehouses, the proprietors, Sara and Euan, freshly roasted their signature blend before serving it with truffles created by a nearby artisan chocolatier, Mirrie Dancers. Over the next two days we shared picnics of fresh Orkney produce curated by renowned food writer and Orkney resident Rosemary Moon in stunning locations such as Skail Beach; we toured the award winning gin producer Orkney Distillery; visited a salmon smoker, Jollys of Orkney, and enjoyed several meals, all with Orkney salmon featuring on the menu, at the Foveran, Lynnfield and Skerries Brae restaurants. My primary focus, however, wasn’t eating and drinking my way around Orkney, but providing the food experts with a greater understanding of salmon farming. We visited two salmon farms and were hosted by Cooke Aquaculture and Scottish Sea Farms. Cooke also provided an insightful factory floor tour of its Kirkwall primary processing facility, where we saw thousands of salmon being gutted, iced and boxed ready for export only hours after harvesting. I encouraged my guests to ask questions throughout the tours and they were given unrestricted access to the site workers and the sites themselves. Stocking densities, health and welfare issues, survivability and harvesting were all discussed in depth – not with slick PR teams but with farm workers, managers and processors. The sector’s commitment to transparency was further highlighted during the day we spent with Cooke, setting off from Stromness aboard a repurposed trawler, and dressed in dayglo oilskins, life-vests and

Left: Edinburgh Food Safari founder Nell Nelson with Cooke’s Robert Peterson (Pictures: SSPO) Opposite page from top: (From left to right) L to Claire Jessiman, Cate Devine, Nathan Tyler, Nell Nelson and Rosemary Moon; the group tours Cooke’s Kirkwall processing facility; organic salmon picnic on Skiall Beach

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07/10/2019 11:00:05

Influencing people

matching wellies. Our first stop, after 45 minutes of rain drenched sailing, was a long established farm site just off the island of Hoy. The group negotiated the slippery jump down from the boat to the pens and, holding tight to the rails, watched as the fish were fed, before climbing on to a feed barge to watch the process via the underwater cameras. The monitors provided my guests with a perspective rarely seen by the public but one that the SSPO hopes to make available to everyone, with the launch of a new website (later this year) featuring live feeds from Scottish salmon pens. While standing on the shifting sea pen and tightly clutching her mobile, Claire Jessiman, one of the party, took the opportunity to open up her Instagram Stories as an ‘ask them anything’ to her 12,000 followers. This allowed people from across the UK to directly ask and get immediate answers to their questions, with many taking the opportunity to engage with queries about the sector’s record on pollution and plastic, the use of medicines including antibiotics, impacts of wild fish populations, the number of fish held in pens and the health

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SSPO.indd 23

benefits of eating salmon. I judged this as one of the critical successes of the trip – where the producers could directly respond to the public’s questions with fact and reason. We then visited a shore site at Lyness Pier to meet Akva, which is helping Cooke build the next generation of salmon pens. Seeing the structures being constructed on land before being towed out to sea allowed the group to better appreciate the significant size of the pens- necessary to enable the fish to display their natural behaviours, including shoaling. It also provided an insight into the skill, innovation and technology that goes into creating modern salmon farms that provide valuable employment for remote communities. The final stop on our tour was a newly installed site off the island of Cava, where the farm team again answered challenging questions about approaches to predator management, including the use of seal-proof netting and acoustic deterrent devices. Giving the people working in salmon farming the opportunity to respond to these enquiries helps provide a strong counter narrative to the one currently being pushed in some areas of the media. Throughout my visit to Orkney, the passion and professionalism of all those working in the salmon sector, in the supply chain, the service industry and in the communities in which they live was evident. They are rightly proud of the high quality products Orkney produces while sustaining its unique, fragile environment. Orkney’s global reputation as an archaeological destination is complemented by its growing credentials as a ‘must visit’ island for food and drink lovers and I, for one, will be back. And as for the food influencers, their social media posts have already reached tens of thousands of people who wouldn’t normally interact or engage with the salmon farming sector, and the level of positive social media engagement is unprecedented. Whether some of those who may have been critical in the past will change their minds about salmon farming remains to be seen, but they have been given an honest and credible insight into the sector. The SSPO will proactively continue to counter disinformation about Scottish salmon farming with substance and transparency. Nathan Tyler is the SSPO’s head of Digital and Communications.

The “ producers

could directly respond to the public’s questions with fact and reason

”

07/10/2019 11:00:24

Shellfish

BY NICKI HOLMYARD

The oyster is his world Author’s passion shines through delightful romp around UK farms

YSTER Isles: A Journey Through Britain and Ireland’s Oysters’ is a delightful read; a clever melange of travelogue, history, facts, recipes, tasting notes, anecdotes, restaurant and oyster bar recommendations, and conversations with many of the UK’s oyster farmers. It is dedicated to oyster folk everywhere. The book is the tale of a pilgrimage undertaken by Bobby Groves, a passionate oyster lover, and, for the past ﬁve years, head of oysters at the well known Chiltern Firehouse restaurant in London. Here, he runs an oyster cart, selling upwards of 150,000 oysters each year. ‘That’s not a bad tally for a restaurant that is not a dedicated oyster bar,’ said Groves, who reckons he has opened several million oysters in his life. And at just 32, he has many millions more ahead of him. ‘I spent my teenage years on the Blackwater River in Essex, helping out at Maldon Oysters, learning how to farm, to depurate, to shuck, to sell, and to promote them. ‘Later, when I was studying, I started shucking oysters on the London markets, selling several thousand each day,’ he said. Following a short spell back on the farm, Groves took the plunge and set up his own business, Bobby’s Oysters, which specialised in oysters from East Anglia.

Shellfish.indd 24

Below: Brancaster

oyster farmers Ben Sutherland and Richard Loose Right: River Blackwater, Essex (photo: Shaun Reynolds-Darwood) Opposite top: Bobby Groves (photo: Michael Leckie) Opposite bottom:Oyster farmer Judith Vajk (photo: Richard Hunt Smith)

‘I was on a mission to put Essex on the map, not as a place that is the butt of jokes, but as somewhere that grows excellent oysters,’ he said. The Chiltern Firehouse was his ﬁrst proper restaurant job, but it is one that he adores, and which next year will to take him to New York, Los Angeles and Paris to oversee the setting up of an oyster programme in partner hotel restaurants. Groves’ work involves talking to customers, and he explained how he loves conjuring up images of oyster farmers and the natural beauty surrounding their oyster beds. People often want to know more, and ask for directions to the wild and largely unknown pockets of the world where they operate. Over the years, he also grew frustrated at the lack of knowledge about UK grown oysters, especially from foreigners, even though these were the highlight on his oyster menu. ‘So many people ask me for French oysters because the French have done a really good job of promoting them. But to me, asking for a Fine de Clair or a Belon oyster in a UK or Irish oyster bar with a fully stocked menu is like asking for a bar of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk in a Belgian chocolate shop!’ he said. Groves was an avid reader of all the oyster books on the market, but he felt that none told the story

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07/10/2019 11:05:30

The oyster is his world

from the farmer’s point of view. ‘I realised that I could tell a different story and celebrate the people who farm the oysters; the ones who really put in the hard work. ‘I also wanted to add to the literature on oysters without copying other great books, and the way to do this was to make it into a journey,’ he said. From a rough idea, Groves slowly developed his mission, deciding to travel on his beloved Triumph Bonneville T120 motorcycle, on a journey that people could engage with or recreate in parts if they were interested. Out of the blue, as the result of an overheard conversation he was having with his head chef, Groves was introduced to a literary agent in 2017, who loved the originality of the idea, and a book deal soon followed. ‘I thought that finding a publisher would be the really difficult part, but I was lucky in that oysters were becoming popular on the foody scene, and chance played a lucky part,’ he said. There followed a year and a bit of researching, travelling, eating oysters, writing furiously, working double shifts in between, and getting little sleep, but earlier this year he had a draft for his editor. His journey had taken him 5,000 miles around the coasts of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, and also to Guernsey, Jersey and Herm, meeting suppliers, making new friends, recording life stories, eating in dedicated oyster bars, restaurants and cafes, and encountering some of his heroes. ‘For me, meeting John Bayes, the oyster hatchery legend, was a huge thing, which I liken to Bob Dylan getting to meet Woody Guthrie. It felt like an audience with the Godfather and I am grateful to him for taking time out to talk to me and pass on some of his immense knowledge,’ he said.

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Shellfish.indd 25

The warm welcome he received from all the oyster farmers he met comes across in the book, as does their passion for their work and the need to maintain the unspoiled environment in which they live. One thing that stands out is that oyster farming is not and cannot be a job; it is a way of life, a passion. There were highlights and lowlights during the trip, such as the day he had to drive through Devon and Cornwall during Storm Callum to make his appointment with River Teign Shellfish. ‘My boots were completely filled with water and I was soaked to the skin, then I ended up sitting in Matt Session’s house in my underpants, talking to him and his father, Barry, about all things oyster, and eating a hot pasty to warm me up, while my clothes were dried,’ he remembered. Groves was ‘blown away’ by the beauty of his drive through the Scottish Highlands and islands and Ireland. In the Channel Islands, he found the vastness of the oyster growing beaches hard to comprehend. His favourite moments of the trip were eating world class oysters on site, with the people who farm and fish them. In County Galway, he had one of the best food experiences of the trip, eating chowder and oysters at Moran’s Oyster Cottage, but his descriptions of all the oysters he ate are compelling adverts for embracing this mollusc. There are facts a plenty dotted through the narrative, and they leave the reader eager to read more. Did you know, for example, that the Roman Praetor called Orata, was credited with being the first to lay out artificial oyster bed in Europe, in BC 97? That records show oysters in Ireland first being taxed at Wexford harbour in 1281? Or that oysters from Essex, Kent and Hampshire were mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086? Oyster Isles is definitely something to include on the Christmas list. It can be read from cover to cover, or dipped into when the mood takes. It can certainly be browsed while enjoying a plate of oysters and a glass of wine. Groves is delighted by the positive response to his first book and is keen to explore other literary ideas. He is also keen to enter oyster chucking competitions. ‘I haven’t been massively interested in them up to now, although the camaraderie amongst the shuckers is tremendous at these events. ‘I have won a couple of local competitions, but never gone for the nationals, and I don’t want to be the only shucker who has never entered. My intention is start next year and to keep going until I win one!’ he said. FF Oyster Isles: A Journey Through Britain and Ireland’s Oysters by Bobby Groves (hardback £20, 320 pages, Little, Brown Book Group)

realised “I that I

could tell a different story and celebrate the people who really put in the hard work

” 25

07/10/2019 11:06:31

British Trout Association – Annual Conference

Minister vows to tackle fish farm licence delay Team Scotland approach needed for trout and salmon producers

S Below: Rainbow trout Oppposite: Fergus Ewing addresses the BTA conference in Stirling

BTA - Fergus.indd 26

COTLAND’S Rural Economy Minister promised the trout sector that he would intervene to accelerate fish farmers’ licence applications. The current licensing system is a blockage to expansion that needs to be tackled head on, said Fergus Ewing, addressing the British Trout Association’s annual conference, held over two days in Stirling last month. The minister expressed his frustration over what he called a ‘major problem’, and promised to lever his authority to try to achieve a solution. In answer to a question from Alastair Salvesen, owner of Dawnfresh, the UK’s biggest trout

farmer, Ewing said the issue had been raised often by salmon farmers. Salvesen, whose company announced a £16 million plan earlier this year to double its production, complained at the slow pace of progress obtaining consents. ‘We have been having quite a lot of problems getting new permissions… there are delays and delays and delays,’ he said. Even having got over all the hurdles and proved that a site is capable of accommodating a farm, Salvesen said they are then ‘kicked back by your colleagues, turning round and saying the precautionary principle applies’. Ewing acknowledged that trout and salmon farming were distinct sectors, and had specific challenges, but said the industry in general needed a ‘team Scotland approach’. ‘If we are to see the expansion of the sector, we need to see consents being issued, and being issued with reasonable speed,’ he said. ‘I think, for example, the CAR [Controlled Activities Regulations] licence

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07/10/2019 11:11:14

Minister vows to tackle fish farm licence delay

requires Sepa [Scottish Environment Protection Agency] to respond within a number of weeks. ‘You already have to satisfy pretty stringent rules in order to get consents, and that’s right and proper. ‘But I am concerned that things are taking too long and I don’t think that’s something we can be at all proud of. ‘I believe we need to take a team Scotland approach…we have to listen very carefully to what businesses are saying, we have to meet with you and find out about individual cases, because every case is different.’ Leading aquaculture equipment supplier Stewart Graham, of Gael Force, and most of the salmon bosses have already raised these issues, said Ewing, but they remain unresolved. Graham, who co-chairs the Aquaculture Industry Leadership Group, has argued in the past that there should be a one-stop shop, with a single body in charge of licences. ‘There are also arguments that the Norwegian system of charging for licences may be something worth exploring,’ said Ewing. ‘And they have a discount on the fees for innovation sites which encourages innovation and R&D, it encourages the trying out of new techniques and trials.’ The minister said he would have a meeting with Dawnfresh to discuss the ‘very serious issue’ highlighted. The company’s proposals include four offshore sites across Argyll and Bute and North Ayrshire that could increase its production by 14,000 tonnes, and involve 36 permanent new jobs. Ewing said: ‘I think we have to get on and tackle this quickly, it’s an issue that has been raised quite a lot. ‘We have to get a resolution, not a blame game, but a resolution so we can go ahead with a faster, swifter system.’ It can be done, he added, but companies needed to bring their problems directly to him. ‘If I don’t hear about the problems, I don’t have the ability to lever the solutions, put it that way, require people to find the solutions, rather than choose to kick the can down the road.’ Ewing also talked about the increasing demand for fish and shellfish from Scotland. And he highlighted ongoing negotiations over China. This, he said, is an important market and his officials were working with Defra on a China trout protocol. He revealed that he had received a positive response from Theresa

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BTA - Fergus.indd 27

Villiers, the UK Environment Secretary, and he hoped to now move swiftly on agreeing a deal. ‘If Scotland can break into these markets, then the only constraint on growth would be the capacity to grow the production, get the consents and get over the hurdles to set up new operations. ‘I see no reason whatsoever why we cannot overcome these home-grown hurdles. I’m absolutely convinced that the vast majority of people in Scotland support what you do. ‘We have enormous opportunity in trout and salmon in Scotland…we have to supply more high quality protein to feed the world, and we have to do it to high standards.’ FF

“

I see no reason whatsoever why we cannot overcome these home-grown hurdles

”

07/10/2019 11:11:46

British Trout Association – Annual Conference

Showcasing Scotland Food and drink ‘Amazon’ will bring seafood to international market

COTTISH seafood could soon be sold to the world via an online portal that operates as a food and drink ‘Amazon’. The project, government funded and still under development, would be a window for Scottish seafood producers to reach a global audience, Patrick Hughes, head of Seafood Scotland, told the BTA annual conference. ‘We have 15 in-market specialists around the world but imagine having an online portal that’s going global and we have the logistics and transportation to get this to a mass market,’ he told delegates. ‘From what we understand, there’s nobody else in the world doing something like this. So this could be transformational for Scotland.’ Hughes later told Fish Farmer the e-commerce platform was highlighted in Scotland’s Programme for Government 2019-2020, published last month. A company called JW Filshill has been tasked with piloting the portal and it is now working with Seafood Scotland and Scotland Food and Drink. ‘It won’t necessarily be relevant to everyone. I imagine some of the larger seafood businesses have their own links to the markets,’ said Hughes. ‘But it will be of interest to those who have limited resources and maybe don’t have the expertise to get products to market. ‘The beauty about this potential route and this potential platform is that you can use the portal

BTA - Markets.indd 28

to bring your products to new markets, or you can use the portal simply as a shop window and then you can use your own logistics beyond that.’ He added: ‘We talk about Scotland being the land of food and drink and this is us putting something electronic on to a global platform that technically any consumer in the world can access. ‘Whether it will be totally global to begin with or in key markets, we don’t know yet, but this is potentially a game changer for the Scottish food and drink industry.’ Seafood Scotland currently relies on the local knowledge and expertise of 15 in-market specialists dotted in key export markets around the world. They prepare the ground for Scottish seafood businesses, ahead of the main trade fairs, such as the Boston and Brussels seafood expos, the Anuga food fair, in Cologne this month, and the Japanese seafood exhibition in Tokyo. Scotland has ambitions to double the value of food and drink exports to £30 billion by 2030, and to widen the product range exported, said Hughes. There are 65 different seafood products from Scotland, but not many are exported, and there is scope for expansion, with trout exports too. ‘We need to build on Scotland’s enviable reputation as a land of food and drink, in a responsible, collaborative and streamlined way to make sure that we’re creating profitable growth for the industry. ‘We can learn from whisky how to develop export markets,’ he added. The focus is on four key regions: Asia, Europe, North America, and the Middle East, based on feedback from the industry. ‘Our focus is on high end food service, and the premium retail market,’ said Hughes. ‘We are not focusing on the international retailers that are big, because we have a finite product and simply can’t service those markets. We talk to more bespoke, niche, smaller retail operators.’ Each market demands a different approach. For the Asian consumer, for example, it’s all about trust and having the reassurance that the seafood is from a reputable source, said Hughes.

