Scottish salmon farming had a very strong 2017, setting new records for both production and export earnings, new figures have confirmed.
The new Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey for 2017, produced by Marine Scotland Science, reported that 189,707 metric tons (MT) of were harvested last year, representing an increase of 16.5 percent or 26,890 MT.
The official annual statistics also confirmed that the total number of smolts produced in 2017 increased by 6 percent to 46.2 million. The number of ova laid down to hatch increased by 2.2 percent to 65.7 million with 90 percent being derived from foreign sources. In 2017, 339,000 ova were exported.
The level of survival on farms has also improved from 73.3 percent to 79.1 percent.
Welcoming the new figures, Gilpin Bradley, chairman of the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO), added that overseas salmon sales reached GBP 600 million (USD 792 million, EUR 683.3 million), with more than 50 countries importing products.
“Demand for quality Scottish salmon continues to outstrip supply and the sector aspires to grow to meet demand, but we also recognize the importance of steady, sustainable development. These new figures, alongside the investment in tackling emerging challenges give us great confidence in the sector’s ability for sustainable growth over the coming years,” he said.
This year’s production is expected to be lower due to a number of gill health issues during autumn 2017.
The sector is putting investment in place to help smooth fluctuations in production, with an increased move towards the use of recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) to ensure the growth of more robust smolts, along with the installation of continuous environmental monitoring and other camera technology to closely monitor fish behavior once at sea.
Salmon farmers have invested more than GBP 60 million (USD 79.2 million, EUR 68.3 million) in new technologies and improved farming techniques, research projects and cleaner fish to remove sea lice, said Bradley.
“Farmers continue to work hard to improve fish health and salmon survival and we are seeing benefits coming from the new innovations. It is encouraging to see that the report confirms an improvement in the industry’s survival figures as a result of the ongoing investment in this area.”
In 2017, marine salmon production was undertaken by 12 businesses farming 226 active sites. This was a decrease of three business and 27 active sites compared with 2016.
According to the survey, in 2017, Scotland also produced 7,637 MT of rainbow trout and 61 MT of brown/sea trout.
