Mowi Scotland will close its fish farm in Loch Arkaig in the Scottish Highlands – one of its oldest freshwater fish farm sites – in April 2025 after the company and local authorities failed to agree on a lease extension largely due to sustainability concerns.
In a statement about the closure, the company said that it had “led the way in sustainable freshwater loch farming, amassing a large database showing how our operations are run sustainably with the freshwater environment.”
“We ... take forward experience and strong scientific evidence showing that there is no detrimental environmental impact from salmon farming here,” the company said.
Mowi will move production to two sites in Loch Awe, which is also in the Scottish Highlands, the company recently purchased from Dawnfresh in a bankruptcy sale. The sites were formerly used for trout farming and are currently undergoing renovation. Mowi has said that when the sites are complete, it aims to produce 5 million fish annually there.
It added that it will retain all of its Loch Arkaig staff – around 19 people – at the new sites.