Above: Patrick Hughes of Seafood Scotland at the BTA conference in Stirling

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07/10/2019 11:26:50

Showcasing Scotland

This is “a global

platform that technically any consumer in the world can access

”

‘This is something we can play on, but there is work for us to do to look at these markets in more detail, and the key elements they will respond to.’ There has been significant growth in Scottish seafood exports to Asia and there are opportunities to grow further. Europe is the biggest market, mostly for wild caught fish, but salmon exports are increasing. There are also opportunities in terms of the health and wellness market, and for artisan seafood products to make an impression there. Innovation is another thing, but the market for innovative products is further ahead in the UK and in Europe than in, say, Canada. But the US, the third largest market for Scottish seafood exports, isn’t afraid of products with multiple messages, whereas UK and European customers think that’s too much information, said Hughes. In the Middle East, UAE is the biggest regional market, and here again health and wellness are key drivers. Scottish food exports in North America have grown by 205 per cent since 2007, and by more than 600 per cent in Asia. ‘Can you imagine where we could potentially go in another 10 years, to other markets that could open up?’ said Hughes. ‘We have by no means exhausted all of these areas and we need to keep the momentum going.’ Outside of trade shows, successful marketing comes in different forms. Hughes said the Scottish Salmon Company invited a carefully selected party of eight Japanese journalists to Scotland last year. They were ‘bowled over’ and, between them, wrote an impressive total of 72 articles that ran from July to December 2018. ‘It was a huge success in getting the message about Scottish seafood into the Japanese market.’ And initiatives such as Showcasing Scotland, which earlier this month brought 125 international buyers to the country, have in the past generated £30 million in business. Seafood Scotland welcomed about 14 seafood buyers from the group and took them on a two-day tour of the Scottish seafood industry ahead of the main event, at Gleneagles Hotel. First, the seafood buyers – from China, Japan, the US, Canada and the Middle East – were shown around Peterhead fish market. Then they visited a smoked salmon producer, before travelling to the west coast to see a salmon farm and an oyster farm. ‘We’re trying to cram as much as we can in to show the breadth and depth of the Scottish seafood industry before dropping them off at Gleneagles,’ Hughes told Fish Farmer just before the promotion. FF

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BTA - Markets.indd 29

Retailers must put fish on the radar THERE are more trout products for pets than there are for humans, said Dr Martin Jaffa, who had been asked to give a positive analysis of market trends for trout, and other seafood. He said there had been a huge decline in fish consumption at home in the past 10 years – down 35 grams per person per week, which was equivalent to thirteen 140 gram portions per person every year in the UK, according to Defra statistics. ‘Whole generations no longer eat fish and if you don’t eat fish your children won’t eat fish because you’re not bringing it into the house. ‘I struggle to be positive about it, I’ve been saying this for 10 years.’ Jaffa, Fish Farmer columnist and fisheries consultant, who writes a weekly blog on the website Callander McDowell, said the trend in the big supermarkets was to close down fish counters altogether, or to only keep them open part time. ‘The opportunities to sell fish are reducing.’ Although some 94 per cent of shoppers said they have an interest in health, and 88 per cent are actively trying to improve their diet (according to research by IGD), Jaffa was wary of health being a consumer driver. He pointed to KFC, which announced recently that its healthy fast food option had been dropped from menus because no one bought it. ‘People will eat fish for health reasons but it won’t be the main priority; they buy fish because they like it.’ The problem was that fewer and fewer people do like it. The report by IGD found that they think fish is ‘scary’, they don’t like the way it looks or smells. And they ‘fear’ it, because they don’t know how to cook it. Supermarkets have a role to play in increasing consumption of seafood, but they are going about it the wrong way, argued Jaffa. ‘I don’t have a dog so I’m never going to go down the pet food aisle…If I don’t buy fish I’ll never go to a fish counter and I’ll never see fish.’  Continued next page

Above Dying breed Booths fish counter in Manchester Left: Supermarkets have a role to play in fish promotion

07/10/2019 11:27:24

British Trout Association – Annual Conference

“

where it takes fish out of the fish counter and puts it with other protein, such as chicken or beef. But supermarkets are not necessarily that interested in creating new images about fish; most of them would be happy to get rid of their fish counters, because they are very wasteful, said Jaffa. Trout seems to sell better in stores like Marks & Spencer and Waitrose and this is the type of store on which the trout industry should focus expanding sales. Jaffa also said the trend towards smaller, convenience Tesco Metros or Co-ops reduced further the range of fish on offer. ‘We have lost a whole group of consumers who are not eating fish at home and are not likely to, and we as a sector need to start again from scratch,’ he concluded.

Seafish data on chilled species has shown that trout sales value and volume have both decreased. This is because the products are not on people’s radar. There were good products on the market – Jaffa cited Asda’s microwave trout fillets in Thai green sauce, which cost £3.50. ‘It is very easy to prepare and doesn’t taste bad…one of the best inventions on the fish market. But it is sadly no more.’ The reality is that people who do go for chilled fish aren’t interested in fish with sauce, so this product – stocked with other fish - is in the wrong place, it should be with other sauce [products] or proteins. ‘With these products, you are trying to attract consumers who don’t want to touch fish. Nobody who sees it wants to buy it.’ The Asda range had cod, haddock, trout and salmon when it was launched and now just salmon is left. Jaffa said seafood had to be brought to the customer. Asda had one promotion where fish was at the entrance to the store – ‘where you least expect it’ - alongside other special offers on fruit and vegetables. And Marks and Spencer has a promotion

BTA - Markets.indd 30

I don’t have a dog so I’m never going to go down the pet food aisle

”

Top: French fish counter Middle: Fewer opportunities to sell fish Left: Retailers should put fish with other proteins

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07/10/2019 11:27:48

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392014 07/10/2019 11:38:33

British Trout Association – Annual Conference

Future prooﬁng feed Manufacturers debate the case for and against marine ingredients

EED companies substitute fewer marine ingredients in diets for Sottish farmed fish than for those reared in other countries. While all the major aqua feed manufacturers have embraced alternatives to fishmeal and fish oil in their salmonid products, they are guided by market demand, the BTA conference heard. James Deverill, commercial director of Cargill, owners of Ewos, said: ‘We have no intention of removing fishmeal and fish oil from our diets. We do, however, respond to customer requirements and individual markets, and each market is different. ‘The Scottish market is uniquely different and we use way more fishmeal and fish oil in Scotland and in the UK than in any of our similar markets in Norway or Chile, and I know the other feed companies here would back me up on that. ‘We’re farming to things like organic feed standards and Label Rouge standards that require a high marine diet. ‘In some instances, we’re working with customers who have bespoke fishmeals that we have dedicated to them, and part of their USP and their brand is high fishmeal and high marine ingredients, sustainably sourced.’ Deverill said there was no intention at Cargill to remove fishmeal and fish oil from diets altogether, as had been done elsewhere. ‘It’s all about it being sustainably sourced – and we would always argue it [the marine ingredients] should be used for growing fish rather than growing something else. ‘We always push back when someone says that fishmeal and fish oil is unsustainable – absolutely not. It is sustainable if it’s sustainably managed. ‘The discussions are what are the levels, year to year, on sustainable fisheries resources and then as a society where we choose to deploy that resource.’ Robert Hughes of Skretting, which has produced salmonid diets with zero marine ingredients, took a slightly different view. ‘Aquaculture is growing at such a rate that while we will still be using fishmeal and fish oil, we have to prepare for the future,’ he said. ‘These are quite vulnerable resources, things can happen worldwide in the fishmeal and fish oil market, as we well know. ‘The answer is that we at Skretting will prepare a diet for whatever the customer’s requirements were.

BTA - Feed.indd 32

‘Some market requirements may be for high fishmeal and fish oil and very high EPA and DHA levels, and others may require a very cost effective diet that may contain very little fishmeal and fish oil and far more in the way of land animal products and vegetable proteins. ‘So I think it is essentially what the customer wants and what the market wants and we have to have the flexibility.’ His colleague, Steve Wood, said the company’s mission for the next 10 years was to ensure that the growing demand for raw materials will be sustainable. In 2018, Skretting globally used approximately two million tonnes of raw materials. In the next 12 years this is likely to increase to four million tonnes. ‘Back in 1990, we were using approximately 3.5kg of fish protein to produce 1kg of salmon,’ said Wood. ‘Through a lot of research and development, we came up with the MicroBalance concept and became net producers of fish in 2010 with a fish in/fish out ratio (FIFO) of 1:1. ‘In the UK trout industry, we’ve seen a significant reduction in reliance on marine raw materials and in 2012 UK trout farmers became net producers of fish.’ Skretting didn’t stop there, though, and has continued to investigate new raw materials. Wood outlined the company’s seven current focus Above: Cargill’s Stephanie areas: microbial proteins (derived from algae, yeast and bacteria); EPA Arnott and DHA alternatives; land animal products; insects; protein concentrate; antioxidants; and micro ingredients. These are never going to provide all the protein in the fish pellets, said Wood, but they are extra things the company can add to its raw material basket that will reduce the reliance on other protein sources. Skretting formulated fishmeal free feed in 2016 with its MicroBalance FLX diet, said Wood, and the company then took that one step further,

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07/10/2019 11:48:17

British Trout Association – Annual Conference and ‘the perception of what we feed our fish on’. ‘It’s a great improvement if we can say we’re net fish producers. If we want to grow the industry, we need to use –well, we are using – some of these alternative proteins.’ At Cargill, customers dictate innovation, too, said the company’s Stephanie Arnott. A significant proportion of the investment in R&D goes towards trying to improve sustainability, and relieve the pressure on wild fisheries. Ewos globally has reduced its use of marine ingredients by 80 per cent over the past 15 years, with a significant shift towards plant based diets. becoming the first in the world to produce The company is also looking at novel sources of EPA and DHA, including salmon grown on no fishmeal and no fish oil, in algal meals and oils, GM products, and other sustainably sourced marine Above: Stuart Cannon its N3 diets. ingredients. ‘As food technology increases, the next step is And fats and proteins such as single celled proteins, insect meals, plant zero-zero diets in freshwater, no fishmeal and oils, land animal proteins and fats ‘are all exciting opportunities for us to no fish oil, which is fine, but we don’t want to be able to use in feeds’, said Arnott. dictate to the market,’ said Wood. ‘But we do still depend on wild fish stocks and fisheries for the nutrients He said all the feed companies either have and essential fatty acids that we simply can’t get anywhere else.’ made or will make insect based diets – ‘it’s very She said a lot of the alternative ingredients have public perception isgood from a protein point of view and reduces sues. For example, the company’s new Latitude diet for salmonids will be the reliance we have on fishmeal’. But volumes targeted at specific markets because it includes canola oil that has been are quite small and it’s quite expensive at the genetically modified to produce high levels of omega-3s. moment. With the first large commercial quantities available next year, the feed ‘We have salmon being fed in Norway on inwill be sold in South America and Asia, but not in Europe, which bans GM sect meal diets, and in France, salmon are fetch- products. ing a higher price in the market place because ‘A truly sustainable aquaculture feed will be composed of sustainably they are being fed insect meal.’ sourced raw materials, but it still has to support the fish’s health and Stuart Cannon of Kames Fish Farming said welfare, and has to maintain performance – that is our ultimate goal in farmers need to remember the end consumer trying to improve our raw materials,’ said Arnott.. FF

It’s a great “ improvement if we

can say we’re net ﬁsh producers

”

Don’t be shy about saying you use fishmeal: IFFO THE fishmeal and fish oil sector uses fish for which there is no, or only limited, markets to produce fish that people do actually want to eat, said Dr Neil Auctherlonie, technical director of IFFO, the Marine Ingredients Organisation. Fishmeal production annually is five million tonnes and fish oil is one million tonnes and that’s been pretty stable for the last two decades. ‘That reflects improvements in fishery management practices – so it might be a finite supply but it’s constant,’ said Auchterlonie. Two thirds comes from whole fish and one third is from wild by-products and farmed by-products. ‘The market decides where the fish go – if the market is willing to pay for raw materials to eat then the fish will go into that market, but if it isn’t then the fish will go into making fishmeal and fish oil.’ He cited the example of blue whiting and the Nigerian economy. If the Nigerian economy is strong, Nigerians are in the market for blue whiting fillets. But if the economy is not doing well and demand drops, and the food market can’t pay for those fish, then the blue whiting will go into fishmeal. There is a trend towards more fish going into food markets, so more by-products are being used in fishmeal, said Auchterlonie.

