Scotland’s Argyll and Bute Council has received an application from Mowi Scotland Ltd. for a new high-energy salmon farm to be located at North Kilbrannan.
The proposed site will hold a maximum of 2,475 metric tons (MT) of Atlantic salmon and create up to 10 direct jobs at the Kilbrannan site.
The plan is that Mowi staff will access and service the farm from Mowi’s shore base at nearby Carradale harbor, with facility improvements now in discussion.
It is also expected that the proposal will support more than 100 jobs within Scotland’s salmon aquaculture supply chain.
Mowi, which has operated salmon farms at Carradale for a decade, said that it is looking to expand socio-economic benefits in the region, and to grow additional seafood for the expanding domestic and international markets.
“After identifying North Kilbrannan as a potential site for growing salmon, we researched the area to see what the potential effects could be,” Yvonne Booth, Mowi’s environmental analyst, said.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has provided North Kilbrannan with an environment license, after assessing the potential for negative effects. Its analysis included potential impacts to the seabed, the water column, local fish, and local scenery.
Meanwhile, a Scottish government report released in 2018 recommended aquaculture companies look to high-energy locations (e.g. deep water, exposed areas, strong currents) to grow production in a sustainable way.
Mowi said that for over 50 years farming in Scotland, it has “continually adapted” its business to meet these challenges, and will consider the experiences learned at its other high-energy locations, including Rum, Colonsay, and North Carradale, into the development of the proposed Kilbrannan farm.
A stakeholder consultation on the proposed farm is set to get underway.
Meanwhile, Ouest France reported Mowi has told staff at its Kritsen Châteaulin (Finistère) salmon processing plant in Brittany, France, that the site is to close.
The factory currently employs 26 people, most of whom are on indeterminate contracts and are mainly in production roles.
As previously reported by SeafoodSource, Mowi is targeting a 10 percent reduction in its workforce headcount by 2024.
Photo courtesy of Mowi Scotland
