Scottish Salmon Farming

A Sustainable Industry

Hannah Macintyre, Wild and Farmed Fish Sourcing Manager at M&S comments on supplier Scottish Sea Farm’s work on sustainability:

“M&S Lochmuir Salmon is produced in a way that promotes the best in quality and welfare – the team at Scottish Sea Farms has further enhanced these values through their Wrasse research project, displaying a genuine commitment to the environment as well as to fish health and welfare.”

INTRODUCTIONScottish salmon farming is one of Scotland’s most successful industries, producing an iconic food that is enjoyed and revered around the world.

Despite being an innovation just 40 years ago, Scottish farmed salmon is now Scotland’s number one food export. It has achieved particular recognition from the French with the Label Rouge quality award and is protected from imitations by Europe’s Protected Geographic Indication (PGI) which signifies the importance of the Scottish heritage and the way in which the Scottish farmed salmon is produced.

During the past 40 years salmon farmers have also learned how important it is to protect the waters on which we depend, to safeguard and develop our vital workforce and to develop markets to ensure that this rural Scottish industry can continue to enjoy long term success.

By growing healthy, nutritious fish in a responsible way, looking after the water and environment that is so important to the fish and our heritage, we increase our economic success and safeguard jobs, local economies and communities for future generations.

The industry recognises that our successes today must also sustain our success in the future. This booklet shares some of the ways in which we are looking forward to a long and sustainable future.

SUSTAINABLE SALMON FARMING•Safeguardingskilled,wellpaidworkersthroughtraining

•Protectingourenvironmentthroughinnovation,scientificresearch

•Protectingourfishthroughworldclasshealthandwelfarestandards

•MaintainingourhealthwithOmega3richfish

•Protectingfoodsupplythroughfishfarming

•Protectingourcommunitiesbygettinginvolved,makingacontributionandbeing good neighbours to those who share the marine environment

•ProtectingourScottishbrandandmarketsthroughourstandardsandhighquality products

Our consumption of all fish has increased by over 40% in the past thirty years, but stocks of fish in the seas are declining. Fish farming now provides about half of all the fish we eat and is recognised to be an important part of the global food supply.

VALUEThe Scottish Salmon farming industry is a major contributor to the Scottish economy and the country’s top food export with a total value in excess of £400m and a world-wide retail value of over £1bn. Domestically, Scotland’s salmon farmers have injected over £1.4bn into suppliers and services and £161.5m into direct salaries during the last four years.

Scottish farmed salmon is a success across the world, with market penetration in over 65 countries. In critical new markets such as the Far East, exports increased 32%inthepastyear.

A new £16m smolt rearing plant is currently being built by Marine Harvest at Lochailort, the original home of farmed salmon in Scotland.

PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIESThe industry employs more than 6000 people in long-term, skilled, jobs many in rural areas where such opportunities can be rare. The industry has also invested over£205mincapitalexpenditureinthepastfiveyears,supportinglocalsupplychains and bringing secondary economic impact.

The sector is running a partnership with West Highland College UHI and Barony College to pilot a National Progression Award (NPA) in Aquaculture in local secondary schools. We also encourage members to look at new technologies to make sure Scottish fish farm workers continue to be the best trained in the world.

Companies contribute in many ways to the life of the local community through sponsorships of local sports, volunteer mountain rescue and fire service, local Councillors, members of local enterprise companies and so on. Schools, shops, hotels and petrol stations depend on the support of salmon farmers and their families.

QUALITYScottishfarmedsalmonisrichinhealthenhancinglongchainOmega3essentialfattyacidsEPAandDHA.Morethan5000scientificpapersshowthatOmega3fatty acids are good for the heart, the brain, eyesight and many other conditions.

Scottish salmon and salmon products can all be traced back to the farm of origin to provide highly detailed information on how the fish were grown and what they were fed. Such meticulous attention to detail ensures Scottish Farmed Salmon has the trust of consumers, something the industry puts great store on.

Scottish farmed salmon has held the French Government’s top quality award,LabelRouge,forthepast20years.Itwasthefirstnon-Frenchfoodtoreceive this accolade

Scottish farmed salmon has been awarded Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status by the European Commission, setting it alongside Champagne, Arbroath Smokies and Parma Ham

ScottishfarmedsalmontoppedtheRSPCA’sFreedomFoodchartin2009, withanimpressive60%ofproductionparticipatinginthestringentanimalwelfare scheme.