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Because aquaculture by-products are used in feed, as aquaculture grows there will be more raw materials available. There are about 3.2 million tonnes of fishmeal and about .76 million tonnes of fish oil producing more than 44 million tonnes of fed farmed fish. Farmed shrimp are the largest users of

fishmeal and farmed salmonids the largest users of fish oil – because EPA and DHA are fundamentally important to salmonids. As for trout inclusion rates, trout globally accounts for 3.9 per cent of fishmeal and 5.36 per cent of fish oil of total volume of marine ingredients produced annually. The substitution of fishmeal and fish oil in trout diets commenced before salmon and the reason for that was cost. There were high inclusions historically – (1981) hatchery diets of 45 to 50 per cent fishmeal, five to 15 per cent fish oil, and (grow-out) 25 to 30 per cent fishmeal and five to 15 per cent fish oil. But contemporary estimates are 10 to 30 per cent fishmeal and three to eight per cent fish oil (Auchterlonie said he was sceptical about the figures because he thinks they are a bit high, and the low end of the range is Top: Xxxxx more likely). Middle: Xxxx Trout have lower requirements for omega-3 Left: Xxxxx and the requirement varies between whether they are marine or freshwater. As with salmon, the omega-3 levels have been declining over time and have been replaced by omega-6, and the consequences of this, in terms of fish robustness, were being investigated by researchers. Auchterlonie told the feed companies: ‘Don’t be shy about saying you use fishmeal, it’s not a bad thing; in fact, it’s a good thing.’

07/10/2019 11:48:44

Innovation – Introduction

Game changers Cutting edge companies have the potential to transform the aquaculture sector

NNOVATION has always been a feature of the aquaculture industry, as it is with any new and fast developing sector. Every issue of Fish Farmer brings news of fish farmers’, scientists’ and suppliers’ ingenuity and inventiveness in addressing challenges, and this month we have a special focus on start-up companies and the novel concepts, ideas and products they are pioneering. Last month, the Aquaculture Innovation Europe conference returned to London for the third year running, providing a platform for fledgling firms to pitch their innovations to investors and industry representatives. We bring highlights of that gathering over the next few pages. Some of the most exciting advances in aquaculture are emerging from where the cutting edge technology of computer vison and machine learning is applied to existing farm practices, particularly in the farming of high value species such as salmon. Few start-ups have made quite such an immediate impact in this space as Aquabyte, which has combined Silicon Valley brilliance with Norwegian expertise to help control sea lice on salmon farms. Aquabyte has devised sea lice counting and biomass estimation software that has been deployed on salmon farms - including one of the major players - (and a trout farm) throughout Norway since the beginning of the year. The automated system replaces manual sea lice counts, using underwater stereoscopic cameras inside the pens. Through novel algorithms, the software is able to detect not just the lice levels, but the weight of a group of fish within 0.6 per cent of the true weight. ‘Over time, our platform will include other types of algorithms to determine the appetite of the fish, behavioural detection, being able to uniquely identify each individual in a pen and do that on the same hardware,’ said Aquabyte’s founder and CEO, Bryton Shang, in a presentation at AquaVision in Stavanger last year. ‘The idea is to eventually be able to use this data for feed optimisation…feed manufacturers will be able to give their customers feeding algorithms to tell them how to optimally use and feed the fish.’ But the initial target is sea lice, and the company is now turning its attention to other salmon producing countries, including Chile and Scotland. Shang was in Scotland at the beginning of October, meeting investors, aquaculture suppliers, farmers and government agencies to explore the market here for his sea lice counting technology. He met members of the Scottish government at Aqua Nor in August and they encouraged him to visit the sector in Scotland. ‘In Norway, they have prescribed very specifically how you have to do the [sea lice] counting. Scotland is a bit less specific but eventually they will have to go through the same process….and counting will have to be scientifically valid,’ he told Fish Farmer. Farmers in Norway wishing to use Aquabyte must apply to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority first to seek exemptions from manual

Innovation - Intro.indd 34

What the “investors

have seen of the industry was very compelling to them

”

counting, but Shang said there is a dispensation pending from the Norwegian government for Aquabyte to completely replace manual sea lice counts on farms with the system. He said he is sharing work he has done with the Norwegian authorities with their counterparts in Scotland. His aim is to make it easier for farmers – but it will probably be next year before Scottish producers get to run a pilot. For the camera hardware, Aquabyte has partnered with Norwegian group Imenco, which has a UK base in Wick. The system has been released on a commercial basis, with farms typically introducing cameras into each cage. ‘We’re just using a regular camera – they need to be waterproof, of course, which is what makes it expensive for now – but the value is in the software that is analysing the images,’ said Shang. The hope is eventually to have vast production and get the cost of the camera so cheap that farmers can have them in each cage, even in Chile, where sites can have 30 cages. Shang said they are looking to equip another six to eight farms in Norway this year, but there is currently a limited number of cameras available, so the farms will have one to two cameras each, to trial. ‘At this point, we just want to get everyone trying it, and then once they like it they can come back.’ The technology is easy to use, as the system does everything itself. The farmers just have to look at the website to access the information. Future applications could include fish health monitoring (to measure wounds, scale loss, deformities), mort collection, and de-licing treatments - companies have approached him already for an offline version of the lice counter so they can determine efficacy before and after, said Shang. ‘A lot of other equipment suppliers have been interested in building machinery technology and they’ve all been coming to us.’ RAS farmers have shown interest, too, particularly in weight estimation because if they feed too much, it affects the water quality.

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07/10/2019 11:53:21

Game changers

Opposite: Bryton Shang Right: Introducing machine learning to aquaculture

And future markets could include the offshore concepts and ‘pods’ being trialled in Norway, which will need even more automation, not less, because they are unmanned, said Shang. ‘It’s a camera and you can put the camera in every type of cage and do all the monitoring you need to do. ‘It’s amazing and the technology has only come out in the last couple of years, with [for example] self-driving cars.’ Aquabyte secured additional $10 million funding in June this year, co-led by existing investors Costanoa Ventures and New Enterprise Associates. Princeton educated Shang said: ‘Aquaculture in the US is not as developed as it is here or in Norway, but the progress in a short amount of time and what the investors have seen of the industry was very compelling to them.’ The new ﬁnance will help expansion into other markets and species. The company has two bases, in San Francisco, where the computer vision and machine learning researchers are more easily recruited, and in Bergen, the global centre of salmon farming. Having two centres provides ‘the best of both worlds’ – for some ﬁsh farmers it is important to have a local presence, Shang believes, with sales people who speak Norwegian. Companies in Silicon Valley are drawn to the sector because they ‘think it’s really cool’ to work in food sustainability and they want to engage with something different.

There are 35 people on the team, including sales professionals with knowledge of the market, and ‘customer success’ managers, whose job is to make sure everyone is happy, a crucial link (adopted from Silicon Valley) in the chain, said Shang. There are new offices in Bergen, and he has just brought on board seasoned aquaculture leader Hans Runshaug as his general manager in Norway. From Scotland, Shang – who divides his time between Norway and the US – is flying to Chile to see industry representatives there. ‘The success we’ve achieved in just two years has surpassed our expectations,’ he said. ‘We couldn’t be happier with the difference our technology is already making at the fish farms where it is in use and the enthusiastic support of the farmers and the Norwegian government.’ F

COMPLETE OVERVIEW AND CONTROL Technical operations, certification, maintenance and resource planning are fully integrated in the Aquacom family, consisting of the modules: OFFSHORE, ONSHORE, VESSELS, NETS and PLANNER. The modules can be utilised independently, or organised into a comprehensive, integrated operating and maintenance system for the entire value chain. Aquacom provides full overview and control regarding all technical equipment included in aquaculture company operations.

+47 47 48 48 03 / post@aquaknowledge.no / aquacom.no

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07/10/2019 11:54:28

Aquaculture Innovation Europe – Funding

‘Redesign’ aquaculture

for the future

Aqua-Spark founder says aim is to make sustainable farming more mainstream

HE aquaculture industry needs a ‘complete redesign’ if it is to meet a global requirement to triple production by 2050 and feed a growing world population. That is the thinking behind Aqua-Spark, the Netherlands based aquaculture fund that invests in sustainable growth in the sector. Amy Novogratz, speaking on the opening day of the Aquaculture Innovation Europe conference in London in September, said the company she founded with Mike Velings in 2011 wanted to make sustainable aquaculture more mainstream. She said when she and Velings first entered the sector they ‘couldn’t get over its potential’. ‘Aquaculture has the potential to be the food production system that releases the least amount of greenhouse gases,’ she said. To help it achieve this, Aqua-Spark invests across the whole value chain, from feed ingredients to farming operations, in technology to make it more efficient – ‘everything we need for a full aquaculture system’. ‘We are trying to move the aquaculture industry to one that is healthier, more sustainable and that brings returns that are comparable to today’s traditional industry,’ said Novogratz. Aqua-Spark selects small to medium businesses on the basis of their ethical outlook as well as their commercial potential, and every enterprise in the fund’s portfolio signs a ‘shared values manifesto’, said Novogratz. There are now 17 companies in the Aqua-Spark stable, including six farming operations, three feed ingredients firms, and five technology innovators. Novogratz said the aim was to secure eight new investments a year, with the goal of signing up 60 to 80 companies, with a total funding target of 1.3 billion euros, by 2030. Aqua-Spark draws its finance from 149 individual investors – mostly family funds - across 23 countries. Co-investors include Rabobank, Mitsui, Buhler and Cargill. The conference, at the Gloucester Millennium Hotel from September 10-11, also heard from fish farming analyst Christian Nordby, of Kepler Cheuvreux. Speaking about the economics of aquaculture, he said the US was still the biggest global market for salmon, and would likely remain so for the next five years. But the potential in China was huge and the market in 10 years could be 400,000 tonnes, equal to that of the current US market. Nordby said he had recently visited China and witnessed the fast expansion of the market – ‘salmon is on the menu everywhere in China now’. A trade deal struck with Norway in May had seen exports to China increase by 25 per cent, but on the supply side, Nordby said salmon growth would be slower in the next few years. Biomass growth in Norway is restricted to three per cent a year because of the ‘traffic light’ regulation system. Improving productivity could boost supply, however, but the last few years had brought lower productivity and higher mortalities, which Nord-

Innovate Aqua Spark.indd 36

It has the “potenti al to

be the food production system that releases the least amount of greenhouse gases

by said was a result mainly of sea lice. The big farmers, he said, were now investing more in post smolt operations to improve productivity, and he predicted that this would account for the greatest growth in the next few years – more than either offshore or land based production. ‘Today, farmers prefer to invest in post smolt systems than [full cycle] RAS because of a better ROI [return on investment],’ he said. The conference, in its third year, invites startups, whittled down to 13 from a long list of applications, to pitch to investors. On day one, the first two innovation showcases featured nine entrepreneurs, covering alternative feed ingredients, live feed for larvae, an early warning system for toxic algal blooms, data gathering technology aimed at more accurate sea lice counting, and a one-stop shop, salmon marketing portal. On day two, the final innovation showcase highlighted developments in digitalisation, feed from CO2, an artificial intelligence based farm app, and a cloud based digital platform to Above: Amy Novogratz enhance aquaculture operations. The presentations were followed by the announcement of the Audience Award for Innovation, chosen by conference delegates (see opposite). FF

”

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07/10/2019 11:59:39

Aquaculture Innovation Europe – Funding

French innovators impress investors

TWO French innovators scooped top honours on the final day of the Aquaculture Innovation Europe conference, after a vote by delegates representing the industry and investors. The microalgae firm Inalve was the winner in a close run contest, with its patented technology aimed at reducing farmers’ dependence on wild fish for feed. ‘What the feed industry is now looking for is a rich alternative protein…and we at Inalve have found one,’ said CEO and co-founder Christophe Vasseur. His aim, like all the innovators taking part in the conference, was to ‘make aquaculture great tomorrow, starting today’. The company, a French university spin-off, capitalises on more than 25 years’ experience in R&D in microalgae, and has already won more than 10 innovation prizes in the past three years, said Vasseur. The technology produces microalgae that is suspended in the water, in a biofilm system which reduces energy and water consumption, and therefore has a very low environmental footprint, said Vasseur. Inalve has formulated the microalgae into two products: an algae meal with protein as nutritious as fishmeal and a natural source of omega-3; and an algae additive, providing health and growth to the animals. Vasseur said their biorefineries out-compete alternative technologies on the market such as insect meal, plant protein and animal protein, on both cost and productivity. Inalve has established proof of concept over the last three years and

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has secured three million euros in private and public investment. The company is now scaling up production in the south of France and will provide ingredients to the aqua feed market next year. By 2023, Inalve will be producing 1,000 tonnes of microalgae feed a year from its pilot farm, Vasseur said. The French innovator Flavie Gohin of Fishency Innovation was the award runner up, after developing a digital sea lice counting system for salmon farmers. Based in Norway, Fishency has pioneered technology that combines hardware and software - a fully automated swim-through ‘smart funnel’ which is placed in the cage, with a 360 degree camera and artificial intelligence. It can count more than 100 fish a day rather than a typical manual sample of 20 a week. ‘We want to provide a solution for more sustainable food production from the ocean,’ said Gohin. ‘If farmers have access to better data, they can take the right decisions for treatment or harvesting, and improve their productivity and reduce their impact on the environment and fish mortality.’ The third prize went to Observe Technologies, another digitalised solution for salmon farmers, which uses an artificial intelligence platform to optimise feeding. Billions of dollars are wasted every year on inefficient feeding, said the company’s CEO and co-founder, Hemang Rishi. The London based company has so far trialled its technology in Chile, has partnered with Akva to distribute the system, and is currently working with a Scottish farmer to optimise it further. ‘Feeding is an art…we want to make it a science,’ said Rishi. The two-day Aquaculture Innovation Europe conference gives selected start-up companies an opportunity to pitch their inventions and business propositions to potential investors. See next page for more start-up technologies.

Top: Christophe Vasseur Above: Hemang Rishi Left: Flavie Gohin

07/10/2019 12:00:04

Aquaculture Innovation Europe – Start-ups

Perfect pitch From novel feed to digital farming solutions, ﬂedgling ﬁrms make case for funds

HE main focus of the Aquaculture Innovation Europe conference was to introduce selected start-ups to the industry and investors. The Innovation Showcases featured some of the brightest ideas in three key areas: nutrition, health and digital technology. The companies, chosen by an expert committee, were given a unique opportunity to present their novel technologies and make a case for funding or strategic partnerships. Drawn from across the world, they covered a broad range of innovative products and services, oﬀering an insight into how the aquaculture industry of the future will look. Here, we highlight those start-ups provided with a platform at the conference - ones to watch over the next few years.

Precision Phenotyping

Broodstock Management

World-class Laboratories

Genetic Solutions for Aquaculture

Novel peptide producer on track ISRAELI based feed additives firm AquiNovo, established in 2015, is looking at how to generate more fish with fewer resources. CEO Nissim Chen said the company’s non-GMO, non-hormonal additives increase yields while improving conversion of feed to biomass (FCR ratio). The technology is based on novel short peptides that mediate their effect by binding to specific receptors in the digestive track. Large scale studies with tilapia demonstrated about 10 to 15 per cent yield increase while improving FCR at about seven per cent, leading to high return on investment for the farmer, said Chen. Additional benefits include advantageous size distribution (larger numbers of big fish and smaller numbers of small fish) and a potential protective effect under stress conditions. Increasing farms’ profit can also positively impact food security, in particular in developing countries, and potentially improve the social status of millions of small farm holders and employees. AquiNovo’s first products target three of the top four farmed fish worldwide: tilapia, salmon and carp. But the technology is applicable to all fish species and for future products ‘we have the whole finfish market ahead of us’, said Chen. In its second tier of products, the company plans to target catfish and other high value marine fish, and in the third tier they will investigate ‘hard to farm’ fish. ‘We have demonstrated proof of concept…and demonstrated there is no effect on the fish health.’ AquiNovo has also demonstrated that it can generate low cost peptide production and the firm is now moving towards scaling up and optimisation. Chen said it plans to sell its peptide to feed and feed additive companies, which will incorporate it into their diets and sell it on to the producers. The launch of the first tier commercial product in scheduled from 2021 to 2023.

