Trade group Salmon Scotland has confirmed the addition of two new board members, with sector experts Inverlussa Marine Services Managing Director Ben Wilson and Hendrix Genetics General Manager Jarl van den Berg unanimously elected at the group’s annual general meeting in Aviemore.
“Scottish salmon is an international success story which involves thousands of players,” van den Berg said. “It all starts with high-quality salmon eggs and smolts with the best survival, health, and growth rates. We’re proud to be part of this story and I look forward to working with the Salmon Scotland board to promote responsible growth of the Scottish salmon sector.”
Salmon Scotland recently announced an expansion of its membership to better represent the entire sector, with the new directors representative of that wider-ranging approach.
“Aquaculture supports thousands of jobs in rural Scotland, and we are proud to work with salmon farming companies to provide the high-quality vessels and skilled personnel they need. From our base in Mull, we see the vital importance of the sector for employment in coastal areas,” Wilson said. “I’m delighted that Salmon Scotland is expanding to include the wider supply chain and look forward to working with colleagues to represent all those involved in the success of Scottish aquaculture.”
The organization’s remit expansion is to include three membership categories tailored to small-, medium-, and large-sized companies in the aquaculture supply chain. As a result, Salmon Scotland said it expects “strong membership growth” in 2022, and the sector will grow through regulatory reform.
“Our role is to champion the interests of the entire farm-raised salmon sector in Scotland, from egg to plate,” Salmon Scotland Chair Atholl Duncan said. “That’s why we’ve opened up membership to salmon egg producers, support vessel owners, net manufacturers and technology and innovation companies right through to secondary processors and hauliers – every part of the supply chain in every part of Scotland.”
More than 2,500 people are directly employed in salmon farming throughout the country, according to Salmon Scotland.
Scotland’s farmed salmon sector adds more than GBP 640 million (USD 804 million, EUR 760.7 million) to the economy every year. At the same time, it spends GBP 370 million (USD 364.8 million, EUR 439.8 million), supporting over 3,600 suppliers across Scotland.
Photo courtesy of Salmon Scotland