The scheme for farmed animals covers every stage including husbandry, stocking density, handling, transportation and harvesting. Salmon is by far the largest sector to have invested in the scheme

Recycling of equipment and nets is widespread throughout the industry with nets being recycled into fleeces and steel walkways appearing as bridges in the Highland countryside.

STANDARDS AND ENVIRONMENTScottish salmon farming is governed by the Scottish Code of Good Practice for Scottish Finfish Aquaculture. It has more than 500 check points and is independentlyaudited,witharound98%compliance.

The total Scottish salmon farming industry has a very small physical footprint, about 150 hectares. With high performance standards, fallowing and sophisticated modelling techniques applied through SEPA impacts are both local and temporary.

Fish health and welfare is fundamental to the industry’s success and companies investaroundbetween£8-£10meveryyeartoensuregoodfishhealthregimes.

Sea lice management and control strategies pioneered in Scotland are applied across the industry worldwide to ensure high standards of health and welfare for farmed fish and minimise the potential for interactions with wild fish. Nonetheless, the industry wants to be able to demonstrate beyond doubt that sea lice are well managed and controlled in order to prevent unwarranted criticism and has been publishing regular reports for the past year. These have beenextendedto30separateareasfrom1stJanuary,publishedquarterlyonlinecovering the West Coast, Western Isles and Northern Isles, corresponding with national statistical areas that group together salmon and sea trout fisheries.

Lamb

Beef

Pork

Eggs

Chicken

Salmon

Oysters

Mussels

0 10 20

Emissions(CO2 equivalents, kg/kg)

An Impact Study to be funded jointly with the Scottish Government will ascertain once and for all what impact, if any, there is on farmed salmon and wild fish.

Onaveragecompaniescollectivelyareinvestinginexcessof£20mperyearinnew technologies and equipment to maximise performance and responsible management. For example, in the cultivation of wrasse, little cleaner fish which can eat the sea lice which live in the water naturally on both wild and farmed salmon. Two companies have invested £400,000 in the TSB research project to seek to achieve a blueprint solution for the rearing of wrasse.

We believe it is essential that equipment on fish farms continues to be of the best quality possible, both to reduce escapes and maintain the quality, integrity and reputation of Scottish farmed salmon. The number of incidents has been on a steady downward trend over a number of years as a result of improved performance on farms and through improved regulation and monitoring.

Theoneexceptiontothiswasin2011whenasingleweathereventcaused aone-offspike,withfiguresreturningtoalowerlevelagainin2012. We anticipate that the technical standards for equipment being introduced as part of the Aquaculture & Fisheries Bill, currently being considered by the Scottish Parliament, will prevent this happening again.

Salmon are cold blooded fish which don’t waste energy maintaining a high body temperature therefore their use of feed to create flesh is highly efficient. While salmon used to be fed on quite high levels of fish meal and fish oil, we now know that isn’t necessary and that they are able to thrive on a wide range of different feed ingredients.

Today, relatively small amounts of sustainably caught ‘industrial’ marine fish species are included in feed for farmed salmon, with the great majority of the protein and oil they need coming from high quality plant terrestrial plants.

The use of cameras to observe fish behaviour and monitor when they stop feeding is an effective way to minimise waste and prevent uneaten feed falling onto the seabed.

CASE STUDYLoch Creran is a site of international importance and a proposed Special Area of Conservation. It’s the only place in Europe with abundant reefs formed by Serpula Vermicularis, living structures on the seabed constructed by tube-building worms and mussels.

There’s a delicate natural balance here which needs consideration. So Scottish Natural Heritage helped guide one of Scottish Sea Farms’ major projects in the area, which involved the installation of a floating pontoon to allow wellboat berthing.

The environmental impact assessment that was carried out led to extensive modifications to the project. This, in turn, led to our Loch Creran farm being awarded a Crown Estate Farm of the Year award.

CASE STUDYSixteen-year-old Ross MacDonald from Fort William has beaten off stiff competition to become the first apprentice in a new scheme run by Scotland’s largest aquaculture company.

Ross has started work at the company’s Invasion Bay site and will move to Loch Leven in three months. His training will encompass a wide range of skills including boat handling, fish health, feed management and finance.

Managing Director of Marine Harvest Scotland Alan Sutherland welcomed Ross to the company saying: “We’re delighted to give Ross the chance to learn all about salmon farming – an industry which provides jobs in some of the most fragile rural economies in Scotland. All too often young people in these areas are forced to move away to get work so we’re delighted to be giving them a chance to remain through this apprenticeship scheme.