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your expert genetics partner xelect.co.uk

Innovation - Start -Ups.indd 38

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07/10/2019 12:04:47

Perfect pitch

Back to nature larval feed NORWEGIAN biotechnology company CFeed specialises in start-up feeds, imitating nature’s solution, where fish larvae eat micro plankton. From its land-based facility near Trondheim, CFeed produces copepod eggs and live copepods for hatcheries worldwide. Production is in large automated tanks, which can produce high density cultures all year, quickly responding according to the market demand. At customers’ hatcheries the copepods can be easily hatched with existing equipment and fed directly to the fish fry. They can be used as functional feed in combination with live feed solutions, or they can replace current live feed solutions. CFeed was set up in 2014, after researchers at Sintef Ocean saw a problem with early stage larvae survival in the early 2000s. Today, the company has performed more than 30 trials with 16 different species in 15 countries to confirm the product’s strength. For all species it says it has shown 30 to 50 per cent better survival when using CFeed’s solution, working in particular with sea bream, tuna, turbot, ballan wrasse, and cod, among others. Chief technology officer Ole Andreas Moum Lo told delegates that CFeed was passionate about early development because this determines the

future performance of the fish. ‘If you have a healthy and good juvenile, you will get a good healthy fish in the end.’ The company works with salmon, though it feeds ballan wrasse rather than salmon – helping out with the sea lice problem said Lo. ‘Breeding ballan wrasse is not straightforward and the industry has been struggling with survival rates of zero to 10 per cent.’ But CFeed is working with farmers to increase survival and stabilise it on a higher level. In cod, they have seen increased weights of 20 per cent after a year, with fish only fed copepods for the first two weeks – ‘we can see the larvae quality has a tremendous effect on the long term performance of the fish’. With sea bream producers in the Mediterranean, there have been 40 per cent weight increases. And they are also collaborating with Japanese academics at Kindai University to develop fast growing species, such as seriola and tuna - increasing survival rates by 300 per cent. ‘The copepod effect is incredible and has the potential to disrupt marine aquaculture,’ said Lo, who estimates global market potential at 250 million euros. CFeed has focused on the Norwegian market so far, but has trials scheduled in Ecuador and Thailand for

shrimp, and further work on seriola, sea bream and snapper. Lo said the company sees shrimp and sea bream as the main markets of the future. The company has now stabilised production and has recurrent sales. In the next years, it expects the market to grow fast, and to be able to respond, it is planning to increase its production capacity and improve the existing production system.

Above: CFeed’s solution oﬀers 30 to 50 per cent better survival

Transformative vaccine technology

TRANSALGAE has developed an algae based platform for the oral delivery of pharmaceuticals for aquaculture. The technology harnesses algae as a cell-based factory system for the production and natural encapsulation of therapeutic products, protecting their degradation in the GI-tract and enabling their absorption by the target animal. The platform lets algae express hormones, enzymes or vaccines. The active molecules are then orally delivered via standard animal feed. This replaces the need to use antibiotics and animal vaccination by injection. It is cost eﬀective, eﬃcient, fast and safe, said the company’s vice president of R&D and co-founder, Ofra Chen.

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Innovation - Start -Ups.indd 39

The Israeli company has successfully completed two ﬁeld trials of its algae based oral vaccine for ﬁsh against the Irido virus. It also has successful proofs of concept on the delivery of molecules expressed in algae to crustaceans. Further vaccines are being developed for major crustacean diseases.

the need to use “antiThisbiotireplaces cs and vaccination by injection ”

07/10/2019 12:05:08

Aquaculture Innovation Europe – Start-ups

Data key to smart farming GO Smart’s BioCam provides crucial data for farmers so they can increase efficiency, said business development and marketing manager Ron Shavit. The patent pending technology – ‘low cost and stationary’ - gives precise continuous measurement and tracking can optimise feeding, and improve FCR and fish growth performance, while reducing feed waste, and labour costs. The all-in-one online integrated system calculates the accurate fish weight, in addition to the distribution of the cage Above: Ron Shavit explains Go Smart’s technology population, together with the integrated oxygen and temperature sensors, all and it will communicate, via radio transmission in the same housing. with the shore base, to the cloud using GSM And it can connect directly to the feed barge/ communication. shore base in real-time, enabling live observaThe first prototype is operational and has tion during feeding. been tested in several sites, with around 100 The system is designed to operate autonoper cent accuracy, said Shavit. mously in all weather conditions, running on In the next version they plan to include solar energy, and can be controlled remotely disease monitoring and stress detection as via a user friendly web application. additional features. Shavit said the company, a spin-off of Gili‘As fish must be fed according to their accuOcean Technology, can also provide cloud data rate weight, this data is critical for the planning services and complementary management and execution of a proper feed plan, and this is software. the main feature of our system,’ he added. The main feature of the device is based on a The system has been tested at several sites unique image processing algorithm and tools, in Israel and the Mediterranean with great

accuracy. ‘We estimate that one BioCam can increase the farmer’s net profit by at least 18 per cent …mainly as a result from saving on the overhead expenses of cutting down the grower time of the fish, and the improvement of the feeding accuracy.’ The business model is based on a oneoff installation fee, and then a monthly service charge and data. The initial focus is on large suppliers and growers in the Mediterranean market. Shavit said they already have ‘several potential customers’ waiting for demonstrations, and they will be given the next stage units, currently in production, for longer trials. Now they are looking for $2.2 million over two years. Most of the competition is in the salmon industry, but he believed in the Mediterranean market niche there were not many competitors. ‘GoSmart aspires not only to be a tool for getting the data, but also to act as the data’s final station, collecting information from multiple farming sites and building a big data source of the industry, with comparisons between different operations and growers.’

Seafood portal is one-stop shop

Above: Eirik Talhaug

EIRIK Talhaug, co-founder and chief executive of the online market platform JET Seafood, told the conference that ‘what we produce, we need to sell’. That might sound obvious, but as this Mowi sourcing manager and market analyst pointed out, today’s seafood market is ‘chaotic’. Seafoodportal.com started as a one-stop shop for salmon, as a solution to current ineﬃcient product trading. ‘Trading today is done by email, Skype and phone, which are

Innovation - Start -Ups.indd 40

manual one-to-one tools,’ said Talhaug. ‘This is both costly and time consuming and severely limits the number of possible counter parties a company can reach.’ The aim of the seafood portal is to offer a better price overview of the market for both buyers and sellers; improve liquidity by enabling the buyers and sellers to reach numerous counter parties at the same time; and facilitate critical services such as credit insurance, other financial services, logistics and traceability to both the buyers and sellers. By using the seafoodportal.com, a buyer can compare goods based on price, origin and quality features, among other parameters. This will significantly lower the time used to source the seafood while simultaneously ensuring that both the buyer and seller trade the seafood at a fair price. Talhaug said digital development has enabled the company to create the platform. There has been ‘significant industry interest’ and

there are already 36 companies online on the portal. In February this year, the ﬁrm raised 520,000 euros in equity, plus 150,000 euros from the Norwegian government, funds that will be used to achieve proof of concept and expand the team, and number of customers. The company is now looking for another 1-2 million euros to solidify its position in the Norwegian salmon market. JET Seafood will also look at expansion into Asia, a big buyer

of seafood and very savvy about buying online, said Talhaug. This will make it easier for producers of European fish to connect to Asia. ‘We are stuck in the middle of the cash flow between buyers and sellers and this makes us very attractive for other participants within the financial industry, insurance, logistics and other services. ‘It’s a market that is totally lacking real-time data – and this is something we can provide, once we get the transactions going through.’

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07/10/2019 12:08:02

Perfect pitch

Early warning system targets Norway PORTUGUESE start-up Undersee has developed an early warning system that allows users to monitor water quality without dealing with sensors maintenance. Due to the lack of a real-time solution of water monitoring, the economic losses for aquaculture caused by harmful algal blooms (HABs) have been estimated at €919 million per year in the EU, said the company. Even if an algae bloom is not toxic, an early warning system is valuable to prevent production losses and help optimise feeding. The system monitors chlorophyll A and, based on this and information shared by the European Space Agency, which funds the ﬁrm, they can give a risk assessment, said Tiago Cristóvão, co-founder and COO of the company. ‘If there is already an algal bloom, we can’t do anything, but we can tell if the probability of it happening is high or low, based on the information we are collecting. ‘One of the major diﬀerences between our device and current monitoring technologies is that we install our device

on the surface, not in the water, and we collect the water, we monitor it, and we push it out.’ Among other features, producers will access predictions about dissolved oxygen for the days ahead, and early warnings by SMS or email about possible algae bloom threats or severe oxygen depletion events. Cristóvão said the sales focus was on the Norwegian sector, and this year the company was completing pilots with Norwegian institutes and aquaculture companies. The reason they want to start selling in Norway is because not only is it the biggest salmon market, but it also owns much of Scotland’s sector too. Their target is 10 per cent of the market – so out of Norway’s 5,000 cages, they want to be in 500.

can tell if the probability of an “Wealgal bloom is high or low ”

Above: Valuable in detecting algal blooms

Making data do its work FISH farmers can use the Wittaya AquaOp platform to track, visualise and analyse every aspect of their operations. Created by Wittaya Aqua International, the cloud based farm management platform helps producers run their farm more efficiently, profitably and sustainably, said the company’s Dominque Bureau. ‘Aquaculture producers love to collect data; however, they use all kinds of different techniques and approaches to compile their data,’ said Dr Bureau. Often this involves paper and spreadsheets that multiply and are very ‘idiosyncratic’. Also, the information collected contains errors, or the parameters are biased. This means that farmers spend considerable amounts of time recording raw data, but do not have tools at their disposal to make effective use of this information. He and co-founder Evan Hall

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Innovation - Start -Ups.indd 41

decided to form a company that develops cloud based software that allows eﬃcient compilation and secure storing of the data. There are a few other aquaculture farm management systems on the market, but their price points make them prohibitive to most small and medium sized farms, said Bureau. As the aquaculture industry continues to grow rapidly, there is a large and pressing need for powerful and accessible data tools for farms. ‘Wittaya Aqua helps solve this problem by providing farms with a powerful, intuitive, aﬀordable software platform that helps farms take control of their data.’ The technology combines the team’s experience in aquaculture nutrition, feed formulation, process optimisation, software development and management, with input from dozens of farms from around the world, said the company, which is based in

Toronto, Canada. The system boasts cutting edge machine learning and AI algorithms, which spot patterns in a farm’s operations over time and help farmers optimise harvest date, stocking density, feeding regimens, and much more, said Wittaya Aqua. Over time, this will help farms eliminate feed waste, reduce environmental impact and decrease the risk of disease.

Above: The AquaOp Farm Management System

07/10/2019 12:08:32

Aquaculture Innovation Europe – Start-ups

App can help shrimp sector boost income, says inventor AQUACONNECT is currently focused on India’s US$7.1 billion aquaculture sector, which produces almost 700,000 tonnes of farmed shrimp annually, and has become the top global exporter in recent years. The shrimp farming industry loses billions of dollars every year due to widespread disease and inferior feed conversion. Aquaconnect’s app, FarmMOJO, provides an AI (artificial intelligence) based advisory service to farmers to predict diseases and follow better management practices in farm operations. The app can increase farm income by five to 10 per cent, said Rajamanohar Somasundaram, co-founder and CEO of Aquaconnect. FarmMOJO understands the farm’s needs, based on the input given by the farmer, as well as the data captured by IoT/smart farm management platforms, and it develops AI models on feeding patterns and disease management. It then offers personalised suggestions on the mobile app to improve farm operations. Shortly after making a presentation at the Aquaculture Innovation Europe conference in London, the company was able to announce it had raised a seed round of $1.1 million from Indian venture capital firm Omnivore and the aquaculture focused start-up accelerator Hatch. Prior to this, Aquaconnect had received angel funding from Hatch after participating in its inaugural cohort of start-ups in Bergen last year. Based in Chennai, Aquaconnect was founded in 2017 and currently has a network of more than 3,000 shrimp farmers across India and Indonesia, who receive support via FarmMOJO. The company plans to expand its customer base across south and south-east Asia. Aquaconnect links this farmer network to an omni-channel marketplace, where they can transact with feed producers, laboratories, equipment manufacturers, hatcheries, processors, exporters, certification bodies, banks, and insurance companies. With the current round of funding, Aquaconnect plans to accelerate the growth of its aquaculture farmer network, roll out technical improvements to FarmMOJO, launch new SaaS (software as a service) tools for the aquaculture ecosystem, and expand monetisation across its omni-channel marketplace. Reihem Roy, who runs Omnivore’s Chennai office, will be joining Aquaconnect’s board to support the company’s growth strategy. Raj Somasundaram said: ‘The funding will be used for team expansion, enhancing our AI enabled platform offering, and increasing our omni-channel marketplace fulfilment capabilities. ‘We aim to reach 15,000 shrimp and fish farmers across India and Indonesia by December 2020. Omnivore and Hatch understand aquaculture, so they are perfect investors for our first institutional funding round.’ Mark Kahn of Omnivore said: ‘We believe Raj and his team are building one of the most promising agritech start-ups globally, and we look forward to the exciting journey ahead.’ Carsten Krome of Hatch added: ‘Having closely worked with Raj and his team now for more than a year, we are absolutely confident that they can deliver on the sharp growth trajectory that we are sending them on with this capital injection.’

