Green light for new Scottish salmon farm

The capacity of Scotland’s salmon farming sector is set to increase by over 1,600 tonnes following the news that Scottish Sea Farms has been given the approval for a new site off the small Orcadian island of Hunda.

Planning consent comes after years of research and consultation by Scottish Sea Farms’ environment and production teams to identify the ideal location.

With consent to grow up to 1,677 tonnes of salmon, the new farm will see a £3.2 million investment in infrastructure including:

• 12 x 100 metre diameter pens which will benefit from innovative new netting to keep salmon and local marine life safely separate.
• 200-tonne feed barge with high-tech control room and capacity to control feed portions to the nearest 50 grams.
• Underwater cameras to monitor fish health and behaviour in real-time.
• Environmental monitoring technology to detect any changes in oxygen levels or water quality.
• A 14 metre workboat.

Scottish Sea Farms’ production manager for Orkney, Richard Darbyshire, said: “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.”

Overseeing day-to-day activities at Hunda will be a specialist farm team, creating six new full-time roles and delivering a £200,000 cash injection in terms of local salaries. There will also be significant investment in training and development, further adding to the existing skills base in Orkney.

Scottish Sea Farms’ head of human resources, Tracy Bryant-Shaw, said: “Well-paid, skilled jobs are crucial to enabling people to remain within remote and rural communities, so we’re delighted to be contributing an additional six full-time jobs to Orkney. Each job comes with training and development, delivered by local providers wherever possible, including the opportunity for those in trainee roles to undertake a Modern Apprenticeship.”

The approval of the Hunda farm, which is expected to go live in Spring 2020, coincides with the news that Scottish Sea Farms’ Richard Darbyshire has been named the People’s Choice at the 2019 Aquaculture Awards.

The accolade, which was determined by public vote, was awarded in recognition of his contribution to sustainable farming during the company's first 10 years of farming Orkney waters.

Scottish Sea Farms was also announced winner of the Diversity category for its work to attract more people into the sector and ensure the best candidate for every job, and co-winners of the Applied Research Breakthrough category for its collaborative project with Mowi, BioMar, Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture and the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre to complete the lifecycle of farming wrasse in a controlled environment.