30 years of Scottish Aquaculture
FIN FISH
by the occasional influx of freshwater, although crabs were wrongly blamed for the failure at the time. Despite such an unpromising start, however, a successful marine research facility began to emerge on the site.
Beginning life in half of the builders’ shed, equipped with a broken chair and no table, the facility progressed to become ‘a glorified garden shed’ and, despite it’s lack of creature comforts, went on to become a world leader in temperate aquaculture R&D. Over the years, buildings were added, modified or removed; areas of the pond were filled in and parts of the hillside were nibbled away to give more space; and the whole infrastructure was improved progressively. The devastating effects of a fire in 1988 then led to a more extensive programme of rebuilding.
success, coupled with a profitable salmon sector, generated interest in industry diversification.
Diversification Species-wise, the original plaice were later joined by Dover sole, lemon sole, sea bass and turbot; the latter forming the basis for a successful, if niche, sector of the UK industry. Much of the know- how and technology developed around these species was transferred abroad by UK companies. By the late 1980s, this
Not all the fish survived domestication and staff learned to be creative with halibut recipes!
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As a high-value species, halibut was a prime candidate for aquaculture and efforts began to secure a captive brood- stock. UK collection was augmented by an industry-backed expedition to Iceland to capture larger numbers of fish more quickly. Not all the fish survived domes- tication, though, and staff learned to be- come very creative with halibut recipes! However, a broodstock was finally es- tablished and, by working collaboratively with researchers in Norway and Iceland, techniques for hatchery rearing and cul- tivation were identified, although the first six UK-produced halibut juveniles died in the 1988 fire. Unperturbed, the British Halibut Association (later to become the British Marine Finfish Association) was duly formed, with Ardtoe providing the organisation’s main scientific support for many years.
Halibut remains a small, but thriving, part of the UK aquaculture mix, while a current project breeding wrasse as cleaner fish for the salmon industry – pre- viously trialled unsuccessfully – is now looking more promising. * Continued on page 56
Opposite page: weighing fish, 1976. This page, from top: the results of the first successful cod trial, 1998; mussel lines; John Dye, 1978; John Mackay, 1990.
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