Above: Rajamanohar Somasundaram

Innovation - Start -Ups.indd 42

CO2 as feedstock ticks the cost box

Above: Christopher Oakes

CALIFORNIA based NovoNutrients makes feed from CO2, having developed a gas fermentation technology that it claims will help decarbonise food and aquaculture. The company’s Christopher Oakes said the finite supply of fishmeal and fish oil was creating ‘an appetite for alternative ingredients’. He described NovoNutrients’ process as the ‘intersection of digital technology and analogue ingredients’. Feed mills typically use the lowest cost feed formulation software to come up with the right diet to meet the customer’s nutritional profile. NovoNutrients uses a proprietary gas fermentation process that transforms a blend of CO2 from untreated industrial emissions and H2 into a single cell protein aquafeed, Novomeal. The company said its selection of H2 and CO2 provides potential for scale and lowest cost feedstocks. The key to the process is a patent pending framework for defined microbial consortia that grows on that CO2/H2 mix. The workhorse bacteria and other microbes form a symbiotic ecosystem, with each microbe contributing to the overall health and dynamic of the whole. The bacteria becomes the product, containing the various nutrients and proteins needed for healthy fish diets. Like fishmeal, it is a complete protein, with all 10 essential amino acids needed by fish, as well as key vitamins and minerals. ‘At scale, we can produce it at a low cost, it’s a high quality protein with all the essential amino acids that fish need, it’s non-GMO, it’s all natural,’ said Oakes. In a first feeding trial with rainbow trout in the US – with a 40 per cent inclusion rate of the protein - the survival rate of the test group was equivalent to that of the control. Growth rates were also interesting but there are additional trials to complete. Oakes said the first sales will most likely be as special ingredients in larval shrimp feeds and larval salmon feeds. The company has already raised $3.7 million to date.

www.fishfarmermagazine.com

07/10/2019 12:09:43

Perfect pitch

Eggs the clue to faster growing fish

We guar“antee a ﬁve

per cent improvement in growth so we’re taking the risk, not the producer

”

Right: Dr Benjamin Renquist

THE US based start-up GenetiRate has already hit the ground running, having won the Seafood Innovation Award at the North Atlantic Seafood Forum in February, and being chosen for the third Hatch accelerator programme, staged in Hawaii this summer. The company, founded by Dr Benjamin Renquist from the University of Arizona, has developed technology that can select for better growth and feed efficiency. If growth rates can be increased, the amount of time salmon need to spend in marine cages can be reduced and their exposure to disease limited, he said. Selection to improve growth tends to rely on increasing feed intake, but that drives up costs. ‘There is no current method to select for feed efficiency or growth that is independent of feed intake,’ Renquist told the conference. ‘That is where GenetiRate comes in. We measure the metabolic rate of the egg using a high throughput screening method to identify faster growing individuals, independent of food intake.’ He said they can run the procedure on hundreds of thousands of eggs at a time, it doesn’t kill the fish and allows the team to assess growth potential independent of feed intake. The technique has been tested with 18,000 tilapia eggs, with a 28 per cent improvement in growth all the way to harvest size in the top 4,500 ova. And in trials with rainbow trout eggs, the company found a 27 per cent improvement in growth rates. ‘Not only do we improve growth but we improve feed efficiency. A lot of you would say of course if you improve growth you improve feed efficiency, and that’s a given because we are decreasing the relative role of basal metabolic rate. ‘But our feed efficiency improvement is a result of something we’ve selected for. If we take those animals that have high metabolic rate as eggs or as embryos, and we take a skeletal muscle biopsy from those fish to assess the basal metabolic rate of the fish, we decrease the basal metabolic rate of the fish. ‘So we’ve allowed this fish to put more energy towards growth because we’ve decreased basal metabolic rate, we’ve selected for that.’

Renquist said the company’s value proposition was to genetics company customers, who may want to select the top 10 per cent of ova. ‘If we were to get the 25 per cent improvement in growth…with five per cent improvement in feed efficiency [shown in trials], a female salmon would be worth $11,221 more than a salmon we haven’t selected, throughout the production cycle.’ Producer customers might want to select the top 50 per cent, in which case a GenetiRate egg could be worth $1.12 more. Since February this year, when GenetiRate won the North Atlantic Seafood Forum award, it has had sales of $72,000, and has three large genetic companies (including Hendrix Genetics) as customers, and smaller producer companies. The technology has been tested in salmon, trout, oysters, catfish and tilapia, and they have developed an automated sorter. This will enable a throughput of 120,000 eggs an hour, and with more sorters they could do millions of eggs a day. Renquist said they expect validation grow-out trials to begin this month, and are looking for people to get involved in that. The intention is to focus on salmonids, offering low coast trials using the technology, but they would look at new species each year. ‘We guarantee a five per cent improvement in growth so we’re taking the risk, not the producer.’ They envisage three different routes to market: licensing deals for the automated sorter, which works with all the company’s software; an on-site service; or in-house services for those animals that are easily shipped. This year, he said they expect $250,000 in revenue, and in 2020 to exceed $1 million, and in 2021 to exceed $5 million in sales.

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07/10/2019 12:11:16

Aquaculture Innovation Europe – Investors’ view

We need 20 times as much money Sector has seen explosion in start-ups but they must focus on how to create returns

HRISTIAN Rangen of X2 Labs is focused on people first, and companies second. In fact, in his venture builder accelerator, he said there are no companies but a lot of people. ‘We take them through a very dedicated programme and the best ones survive to become start-ups,’ he explained at the conference, during an early stage investment panel that also included Mattias Hofer of CAH Capital, and Joost Matthijssen of Nutreco NuFrontiers. But Rangen said that the aquaculture sector needed more accelerator programmes, and more value creation – ‘We need 20 times as much money as we have’. ‘As a community, we’re not focused on how we create returns for investors. Imagine we’re at a party, and the party really takes off at midnight. We’re probably at five or six in the afternoon. ‘We need to get more people with more money to get the party really going. Hopefully, that’s what we’ll be doing in the next couple of years.’ Rangen suggested that those already in the industry should have podcasts and live twitter feeds, where they talk about the industry secrets and their

Your partner in aquaculture

expertise so more people tap into that knowledge. Hofer, previously with pharmaceutical companies Elanco and Novartis, said when he first worked in the industry 15 years ago, there were hardly any start-ups and most innovation was done internally, by the biggest 10 or 15 companies. ‘Today, there are probably more start-ups getting headlines than the big companies. I find it amazing. I never thought that would be possible even five years ago. It has changed so much. ‘We estimate there are about 600 start-ups active in this space, compared to a few dozen maybe 10 or 15 years ago. Keep it coming entrepreneurs! ‘Most of the big players in animal health – MSD (Merk), Elanco, Zoetis – are active in this space. That will generate more – Cargill is active too. I think the party has almost started!’ The panel was asked a series of questions from delegates, who represented aquaculture companies and existing and potential investors. Q. Which sub sector within aquaculture gets the best return - health, nutrition, digital, or technology? Joost Matthijssen of Nutreco said: ‘Precision feeding and alternative farming systems, such as land based RAS systems – we’d like to play a role in that and develop our feed capabilities specifically tailored to those kind of farming systems.’ Hofer said he liked the field of nutritional health because two industries are coming together, the animal health industry and the nutrition industry. ‘There is a space in the middle which has very strong nutritional health products, that’s a very cool space.’ Q: Are investors missing out on other opportunities in the aquaculture sector because of all the investment in salmon technology, as seen recently at Aqua Nor? Matthijssen said: ‘Salmon is an attractive entry point for technology in this space. It’s a concentrated, large market. The dynamic is very different for other species. ‘But there is a lot of potential in developing technology for other species – salmon is a small part of the total biomass being farmed. ‘Shrimp is a key species for us and there is lots of potential for growth in that sector, and a lot of impact you can have in terms of increasing performance.

Innovative - Investors.indd 44

Opposite top: Panel chair Laurence Brown, Matthias Hofer, Christian Rangen and Joost Matthijssen Below: Shrimp

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07/10/2019 12:16:28

We need 20 times as much money ‘In salmon, the performance in the sector is already very high, it is a very sophisticated, professional type of farming, whereas if you look at other species, the potential to increase that performance is far more significant, and so technology could have a higher added value.’ Hofer said ‘we would lose out if we didn’t look at other species’ but it was harder to get returns in less developed sectors. ‘At Novartis, we looked beyond salmon; there is a lot of growth happening in other species, but the problem is we couldn’t see how you could easily generate a return. ‘Salmon is very established and the profits are good, and health care is at a very high standard, so you can add to that in a very meaningful way.’ Rangen summed up the dilemma: ‘Should Volkswagen care about scooters, or should Shell care about renewable energy, that’s the question you’re asking. ‘If you take the average successful Norwegian fish farm they have a very healthy business, extremely high margins and very focused investors, who invest in salmon.’ you do in business is about the people and we look very In answer to the question about investing in other strongly at that aspect, and the team, their experience, species, he concluded: ‘So it’s an obvious yes, but a and enthusiasm. really difficult how.’ ‘And we like technology that’s low risk, so if it has already been proven in a target species, that’s Q: What can we learn from structure and fund- great.’ ing in terrestrial species? Rangen said: ‘A lot of the start-ups I meet in this Hofer said: ‘In many respects, the salmon industry space are a little bit like Jamaicans competing in is ahead, in technology usage and even in consoliski world championships. dation, compared to, say, the cattle industry in the ‘They show a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiUS. In that respect, the other species can learn a lot asm, and practise hard on the beaches of Jamaica from salmon health.’ but they’ve never seen snow and when they get out in Matthijssen agreed that livestock farming could the real world they realise, we haven’t prepared for this. learn much from the ‘very advanced’ salmon sec‘We need more scale up capabilities, to go beyond the tor, and there were limited lessons to be learned science, the product and the market…if you can build a comfrom livestock farming. pany rather than a technology then this is going to be much more ‘But the more interesting parallels for aquaculture attractive.’ are from crop farming, especially in terms of digital Matthijssen said Nutreco NuFrontiers invested on the basis of ‘what we technology, which is five or even 10 years ahead of can learn from start-ups, in terms of capabilities, that we could never learn anything happening in animal farming. in-house’. ‘There are lots of service models with a strong digital component being deployed, with successQ. How can fish farmers take a lead in creating more opportunities for ful business models. We haven’t yet seen that in more innovation? agriculture but we’re getting closer, especially in Rangen said the aquaculture industry could follow the example set by the oil salmon.’ and gas sector in its early days. Rangen said it was at the end stage of food pro‘Outside investors are not really what we need. This industry is making a duction that lessons could be learned from more tonne of money, and it is projected to continue making a tonne of money. But established industries. they are not spending or investing that money optimally in building a bigger ‘How many burger joints exist globally? Tens of and better supply chain. thousands. Millions. If you look at the land based ‘The oil and gas industry realised around the 1980s that they weren’t getting value chain, a lot ends up, regretfully, as burger enough innovative solutions to their problems, so the big companies came joints. together and said let’s build a supplier innovation development programme. ‘In this space, how many seafood fast food joints ‘They put people, time and funding in place to allow a new generation of are there? Yo Sushi, and Mowi’s proposed chain in companies to grow up and eventually become a strategic fix/fit, but that China and Taiwan, with 2,000 fast food fish outlets would take 10 to 15 years. to test the water, maybe expanding to 20,000 and ‘The fish farmers could build a suppliers innovation development proeven that isn’t scratching the Chinese market. gramme and we could funnel hundreds of companies through that.’ ‘There is a lot of possibility for innovation in that Hofer mentioned the Global Salmon Initiative (GSI), which already includes last consumer space. If we’re going to really shift around 50 per cent of the world’s salmon farmers, and said this ‘could be a food production consumption, we’re going to need fantastic tool to promote innovation from a farming perspective’. not just innovation at the biomass and technology But Matthijssen felt that the onus should not be on the farmers to adopt level, but at the final consumer stage level.’ technology for the sake of technology. ‘The onus is on the suppliers of technology to address demand that the Q. How do start-ups catch your attention? farmers have and give them innovations that make their jobs easier and more Hofer said: ‘It’s about the people, everything profitable.’ FF

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Innovative - Investors.indd 45

“

Imagine we’re at a party, and the party really takes oﬀ at midnight. We’re probably at ﬁve or six in the afternoon

” 45

07/10/2019 12:16:53

Aquaculture Innovation Europe – Investors’ view

The missing Link Norwegian venture capitalist ‘hunting high and low’ for ﬁrms to back

LEDGLING aquaculture companies may think that finding the necessary finance is their biggest hurdle, but the view from investors should provide reassurance. As one Norwegian venture capitalist told delegates at the Aquaculture Innovation conference in London last month, her company is ‘hunting high and low’ for technical start-ups to back. Stavanger based Elisabeth Ovstebo of Link Venture Capital set up her company two years ago to ‘put money into the companies we want to have for the future’ – and that includes aquaculture enterprises. She is focused on aquaculture partly because she is in Norway but also because, as she put it: ‘What we’re seeing is that the green shift is blue; in many ways, for us the sustainable future is going to come from aquaculture.’ Ovstebo said her company is looking for technology that the customer needs and wants, created in a partnership with customers. ‘It needs to be useable technology, we would never invest in technology that was technology in itself. ‘We’re very market focused – if there is no customer need, don’t do it. Pivot or kill your darling!’ Link’s current investments, none of which are more than two years’ old, include Blue Lice, which has built a component that attracts sea lice at the larva stage. ‘They have proven concept already and, like many young tech companies, they are moving very fast, and we have difficulty translating that into big corporates,’ said Ovstebo. Big corporates need start-ups in order to move faster. ‘We are looking for growth opportunities – we fund for two years and then we have to exit so we need fast growing companies.’ Also on the books is Jet Seafood, the online marketplace, and Fishency Innovation, with which Ovstebo had just concluded a deal worth NOK3

Innovative - Investors.indd 46

We’re “ very market focused – if there is no customer need, don’t do it

”

Above: Elisabeth Ovstebo

million ($0.3 million), and which was runner-up in the innovation awards. When deciding on an investment, she said the best deals come from scouts, and she has these in many countries- ’scouts are very, very important for us’. And so are strategic partners (such as KPMG, which helps with due diligence) and investors. She looks to who the potential buyers are of the new tech and she has a long list of these buyers from the big aquaculture companies. They say, ‘we want a company that solves this problem’, said Ovstebo. ‘I have a long list of problems, and I have some start-ups, and it’s trying to match them.’ Background checks are very thorough and Ovstebo trusts her own instincts: If anything says something that isn’t correct I know.’ Above all, it is people she invests in, rather than the technology. ‘The team is always going to be the most important thing because it’s the team that’s going to carry the really rainy day and the ups and downs of the entrepreneur (for instance, when they discover there is a competitor doing exactly the same thing). ‘Everyone thinks a tech entrepreneur is a young male of 18 to 20, but it’s more likely to be a man or woman of 43, according to statistics. ‘They are a grown person who has experienced life, worked in big corporates, who is dedicated to something new, and has great management skills.’ She urged budding entrepreneurs to ‘send her a pitch, prove that there is a market interest and show a clear scenario’. A venture capital fund, she said, is there for a period, not for life. ‘There will be a divorce – but a friendly one, hopefully! ‘We want to invest in aquaculture and in the future. I want to see big companies buying faster and collaborating more with early stage companies. ‘And start-ups need to prove their business case faster. And to all the investors – get more deals done, early. ‘There is a very negative trend going that the deals are getting bigger and bigger and later stage. We are in a place where that could affect the pace of how we change this industry. ‘So we need to take some risk – big risks, big rewards.’ Ovstebo said at any one time Link is monitoring about 100 companies, many of which don’t know they are being monitored. ‘We need to find them, and they need to find us. The venture capital world is changing – entrepreneurs have some demands, too. It is partnerships that we are building.’ FF

www.fishfarmermagazine.com

07/10/2019 12:17:29

FiZK.indd 47

07/10/2019 09:25:52

Innovation – Connectivity

Smart things Glasgow team aim to give rural farms better access to IoT technology BY SANDY NEIL

