Avaldsnes, Norway-headquartered Amar Seafood has announced that its Scottish subsidiary Otter Ferry Seafish has won a grant from Marine Fund Scotland for its research and development efforts.
The grants, which can amount to up to 50 percent of a project’s costs, are issued by the Scottish government as part of its investment in Scotland’s Blue Economy Vision. In 2024, grants issued by the fund amounted to USD 18 million (EUR 15.4 million).
Amar announced that Otter Ferry Seafish had been awarded the maximum grant amount but did not disclose the figure.
“The Marine Fund Scotland grant will allow Otter Ferry Seafish to upgrade our water intake, filtration, chilling, and heat recovery systems," Otter Ferry Seafish Head of Research and Development Eduardo Jimenez Fernandez said. "These improvements will enhance temperature control, reduce energy consumption, and enable us to scale up our broodstock programs – thereby increasing overall production capacity. This investment strengthens the Scottish halibut sector and contributes to the diversification of Scottish aquaculture, supporting sustainable seafood production."
Amar Seafood acquired Otter Ferry, one of Scottland’s oldest aquaculture firms, in 2024.
The Scottish farming firm specializes in the production of halibut but also raises wrasse and lumpfish.
At the time of the acquisition, Amar Founder and Group Chair Bjørn M. Apeland said that Amar saw “Otter Ferry as a Scotland-based international hub supporting our operations in Norway and Canada – both as an advanced hatchery producing increased amounts of quality juveniles and also as a valuable industry agri-tech research center.”
Amar operates land-based whitefish farms in Canada, Scotland, and Norway, with a focus on halibut and, since 2017, wolffish, which the company recently told SeafoodSource aligns with its goals of producing premium sustainable whitefish.