“This is a great opportunity to develop a career in a successful and thriving industry. The image of fish farming as an unskilled labouring job is very out-dated – today’s fish farmers are highly skilled and Ross and our other apprentice will gain both skills and qualifications that are greatly in demand both here and across the world.”

Ross said: “I’m really looking forward to the challenge and I’m thrilled to have been offered the opportunity to become Marine Harvest’s first apprentice.”

CASE STUDYThe Scottish Salmon Company (SSC) is extending its programme of integrated multi-tropic aquaculture (IMTA) to a second site, as the company continues to develop its programme of environmental excellence. Following first trials at its award winning Loch Roag site, the company is now introducing seaweed crops in conjunction with its salmon farming operation at Ardcastle, Loch Fyne, to achieve a greater natural balance in the management of the water area. Work now begins on implementing other crops such as mussels.

IMTA exchanges nutrients in the water system giving potential benefits for the produce farmed in the marine environment. The project has been developed with the Scottish Association of Marine Science as part of the company’s ongoing commitment to protect the local environment.

This year, SSC also announced details of a pioneering initiative which will see Ballan wrasse, or ‘cleaner fish’, commercially farmed for use in salmon cages for the first time. While widely shown to reduce sea lice on salmon, this is one of the first full scale operations aiming to farm and deploy wrasse in Scotland.

SSC’s IMTA trails will be closely monitored over the next few months and along with the progress of the Wrasse project, the results will be shared with the industry as a whole.

CASE STUDYMeridian Salmon Group is promoting the roll out a series of innovative floating feed barges across its sites in Scotland after their success in Shetland.

The barges are able to hold large amounts of feed and can serve a number of sites, allowing Meridian Salmon Group’s farming business to grow in a safer and more a sustainable way.

The barges also help to reduce the environmental impact on tourism and local communities by minimising the need for frequent lorry journeys on road and ferry – while staff risks are also reduced as they do not have to undertake multiple day trips by boat to the cages.

“It is of great satisfaction to our company that the area that we farm falls into the North West Geopark, which has just been designated. Loch Duart and all the other businesses in the area understand the duty that is placed upon them to protect this area and maintain it to the high standard that it is in now. We understand the commitment involved in living and working in one of the last virtually untouched areas of the world.” Loch Duart Ltd.

CASE STUDYMeridian Salmon Group is investing more than £3m in an innovative water recirculation system at its hatchery in Furnace, Argyll and Bute, which will become one of the most advanced in Europe.

Water which is currently abstracted from the nearby Leacann Burn will be reduced by 90% when the new equipment goes live, saving the equivalent of more than seven Olympic size swimming pools of water per day.

But the new technology will also mean Meridian Salmon Group’s hatchery technicians will be able to provide fish with the optimum environment to encourage healthy growth.

The system allows salmon to reach sale size earlier and healthier, by creating greater control over all water parameters such as pH, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, salinity, temperature, light levels, water disinfection rates and ammonia levels.

87% of farms graded ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ by SEPA

CASE STUDYSupport from salmon farmers has helped the River Carron’s revival and demonstrates how fish farmers and wild salmon fisheries can co-exist very successfully.

Scottish Sea Farms and Scottish Salmon Company are assisting with the next stage in the re-stocking project which has run since 1996. DNA analysis of the fish will attempt to work out scientifically the secret of the Carron’s success, which could have implications for rivers across Scotland.

CASE STUDYMeridian Salmon Group is set to introduce specially designed fish boxes at its Orkney processing plant to improve efficiency and waste disposal as well as boost the firm’s carbon footprint.

The stackable Euro fish boxes allow for 3900 boxes to be used per lorry journey in comparison to the 900 polystyrene boxes currently transported – all of which have to be discarded after use.

The firm has also invested in a state of the art power washer at the Orkney plant which allows the boxes to be fully cleaned and ready to use again once they have been returned, meaning they now have a fully functional, sustainable recycling system in place.

If the trial at Orkney is successful, Meridian Salmon Group plans to roll the box design across all its sites in Scotland.

ScottishSalmonProducers’OrganisationLimited,Durn,IslaRoad,PerthPH27HG Tel:01738587000,Fax:01738621454

Email: enquiries@scottishsalmon.co.uk Web: www.scottishsalmon.co.uk