IONEERING satellite technology is set to bring internet connectivity to Scotland’s remotest fish farms, if a pilot project with a salmon producer is successful. Glasgow tech start-up w, begun by former Clyde Space colleagues Allan Cannon and Kevin Quillien last year, is trialling its devices with ‘a major global salmon producer in Scotland’, aiming to tap into the multi-billion pound Internet of Things (IoT) market. The technology allows data to be transferred from rural sensor networks to the cloud, via satellite, in a bid to make data collection more timely, efficient and cost-effective. It is aimed at industries that could benefit from access to real-time data from isolated operations, such as remote healthcare, oil, gas, renewable energy and, of course, aquaculture. The devices remove the need to send people in planes or boats to collect data, which can be time consuming, expensive, and lagged by the time the data is delivered to decision makers. Allan Cannon, co-founder and chief executive of R3-IoT, told Fish Farmer: ‘Connectivity is one of the major barriers to enabling the industry to grow. We see a huge opportunity to provide our service to remote fish farms across Scotland.’ Simply put, the Internet of Things is the concept of connecting any device with an on and off switch to the internet (and/or to each other). This includes everything from mobile phones, coffee makers, washing machines, lamps, a jet engine, to a drill on an oil rig. Proponents argue this giant network of connected ‘things’ brings many benefits: for example, if you are late for a meeting, your car could access your calendar and know the best route to take or send a text notifying colleagues that you will be late, or, if your office equipment knew it was running low on supplies, it could automatically re-order more. Cannon explained: ‘Our technology enables farmers to set up a small, secure network where a variety of sensors can be connected to enhance knowledge of operations. ‘The R3-IoT service will provide not only the

Innovation - Sandy.indd 48

means to connect third party environmental sensors to central operations centres, but also the data analysis that will provide farm managers, environmental, production and senior management the means to gain better insight into operations. ‘With frequent environmental data, farm managers will be able to take action to avoid potentially catastrophic stock losses, improve fish welfare and manage impact on the local environment.’ The technology has ‘the potential to save hundreds of thousands of pounds’, he argued: ‘The service will reduce operational costs by reducing manual collection of data, improving insight into environmental parameters, allow producers to potentially avoid stock loss during an environmental event such as an algal bloom.’ The installation and running costs are ‘very competitive’, Cannon added, and are ‘very dependent on the specifics of the farm, sensors and data requirements’. ‘The service will be extremely easy to set up, and it is our intention that we will be able to have a farm up and running in under a day. We have designed the technology to be capable of withstanding marine environments. ‘We should have the first system up and running on a fish farm [in] one to two months.’ Cannon and Quillien are former heads of Missions and Spacecraft Design at Clyde Space, a Scottish company offering nanosatellites and data delivery. Their R3-IoT venture aims to bring these applications to land and sea agriculture, environmental monitoring, remote healthcare, and renewable energy. R3-IOT is being assisted by Scotland’s Censis Innovation Centre for IoT, sensor and imaging technologies. Censis’ senior business development manager, Craig Fleming, said R3IoT brings a ‘game-changing’ technology to market. ‘R3-IoT gives businesses the opportunity to understand their operations where previously it wasn’t technologically feasible or economically viable,’ he said. ‘What R3-IoT is doing underlines the transformative potential of IoT and the hidden value it can unlock in companies, whether they are tech focused or operating in more traditional industries.’ The company recently won the top prize of £100,000 at the Scottish Edge awards. ‘We are looking to raise our first round of funding in quarter one of 2020,’ Cannon said. ‘We have a healthy grant pipeline and are supported by some initial revenue.We expect our system to be in high demand, and have already validated this with the industry,’ Cannon added. ‘There is another trial ongoing in Orkney [with another company]; however, the communication solution requires a higher capital and operating expenditure, whilst relying on fixed local infrastructure. A major advantage of our solution is that we don’t rely on any other telecoms infrastructure.

“

We see a huge opportunity to provide our service to remote ﬁsh farms across Scotland

”

www.fishfarmermagazine.com

07/10/2019 12:22:01

Smart things

For SSF, this faster, more reliable solution enabled each of the company’s three Loch Nevis farms to be equipped with remote feeding and monitoring systems. And in another development, the latest fifth generation of network cellular technology, 5G, is being trialled at 20 sites on Orkney, including at Scottish Sea Farms’ salmon farm in Scapa Broadband Flow. Some rural communities still have problems simply connecting 5G Rural First, a government funded project to broadband, as the Scottish government’s Reaching 100 per cent programme struggles to bring superfast broadband to every home and pioneering new ways to bring connectivity to rural industries, said it is working with SSF ‘to business deploy oxygen sensors and video technology With the latest report finding the worst blackspots in Argyll, Orkney and Shetland, several rural communities and fish farmers are coming up to enable the farms to improve efficiency with more automation, become more productive with their own solutions. and, importantly, minimise risk to the workResidents of Drimnin, at the end of a 30-mile road on the Morvern force and the environment’. Peninsula, recently formed an enterprising collaboration with Scottish ‘The salmon farms are offshore, so fixed line Sea Farms (SSF). connections are not practicable. The farm The village, home to 57 properties, a post office, shop and distillery, infrastructure is also subject to the Orkney strained under an unreliable satellite connection 30 times slower than weather and the movement of the waves, so terrestrial systems. At the same time, the local fish farm hoped to enable remote feeding the mobile communications technology the project has deployed works to overcome these at its salmon farms around the Sound of Mull for those times when challenges. Remote monitoring of the farms severe weather makes it unsafe to travel out by boat to the pens. keeps the salmon and employees safe.’ By joining forces, the two successfully funded Drimnin Community Earlier this year, the Isle of Rum became Broadband Community Interest Company (CIC) to install a 200mb the first Scottish island to receive full fibre to leased line from BT, and, over a year on, locals haven’t looked back. the premises (FTTP) broadband, when Mowi Further north up the coast on the remote peninsula of Knoydart and needed to establish a network link between its Loch Nevis, SSF partnered with a second community, and the rural shore based office and feed barge, which are broadband company HebNet CIC. separated by 5.5km of land and sea. The satellite system SSF relied on for internet access wasn’t able to HebNet CIC decided fibre-optics gave the best support the growing business need for high speed, high capacity consolution for the distance and terrain, capable nectivity between its three Loch Nevis farms and the shore base. of 1Gb/s (1000Mb/s). The 5km fibre enabled SSF and HebNet CIC upgraded the local infrastructure with a statereal time production data sharing, quick image of-the-art enterprise-grade wireless link between Skye and Knoydart, sharing to aid in fish welfare and a safer working capable of delivering superfast broadband of 30Mbit/s or more to end space with timelier communications. FF users, putting the area on a par with parts of central Scotland. ‘IoT systems are being used in other parts of the world. There are some fantastic new sensor products on the market and we will look to provide these to our customers to enhance the offering. ‘Now that we are able to provide a cost-efficient communications service, producers will be able to leverage these new technologies anywhere in the world, no matter how remote.’

Above: Kevin Quillien (left) and Allan Cannon of R3-IoT

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Innovation - Sandy.indd 49

07/10/2019 12:22:24

Innovation – Artificial Intelligence

Sensing success Scotland pioneers algae early warning system

N early warning system to detect harmful plankton and algae is being developed in Scotland to help tackle one of the biggest challenges to fish health. A consortium - including technology company Otaq, the University of Aberdeen, SAIC (the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre), and Scottish Internet of Things centre Censis – is creating a low-cost sensor system that can automatically sample, identify and count specific microscopic organisms using imaging analysis. Algae and plankton build-up is a major issue in aquaculture – some types of the organisms are toxic to salmon and others, in large quantities, can cause fatal gill damage, said SAIC, Algal blooms, the rapid growth of algae, can occur when there are significant changes to temperature, light, or nutrient conditions. Earlier this year, a particularly severe case in Norway led to the loss of thousands of tonnes of fish, and cost farmers millions of kroner. Current methods used for monitoring plankton and algae numbers rely on readings manually taken once or twice per day, with the results open to interpretation and error. Even some of the more accurate approaches rely on expensive and high maintenance equipment that only provides a snapshot of algal levels. With microscope camera technology and a water sampling tool, Otaq’s new system will use artificial intelligence (AI) deep learning to process images and provide a near real-time reading for fish farmers. The producers can then take preventative measures, such as the activation of a ‘bubble curtain’ or barrier to protect a stretch of water or stop feeding salmon when necessary. Otaq said several companies have already expressed an interest in the new technology, which is expected to enhance fish wellbeing, as well as helping to make water quality monitoring more efficient and cost effective for producers. Chris Hyde, chief commercial officer at Otaq, said: ‘Plankton and algae are a significant problem for the aquaculture industry – substantial stocks of salmon have been lost in the past few years, from Norway to Chile, because of the issue.

Innovation - Otaq.indd 50

Above: Chris Hyde Left: Algal bloom Below: Plankton

This tech“nology could prove a real breakthrough for aquaculture in all salmon producing countries

‘Early detection of harmful species of plankton and algae has been a sticking point and we’re looking to overcome that problem with our new sensing technology, which will fundamentally automate the process and provide accurate information about plankton numbers 24 hours a day. ‘The development of the sensors is the first step towards a more comprehensive early warning system. ‘This is a strategically important product for us, which will offer salmon farms a better view of what’s happening on their sites, and extra data with which they can make decisions – many businesses have already said they need it. ‘The involvement of two of Scotland’s innovation centres and the University of Aberdeen has accelerated the development process significantly and provided us with the scientific grounding to produce accurate, actionable data.’ Dr Raif Yuecel, head of the Iain Fraser Cytometry Centre (IFCC) at the University of Aberdeen, added: ‘Experts at the centre will work to validate Otaq’s AI system for accurate quantitative imaging data and timely assessment of pathogenic marine species, using in-house cutting edge cytometry technology. ‘We are proud to contribute to such an innovative system and set the initial milestone for monitoring live pathogenic planktons in fish farms.’ Caroline Griffin, aquaculture innovation manager at SAIC, said: ‘This technology could prove a real breakthrough for aquaculture in all salmon producing countries, enhancing fish wellbeing and health by tackling one of the biggest threats to stocks. ‘It builds on many of our previous projects around improving fish health and wellbeing, along with reducing the industry’s environmental impact by adopting new technologies from other sectors and applying them to aquaculture.’. FF

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07/10/2019 12:25:11

V. 3, 29 January 2019

AKVA FNC8 v 2.0 A powerful and robust remote net cleaning rig. Easy to operate and maintain with a new and intuitive visual presentation. The Flying Net Cleaner 8 has a cleaning efficiency that outperforms nearly every other option. It is built with standard ROV components that are easy to clean and disinfect. It also has several built-in auto features and advanced IP camera systems and sensors for complete monitoring during the entire cleaning process.

Principal advantages Efficiently clean nets and lice skirts without damage and with minimal waste spread Prepared for up to 250 bar pressure and 750 L/min Robust components and rugged design Easy to operate with automated functions Open construction, easy to maintain and disinfect Thrusters propulsion (no damages from wheels/ tracks) Graphic visual presentation Advanced control system prepared for autonomous operation

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07/10/2019 09:27:10

Innovation – Mort removal

Foover manoeuvres Fast working machine can clean up pens in minutes

INCE the ‘Foover’, an innovative mort removal machine, hit the market two years ago, it has gained a reputation for its speed and cost-saving efficiency around Scottish farms. With ROV technology developed by Aberdeen based Underwater Contracting (UCO), the Foover can be deployed inside a pen and recover mortalities within six to seven minutes. UCO business development officer Jamie Smith – who worked with the SSPO (Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation) for10 years – said: ‘The sector has always been known for its fast pace and early adoption of new technology. ‘UCO is a company focused on present and anticipated underwater and marine challenges in aquaculture.’ The Foover, propelled by its small ROV (remotely operated vehicle), works by being lowered into a cage via a workboat crane. It then travels around the cage, controlled with a joystick from the wheelhouse of the workboat, collecting morts in a recovery basket, before returning to the workboat, where the morts are offloaded. ‘The beauty of our system is that you can deploy it, remove the mortalities and be back in six to seven minutes,’ said Smith. ‘It is quicker than other systems and there is a range of different basket sizes, depending on the level of mortality. ‘We can get round all the cages in a day, whereas sometimes that is not the case with other methods.’ It is a rental based service, which is much quicker, and can be run for a lot more hours in the day, than divers. A farm with 10 cages in 25m of water, with average mort levels, can be cleared in under three hours, and a single cycle can recover up to 700kg of fish.The system regularly demorts 20-plus cages per day and can operate for 23 hours a day, with just one hour of maintenance needed. ‘We have our own operators who mainly demonstrate the machine and provide training, but the aim is for us to leave it with them, once they are trained, and they will have someone who is responsible for it,’ said Smith. The Foover is also cleaner fish friendly, as its inbuilt camera can alert the operator if lumpfish or wrasse are in the vicinity, and flash a light to scare them away. Speedy mort recovery brings many benefits for farmers, including helping to prevent pathogens and disease, and warding off predation by seals, which target morts in the bottom of pens. There are now 10 Foovers in the water in Scotland, operating in all conditions, from Shetland to the Western Isles, for customers including Mowi, the Scottish Salmon Company, Cooke and Grieg. The system has also been trialled at a sea bass and sea bream farm in Spain, and another Foover is en route to Cooke Aquaculture’s Kelly Cove Salmon in New Brunswick, Canada, said Smith.

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We are “ developing a patch which you can put into the net if there is a hole

”

Now UCO is working on other applications for the Foover, such as inspection work, net cleaning – and, in the near future, net repair – to improve efﬁciencies and worker safety. Smith said:‘It is quite a versatile piece of equipment.We’re trying to make it more adaptable so it can be used for other tasks as well. ‘We have already being doing some anchor inspections – you use the same machine but just take the basket off. ‘We can also do specialist cleaning tasks, where there is a net cleaning device that doesn’t quite get into all the corners of the net, but also underneath the barge and the grid. ‘Mundane and routine underwater tasks will, in

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07/10/2019 12:27:29

Foover manoeuvres

the future, likely be carried out by machine, with only specialist tasks being undertaken by dive teams. ‘The future of fish farms is likely to be in bigger, deeper and more exposed locations.The ROV is the tool we need to use to help us farm fish to the highest standards of welfare.’ Still in the prototype stage is a net repair function.

