Scottish Sea Farms has appointed a new regional manager for Orkney, completing the restructure of its Northern Isles operations following its acquisition of Grieg Seafood Shetland in December 2021.
Duane Coetzer has taken over the role from Richard Darbyshire, who will now focus exclusively on the company’s expanded estate in the Shetland Islands.
Originally from South Africa, Coetzer brings 18 years’ experience of finfish farming, having held senior positions including site manager and seawater area manager with several producers in Scotland and, most recently, in Tasmania, Australia, where he was general manager of marine operations at Petuna Aquaculture.
Scottish Sea Farms Managing Director Jim Gallagher said he believes that Coetzer has the right experience and skill set to maintain and build on the region’s strong performance under Darbyshire’s tenure.
“He understands firsthand the challenges that we face as farmers, along with the many different aspects of running a successful farm and region, from site set-up, feed optimization and fish health, to record-keeping, budgeting and production forecasts, along with leading and developing different teams,” Gallagher said.
Coetzer said he wsa excited to be joining Scottish Sea Farms and a part of the Orkney team.
“Company-wide, I see values that align very closely with my own: the importance placed on fish health and welfare, the desire to actively contribute to our local communities, the care shown towards the environment, and the ambition to become carbon-neutral. Scottish Sea Farms are doing some really interesting work in each of these areas,” he said.
Coetzer began his new role on 1 July, 2022.
Scottish Sea Farms operates 58 active marine farms, three freshwater hatcheries, and three processing facilities across Scotland’s west coast and Northern Isles. The company directly employs over 650 people.
Photo courtesy of Scottish Sea Farms
