Scottish Sea Farms has been given the green-light to construct a new salmon farm off the small island of Hunda within Scapa Flow in Orkney. The farm is expected to go live in spring 2020.
Approval comes after years of research, planning, and consultation by the salmon producer’s environment and production teams, the company said.
With consent to grow up to 1,677 metric tons (MT) of salmon, the Hunda farm will see a GBP 3.2 million (USD 4 million, EUR 3.6 million) investment in infrastructure, including a dozen 100-meter-in-diameter pens, a 200-MT feed barge and technology that monitor fish health and behavior and environmental changes. It will also create six new full-time jobs.
“Salmon farming continues to advance at great pace and this new farm at Hunda will benefit from the latest know-how and technologies. Each and every aspect of our farming activity has been carefully considered: from enhancing fish health and welfare, to protecting local marine life and the surrounding environment,” Richard Darbyshire, Scottish Sea Farms’ production manager for Orkney, said.
Darbyshire, meanwhile, was named the People’s Choice at the 2019 Aquaculture Awards, which took place 29 May in Edinburgh. The accolade, which was determined by public vote, was awarded in recognition of his contribution to sustainable farming during Scottish Sea Farms’ first 10 years of farming Orkney waters.
At the same event, Scottish Sea Farms was announced winner of the “diversity” category for its work to attract more people into the sector and ensure the best candidate for every job. The company was also a co-winner of the Applied Research Breakthrough for its collaborative project with Mowi, BioMar, the Institute of Aquaculture at the University of Stirling, and the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre to complete the lifecycle of farming wrasse in a controlled environment.
Photo courtesy of Scottish Sea Farms