Left: Jamie Smith Above: The Foover in action in a salmon pen Right: Mick Bower with the ROV at Aquaculture UK in Aviemore last May

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This is currently being trialled on netting at UCO facilities in the north east, and will be on the market next year, said Smith. ‘You can do a net inspection with the ROV and we are developing a patch which you can put into the net if there is a hole.’ UCO’s novel subsea technology emanates from its in-house technical experience and fish farm knowledge. The Foover was designed by Mick Bower, who worked on fish farms on Scotland’s west coast as a diver. He said the Foover doesn’t necessarily replace divers but reduces the amount of time spent underwater, which ‘carries inherent risks’. The company is hoping to break into the Norwegian market and Smith was at Aqua Nor in Trondheim in August, exploring opportunities for the Foover. ‘There isn’t anyone else out there doing this kind of thing at the moment,’ he said.‘There are a lot of companies that have got very small ROVs being used for survey work, but there are very few companies that have ROVs capable of undertaking tasks like ours.’ He said that with help from SDI (Scottish Development International), there is the potential to link up with other equipment suppliers trying to attract Norwegian customers. ‘We will explore whether we could collaborate with another company offering a different service, with other technology, and see if they can join forces in penetrating the Norwegian market place.’ Smith, who has been working with UCO since April, alongside other consultancy work in the industry, said it was ‘an exciting new role’ for him. ‘I am enjoying the challenge of helping UCO develop new opportunities for the services they supply.’ FF

07/10/2019 12:27:52

Innovation – Feed

Novel nutrition BioMar boosts ‘natural’ diet with insect meal

FRENCH trout producer has teamed up with feed giant BioMar to bring fish fed with insects to the market. Rainbow trout farmer Aquadis Naturellement said the feed, called Salvea, has resulted in a fish-in, fish-out ratio as low as 0.3, making it very sustainable. BioMar announced last month that the first feed under the Salvea brand will be available for rainbow trout farmers in the French and Spanish markets. The recipe contains naturally derived pigments, added natural antioxidants, and ingredients that resemble natural prey for fish, such as insect meal, which replaces part of the fishmeal, as well as fish trimmings. It also includes an increased level of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. Michel Autin, technical director of BioMar EMEA division, said: ‘BioMar has been investigating insect meal since 2015 in our research and development centres, and from 2017, we have been undertaking tests with our customers, who have been feeding their fish on diets containing insect meal. ‘These fish have already made their way to supermarkets in Europe among retailers eager to implement future oriented food solutions that focus on natural foods. ‘At that time, this was a pilot project to validate one of the ingredients in the broader Salvea concept. ‘Salvea feed do not only utilise insect meal, but other ingredients, such as natural pigments, natural antioxidants and trimmings from the fish

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processing industry. ‘The overall mix contributes to the natural and sustainable profile of the concept and its very low impact on wild marine resources, without compromising the zootechnical performance of the feed.’ Autin said earlier this year that the price of insect meal was not competitive but the company wanted to be ready when prices fell, and the novel ingredient became more viable as an alternative protein source. Aquadis Naturellement farms trout from a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility in Moulin Neuf in Brittany. CEO Jean-Pol Le Ribault said: ‘With Salvea, we aim to increase our contribution to the conservation of the environment, backing up the benefits deriving from the fact that our fish are being raised in a RAS system. ‘Given the highly sustainable profile of Salvea, we also meet consumer demands, as this feed concept offers what our target audience, the French seafood consumer, is looking for: a natural and sustainable choice.’ The partnership between BioMar and Aquadis

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07/10/2019 12:30:00

Novel nutrition

Bespoke diet reduces Salmon Group’s dependency on marine ingredients

Naturellement reﬂects an emerging trend in consumer behaviour, said the feed company. ‘Today’s seafood consumers are not only interested in what’s on their plate, they also want to know where it comes from, how it is made and what is in it,’ said Ole Christensen, vice president of the EMEA division at BioMar. ‘With a lot of mixed messages in the market, it can be confusing for the consumer to make a healthy choice and that is why many look for natural and organic foods. This is how the back to nature trend has emerged.’ Christensen added that individual raw materials in the Salvea range may change, and the basis of the product lies in consumer demand for ‘a natural, healthy and sustainable lifestyle’. FF

IN another innovative development in alternative feed, BioMar has teamed up with algae ingredients pioneer Corbion to supply the Norwegian based Salmon Group with AlgaPrime DHA. Salmon Group represents 44 Norwegian fish farmers and 12 per cent of all fish feed sold to salmon and trout farms in Norway. As the largest network of local, family owned aquaculture companies, Salmon Group has a goal of reducing the overall environmental footprint of feed while maintaining feed quality, feed performance and fish welfare. BioMar responded by creating a bespoke feed that maintains high omega-3 levels (EPA and DHA) in the feed, reduces the carbon footprint, and significantly reduces the fish-in, fish-out ratio and contamination of pollutants. The Danish company achieved this by formulating with a variety of alternative ingredients, including AlgaPrime DHA. The first farmed salmon fed on the new recipe are expected to reach the market by the end of 2019. Anne-Kristine Øen, CEO of Salmon Group, said: ‘Salmon Group has been working systematically for several years to ensure more sustainable farming practices, and feed is a key element here. ‘Through BioMar’s innovation efforts, they have identified and sourced alternative ingredients, like AlgaPrime DHA, that help put our sustainability goals into practice, and meet retail and consumer demand for more responsibly raised seafood.’

Marc den Hartog, executive vice president of Innovation Platforms at Corbion, said: ‘The leadership shown by Salmon Group is impressive and we are thrilled to play a part in improving sustainable aquaculture across the globe. ‘AlgaPrime DHA continues to be adopted and trusted by salmon farmers, as they look to improve the omega-3 content and sustainability profile of their salmon.’ BioMar said it had sold at least 500,000 tonnes of feed containing AlgaPrime DHA over the past three years. ‘As demand for sustainable food options is hitting a critical mass, key industry players in food service and retail are increasingly relying on their supply chains to improve their environmental impact,’ said Vidar Gunderson, global sustainability director at BioMar. ‘The use of alternative feed ingredients, such as algae based omega-3s, is an important part of the effort to address sustainability issues within the salmon industry and beyond.’ Since 2016, Corbion has been producing AlgaPrime DHA at large industrial scale relevant to the needs of the aquaculture industry. Developed to reduce dependency on marine fisheries and provide a new source of long-chain omega-3s for the aquaculture industry, AlgaPrime is a native, whole algae ingredient that contains approximately three times the level of DHA of fish oil. It is sustainably produced through fermentation with non-GM cane sugar as a feedstock and a production system powered by renewable energy.

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07/10/2019 12:30:19

Research – ARCH-UK

Bridging

the gap

Snapshot of projects in £5.1 million academic and industry initiative

HE Aquaculture Research Collaborative Hub (ARCH-UK), recently released details of eight out of 12 new research projects announced a year ago, with total funding of £5.1 million. The projects, presented below, include studying genetics and breeding patterns, looking at how shellﬁsh can be more sustainable, immunising trout against kidney disease, examining ﬁsh vaccines made from algae, and exploring how robust salmon are and how susceptible to

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disease they are at sea. The work aims to bridge the gap between academics, industry members and policy makers across the UK, to support the sustainable growth of the aquaculture sector. The UK Aquaculture Initiative studies are funded by the Biotechnology & Biological

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07/10/2019 12:40:47

Bridging the gap Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and NERC, with contributions from the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) and the Centre for Environments, Fisheries and Aquaculture (Cefas), along with industry support. ALGAL VACCINES FOR AQUACULTURE Evaluation of an algal based oral vaccine against salmonid alphavirus

stand the commercial viability of algal based oral vaccines. (Coordinator: Dr Brenda Parker Dept. Biochemical Eng, UCL) SALMON ANAEMIA The development of diagnostic techniques to assess anaemia in aquaculture reared Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

The challenge: Anaemia is a relatively new health challenge for the Scottish salmon industry. Farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) show The challenge: clinical signs of anaemia through gill discoloration and micro-haemViral diseases are responsible for severe ecoorrhages, resulting in severely low haematocrit (HCT) counts. The cause nomic losses in global salmonid aquaculture. and form of anaemia in Atlantic salmon is unknown, and acquiring preCurrent vaccination methods involve injection of anaesthetised fish which is expensive, labour ventative strategies is difficult. Cases of anaemia in farmed salmon have resulted in reduced growth through reduced feeding, leading to overall intensive and stressful to the fish. An oral delivery route therefore represents an attractive production loss which bares an economic cost to the producer. Current estimates, based on a typical farm production cycle of 250,000 fish, could low-tech, low-stress alternative to injection potentially lose around £150,000 due to health issues associated with or immersion vaccination. To date, there have anaemia. been few examples of successful oral vaccines for aquaculture. This project will investigate Objectives: the use of the microalga Chlamydomonas This project aims to establish a user friendly haematology monitoring reinhardtii as a host for scalable production of programme, developing and integrating an effective diagnostic protocol a recombinant oral salmonid alphavirus (SAV) into current salmon aquaculture fish health management practice. vaccine and increase understanding of fish 1. Re-purpose and validate laboratory and point of care instruments immunisation efficiency via an oral route. for haematological analysis of salmon blood in aquaculture. 2. Use these techniques for the characterisation of anaemia in salmThe objective: on. The aim of this proof-of-concept project is 3. Investigate the relationship between anaemia and other stressors to generate a transgenic line of C. reinhardtii in salmon aquaculture and their impact on fish health and immuexpressing the structural proteins of salmonid nology. alphavirus and determine whether the dried 4. Develop a haematology monitoring programme integrated into the algal biomass can serve as an effective oral work streams of our aquaculture partners. vaccine against the virus when formulated into fish feed. 1. Design and construct the transgenic alga, Industry relevant outputs: Early identification and management of anaemia resulting in and determine yield of the SAV antigen. improved fish health and welfare. 2. Optimise algal biomass production and Reduction in mortality, food wastage, medical intervention the drying process. and use of specialised feeds, while improving growth rate 3. Carry out fish vaccination and challenge and productivity. trials. Easy-to-use diagnostic technique can be carried out by 4. Carry out virological, histopathological company health teams/site personnel throughout generaand immunological analysis. 5. Undertake a techno-economic analysis of tion as part of a more robust surveillance standard operating procedure. fish vaccination using algal oral vaccines. Results can be used to inform health management decisions to enable best practice and ensure optimal conditions for livestock. Industry relevant outputs: Oral vaccines have the potential to reduce (Coordinator: Prof Brian Quinn, University of the West of Scotland) costs, simplify vaccine delivery and storage, as well as provide animal welfare benefits. Tackling AQUALEAP this disease will save money and protect liveliInnovation in Genetics and Breeding to Advance UK Aquaculture hoods and food sources. Production Strains expressing the SAV antigen will be produced at UCL using established techniques for genetically engineering the alga. In order to The challenge: Productive and sustainable UK aquaculture systems require a reliable enhance the process economics, we will invessupply of high quality stock. Well managed programmes of domesticatigate the influences of cultivation, harvesting tion and selective breeding have huge potential for cumulative gains in and drying strategies. The algal vaccine will then be tested in animal production. However, the level of technology used for breeding and production is trials to establish how effective this may be wide ranging across aquatic species. Reliance on wild or near wild stock in comparison to the established injection Above: Dr Brenda Parker method of vaccination. The effectiveness of the creates vulnerability and limits profitability via impaired ability to improve Opposite: Prof Brian stock performance and to combat emerging challenges. As such, a key oral vaccine will depend on the digestion and Quinn; research challenge for UK aquaculture is to enable selective breeding. immune response elicited by the microalgae within the gut of the fish. Following the scale up Current barriers to this include knowledge gaps in the genetic basis of of cultivation and the resulting animal trials, we economically important traits, and a lack of molecular tools and quantitawill perform an economic assessment to under- tive genetics expertise.

There have “been few examples of successful oral vaccines for aquaculture

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07/10/2019 12:41:20

Reseacrh – ARCH-UK IMMUNISATION Passive and active immunisation against novel vaccine targets to protect trout against proliferative kidney disease (PKD) The challenge: Rainbow trout farming is a key component of the UK aquaculture sector. Proliferative kidney disease (PKD) is one of the most important diseases impacting production. Currently no treatments exist to control PKD, caused by Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae (Myxozoa - Cnidaria), that is transmitted to susceptible fish species from infected bryozoans (a colonial invertebrate). Objectives: The objective of this proposal is to translate previous research to test the hypothesis, ‘It is possible to protect farmed rainbow trout against PKD using passive or active immunisation against recently identified novel vaccine targets’. Our past studies have allowed us to identify some promising vaccine candidates that will be tested for their ability to reduce kidney pathology and pathogen load in trout.

Objectives: AquaLeap aims to improve genetics and breeding for four UK aquaculture sectors including a large, advanced industry (salmon), and smaller or emerging industries (lobster, flat oyster and lumpfish). 1. To develop and apply a range of novel genomic tools and resources to underpin domestication and genetic improvement for four species of commercial importance or potential in UK aquaculture. 2. To investigate the genetic and epigenetic basis of variation in key commercial production traits, with a focus on growth, robustness and disease resistance. 3. To improve gene editing techniques in aquaculture species, and use gene editing approaches to identify the causative factors underlying a major locus affecting disease resistance in salmon. 4. To address skill gaps in key areas defined by the ARCH-UK network, including quantitative genetics, bioinformatics and gene editing. 5. To engage societal stakeholders in aquaculture genetics, including future uses of advanced genetic technology. Industry relevant outputs: New genomic tools to assist selective breeding of several UK aquaculture species. Improved knowledge of the genetic and epigenetic basis of traits of importance to the aquaculture production industry. Improvements in gene editing which has future potential to tackle production barriers for the industry, including disease resistance. Addressing gaps in skills that are lacking, including quantitative genetics and bioinformatics. Improved engagement of the public and other stakeholders in the use of genetics technology in aquaculture. (Coordinator: Prof Ross Houston, University of Edinburgh)

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“ceedTo prowith

offshore aquaculture a better scientific understanding of its benefits is required

”

Industry relevant outputs: Demonstration that anti-parasite vaccines for fish can be effective. Validating the methodological approach taken to identify vaccine candidates. Confirmation of promising vaccine candidates to take forwards. Verifying the effectiveness of using passive immunisation as a means to reduce pathology by antigen-blocking. (Coordinator: Prof Chris Secombes, University of Aberdeen) OFFSHORE Evaluating the Environmental Conditions Required for the Development of Offshore Aquaculture The challenge: Currently, most Scottish aquaculture production occurs in fjordic sea lochs that provide relatively sheltered conditions for farms. The development of aquaculture in offshore environments outside of sea lochs offers a potential route for the sustainable expansion of the industry. More dispersive open environments offer the potential for larger farms with reduced inter-connectivity and lower environmental impact. However, these more exposed environments will carry their own risks, for example in terms of potential storm damage. To proceed with the development of offshore aquaculture a better scientific understanding of its potential benefits is required.

Above: Prof Chris Secombes. Left: Prof Ross Houston. Opposite: Prof Keith Davidson; Dr Allison Schaap.

Objectives: 1. To evaluate experimentally the physical

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07/10/2019 12:41:59

Bridging the gap

characteristics that distinguish contrasting potential fish farm locations (sheltered/restricted exchange, open sheltered, open exposed). 2. To evaluate the ability of existing regional hydrodynamic models to represent and characterise the differences between sites/conditions. 3. To develop higher resolution local hydrodynamic models to better represent processes that cannot be adequately represented by the regional models. 4. To incorporate a high resolution wave model within the above regional model structures. 5. To improve existing physical/biological models of sea lice dispersal/behaviour/ connectivity and HAB risk and evaluate the impact of these biological challenges in contrasting environments. 6. To undertake risk analysis of equipment failure in more exposed locations allowing identification of suitable mitigation measures. 7. To evaluate the effects of more energetic offshore environments on salmon health, welfare and general performance. Industry relevant outputs: An evaluation of the benefits/risks of developing offshore aquaculture operations on the Scottish west coast. Development of modelling tools that allow the management of sea lice, the understanding of sea lice transfer from aquaculture to wild salmonids, and the evaluation of HAB risk. Scientific understanding of risks limiting the ability of insurers to set realistic premiums. (Coordinator: Prof Keith Davidson, SAMS) PHYTOPLANKTON PhytoMOPS - Phytoplankton Morphology & Optical Properties Sensor The challenge: The species and concentrations of algae in a body of water vary in response to changing environmental conditions and yet these algae are currently very sparsely monitored and inadequately understood. Monitoring algal species dynamics can help provide early warning of harmful algal blooms (HABs), which cause environmental and economic damage through largescale light absorption, deoxygena-

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tion of the water, and the production of hazardous biotoxins. Monitoring of phytoplankton and of the toxins they produce has been undertaken in various forms in the UK for some decades but manual sampling and subsequent off-site analysis can be slow to identify areas with upcoming or existing problems. Objectives: The overall objective of the PhytoMOPS project is to decrease the economic losses and health risks caused by the formation of harmful algae blooms (HABs) in aquaculture environments by developing a new technological tool to decrease the costs of frequently monitoring phytoplankton growth. This technology will complement existing monitoring techniques by providing low-cost, high resolution independent data. This will be achieved by combining a novel microfluidic technique which has been proven in the lab with the NOCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (National Oceanography Centre) autonomous chemical sensing hardware which has been proven to reliably work in the field. Industry relevant outputs: A novel low-cost microfluidic based sensor system which forms the core system for algae counting and classification. Development of methods for data handling and analysis based on this device. Early field trials comparing the PhytoMOPS device to a commercial fluorimeter and to manual sampling and analysis. Dissemination of the data and results to partners and other potential end users, and publication of the results to industry, academic, and government bodies. (Coordinator: Dr Allison Schaap, National Oceanography Centre) ROBUST SMOLT Impact of early life history in freshwater recirculation aquaculture systems on Atlantic salmon robustness and susceptibility to disease at sea The challenge: The rapid global expansion of the salmon industry has been made possible through the adoption of new farming technologies (including contained recirculation aquaculture systems or RAS) and husbandry regimes to manipulate the fishâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s physiology (e.g. time to seawater transfer and early maturation). RAS have clear advantages over land based flow through and freshwater (FW) loch systems, for example, salmon parr/ smolts produced in RAS under manipulated regimes (constant high temperature and light) reach larger sizes and can be transferred to seawater (SW) earlier than ever before. However, our knowledge of the impact these new rearing systems have on salmon physiology is very limited. The impact of differing microbiota, water chemistry and altered photo-ther-

07/10/2019 12:43:15

Research – ARCH-UK 3,000 people and producing a revenue in producing a revenue in excess of £40 million per annum. However, as filter feeders they are susceptible to accumulation of the biotoxins produced by some algae, presenting a hazard to human health. To protect public health, certain toxins are regulated in shellfish as part of the official control programme administered by FSS/FSA. But shellfish growers need improved management tools to minimise closure and loss of revenue. The aim of this project is to develop effective rapid biotoxin testing of shellfish, supported by early forecasting through remote sensing and phytoplankton analysis. This, combined with the deployment of a photocatalytic curtain to protect harvesting sites, will ensure that the impact of biotoxins on shellfish production areas will be mitigated, supporting expansion of this important industry.

mal regimes on fish disease resistance at sea, immune function and the microbiome have not been characterised. Further research in these areas may help us to better understand the key drivers behind farmed stock performance. Objectives: Provide knowledge and tools to monitor and enhance: farming system efficiency, reliability, fish robustness, fish health, sector productivity and overall sustainability. 1. To characterise and understand microbiomes on mucosal surfaces and their interactions with health at early life stages, plus, the impact of different production regimes on microbiomes and lifelong immune competence. 2. To establish the interrelationships between FW chemistry (especially CO2) in RAS and health and growth performances during early life. 3. To establish the effects of photoperiod, diet, vaccine and rearing system on immune function. 4. To establish the relationship between FW development in RAS and its impact upon performance and disease susceptibility in seawater (SW). 5. To study genotype-environment interaction by measuring the impact of FW environments on genetic control of performance traits in SW. 6. To facilitate and support ECRs in aquaculture interdisciplinary research through training and engagement with industry.

Above: Prof Herve Migaud; Prof Christine Edwards

Objectives: 1. Trial multi-toxin tests (eMice). 2. Link to monitoring and remote sensing data (ShellEye). 3. Development of photocatalytic curtain for destruction of HABs and their toxins. Industry relevant outputs: Rapid, quantitative, validated local test for multiple biotoxins. An essential new range of biotoxin standards. Data set combining project, regulatory and ShellEye data. Protective barrier technology. (Coordinator: Prof Christine Edwards, Robert Gordon University). FF

Industry relevant outputs: Identify RAS impacts on immune barriers (mainly gill, gut and skin). Compare the impacts of early FW environmental conditions (water chemistry, temperature, photoperiod and nutrition) on fish performance and overall health at sea in both RAS and open water loch systems. New tools, knowledge and protocols to improve RAS, fish performance, health, welfare and overall robustness of farmed stocks leading to enhanced productivity, sustainability and sector growth. Inform policy and decision making for health management, practices for farmed stock monitoring and identified risk factors. (Coordinator: Prof Herve Migaud, Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling) SUSTAINABLE SHELLFISH Introducing local testing and management solutions The challenge: Shellfish are an essential commodity for the UK, employing more than

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07/10/2019 09:42:35

Processing News

Salmon specialist sets sustainable standards

Above: Another first for JCS Fish

JCS Fish, the family owned salmon specialist, has become the first company in the UK to commit to the GGN aquaculture label for its BigFish range. The first product to carry GGN labelling is a BigFish fresh

salmon fillet, which started to appear in recipe boxes distributed by Mindful Chef from last month. The GGN label stands for certified and responsible aquaculture and provides guidance to consum-

ers. It indicates that production processes comply with the strict requirements of the international GLOBALG.A.P aquaculture standard: food safety, environmental integrity, animal welfare and social

responsibility. In future, BigFish branded Atlantic salmon products will carry a label with a GLOBALG.A.P. (GGN) number, allowing consumers to verify the certified source of the product online. Jack Coulbeck, commercial manager at Grimsby based JCS Fish, said: ‘Whilst consumers are increasingly interested in the provenance of their food, there is much confusion about what constitutes a responsible choice, particularly when it comes to farmed fish. ‘We want to make it simple by ensuring BigFish products have a third-party certification which guarantees they’ve been farmed responsibly. The GGN

Responsible choice

“

The label is an important tool for us to deliver on our objective for our salmon

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label is an important tool for us to deliver on this objective for our salmon.’ Kristian Moeller, CEO of GLOBALG.A.P., said: ‘Our principles of dialogue, transparency, reliability, and development have helped us support a modern form of aquaculture that is clearly oriented towards sustainability.’ Myles Hopper, Mindful Chef Co-founder,

added: ‘At Mindful Chef, we care about quality, transparency and sustainability. ‘Sourcing ethically and responsibly is not only incredibly important to us, but to our customers as well, which is why we’re thrilled to be working with JCS Fish to send out the UK’s first GGN labelled products in our healthy recipe boxes. ‘This not only supports our business values, adding further credibility to our service, it also gives customers that extra knowledge on where our ingredients come from.’ GGN labelling will be rolled out on further BigFish brand salmon products over the next 12 months.

Automated update for Norwegian processor ICELANDIC seafood processing equipment company Valka is to supply fully automated fillet processing lines to Båtsfjordbruket, a subsidiary of the Nordic seafood group Insula. The contract, worth about four million euros, includes two complete systems for trimming, cutting, distribution and packing of fillets and portions. Norwegian processor Båtsfjordbruket was established in 1981 and has a tradition as a conventional fish purchasing station and fillet factory. With the new highly automated processing lines, the company will be able to produce a complicated mix of products, fresh and frozen, more efficiently. Frank Kristiansen, CEO of Båtfjordbruket, said: ‘The new Valka production lines will allow us to strategically improve our capabilities and serve our customers in the best possible way. ‘Furthermore, it will greatly improve our competitiveness in an ever more demanding market.’ Valka introduced a breakthrough in fish processing in 2011, with the fully automated pin-bone and portion cutting line, using X-ray technology for locating fish bones and water jet robots to accurately portion the fillet.

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Kristjan Kristjansson, general director of Valka, said: ‘We are honoured to be part of this ambitious project and in helping Båtsfjordbruket achieve their goals. ‘In 2015, we installed a comprehensive, fully automated whole fish grading system at the plant, and this is a logical next step into the future for them.’

Above: Frank Kristiansen

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07/10/2019 12:46:35

Processing News

Smokehouse is UK’s first to get BAP approval A CUMBRIAN smokehouse has become the first in the UK to receive an industry watchdog’s stamp of approval. Grants Oak Smoked, which sells smoked salmon across the globe, has received BAP accreditation. The BAP (Best Aquaculture Practice) scheme promotes food safety, environmental sustainability, social accountability, and animal welfare across the seafood industry. Its accreditation covers the entire seafood production chain, from hatcheries and feed mills, to farms and processing facilities. BAP is run by the non-profit making Global Aquacuture Alliance. It is recognised in the industry for its tough accreditation process and international reputation. The owner of Grants Oak Smoked, Jonathan Brown, said: ‘At Grants, we only use suppliers with the highest accredited environmental and aquaculture standards. ‘As the world’s reliance on farmed fish grows, it is vital

everyone in the industry ensures we all follow the best possible practices. BAP is striving to ensure this happens. ‘To qualify for the accreditation, BAP examined every aspect of our business, from our premises, the fish we use and the environmental, food safety and working procedures we follow.’

Brown added: ‘So far, 2019 has been a great year for the business. Our Traditional Rope Hung smoked salmon won its third gold medal in the international Monde Federation food awards. ‘Our Grants Traditional brand joined the rope hung in getting three stars in the Great Taste awards, and we will shortly be

Asda launches digital farmed seafood map

ASDA has become the latest major UK retailer to launch a digital seafood map setting out the complete supply chain of both the farmed and wild caught fish it sells in its stores. The map was published last month on the supermarket’s Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP) profile, which publishes the latest information on production methods, the status of the stock and whether the fishery or fish farm is sustainable or is covered by fishery improve-

www.fishfarmermagazine.co.uk

Processing News.indd 63

ment projects. Asda uses 12 types of farmed species, either at its in-store fish counters or through products sold in its freezer cabinets, of which 89 per cent are from certified farms. It also sells 41 wild caught species, of which 90 per cent are from certified fisheries. Asda, part of the US Walmart group, owns 631 stores in the UK, of which more than half are classed as superstores. Last year, Marks & Spencer launched an interactive seafood map providing information on farm methods and sustainability. But the Asda scheme is thought to go even further and it is the first supermarket chain to publicly disclose farmed and wild seafood sourcing data in collaboration with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) through the Ocean Disclosure Project. The company said it was committed to providing safe, affordable seafood and has been working with the SFP for the past eight years to gain a better understanding of any potential risks within its supply chain. It has also pledged to ensure that any further improvements that may be needed will be carried out, whether at fish farms or at sea. The company said it is now working hard to achieve 100 per cent certification in both categories.

making an announcement regarding another spectacular success. ‘Getting BAP accreditation is another major confirmation of our family firm’s reputation for quality. It also pays testament to our operation in Maryport, and the great work the 100 plus staff we employ there do on a daily basis.’

New name for Young’s parent owner A NEW name has been chosen for the Karro Food group, which in July this year joined forces with Young’s Seafood under a major deal financed by private equity owners CapVest Partners. The parent company will now be known as the Eight Fifty Food Group. CEO Di Walker said in a press release the name was chosen through a collaborative effort involving employees. ‘Our new name was co-created with colleagues from across the Karro and Young’s businesses and stems from there being approximately 850 acres in one square nautical mile and as such represents the unity of land and sea and the

two important protein categories that make up our business.’ She added: ‘It also reflects the coming together of Karro and Young’s into a new group and our ambitious plans to grow the two businesses, as well as pursuing further growth in protein food categories currently experiencing significant growth.’ Both Grimsby based, Young’s, the UK’s largest seafood processor, and pork producer Karro will have combined sales of more than £1.2 billion.

07/10/2019 12:47:01

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Opinion – Inside track

Criticising the critics BY NICK JOY

SPENT most of one week in early September in London watching the Oval Test match. Now I know you will all be trying to figure out how a fish farmer ever became interested in cricket while living in the far north of Scotland. That is another story and I am unapologetic for my addiction. As I am a believer in environmental issues and solutions, I walked about six miles a day in London. It leaves a disgusting taste in your mouth, and your nose becomes blocked with all the traffic fumes, but it is better than adding to it. While walking, I mused on the fact that most of the criticism of environmental performance is city based. As I kicked my way through the mounds of plastic litter left on the streets, passing thousands of people who didn’t smile and certainly didn’t say ‘good morning’, I was reminded how much I never ever want to live in such a place. The bulk of the middle classes of this country live in such places and the bulk of the criticism farmers and rural dwellers face comes from these people. Yet the quality of life they live is so poor, primarily because of their own behaviour. Where is the responsibility for your actions that we hear so much of? It would be easy to turn this into a diatribe on city dwelling but I am terrified that if I did, and others too, then one day they all might leave the city and come to live in the countryside, so I will desist. I should point out that both of my sisters live in London so I had better be careful how strident I am or I will never get a place to stay again. As I previously reported, I am now the proud owner of a Tesla and enjoying it very much. It has made me far more interested than I already was in electric cars. As Londoners choke on fumes, travel crammed into tube trains and busses, I thought there must be a drive in the breathing public in London to get more electric cars - after all, they don’t pay the congestion charge which must be some inducement surely? Well, over four days I walked more than 20 miles and never saw one privately owned electric car. I saw diesels, petrol, hybrids and all sorts of busses chugging out black fumes, but not one privately owned electric car! I have not tried to calculate how many parked and driven cars I saw during that period but it must run to thousands. To be fair, there were some of the shared car scheme cars which were electric, but not very many of them. Despite the centre of London being blocked up by climate change protesters, there appears to be little appetite for change in those who make the most noise. It reminds me of the time when SNH decided to move its headquarters from Edinburgh to Inverness. Most staff were offered roles at the new site but few took them up.

Nick Joy.indd 66

“

Despite London being blocked by climate change protesters, there appears to be little appetite for change in those who make the most noise

”

The remainder resigned or left. I have always felt that it was a case of ‘we want to regulate the countryside not live in it’. So, remember when you are out in the wind and sea or being eaten alive with midges, trying to grow food for people who appear not to value your work, they are not perfect people. They are struggling to understand us and what we do, while living in a place where people don’t care at all. The criticisms of our industry and agriculture must be seen in the light of people who live where they do and how they do. It is not for us to blame, but I think it is fair to assume that those who cannot see our lives assume that our lives are like theirs. I for one am utterly glad that this could not be further from the truth. FF

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07/10/2019 12:48:23

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