ATLANTIC HALIBUT


CONTAINMENT SPECIAL


finfish SCOTLAND’S FLATFISH FARMERS HAVE FACED VERY DIFFERENT CONTAINMENT ISSUES A


ABOVE: A KAMES EMPLOYEE WITH A 6KG FISH


OPPOSITE: JUVENILE STOCK; A 20KG HALIBUT


88


lthough still a relatively small part of Scotland’s aqua- culture industry, the country’s annual output of farmed halibut is now around 300 tonnes. While, to date, es- capes from these sites have been rare, they are still a matter of concern, as Stuart Cannon of Kames Fish Farming explains. Kames Fish Farming has been raising halibut in Argyll since 1999 and now produces about 100 tonnes of the fish a year. Over the last decade they have had very few problems with escapes and – surprisingly – have ‘never had net-based prob- lems.’ Part of the reason behind this is to do with the nature of the fish – ‘there are different issues involved compared to farm- ing salmon and trout,’ Stuart explains, ‘and, in particular, they are much less prone to attack from predators. Because they sit on the bottom they are not attacked by birds and they don’t seem to tempt seals in the same way as free-swimming fish. ‘This is helped by the net design and, by using a 2.5 tonne sinker tube, which a pair of divers take several hours to posi- tion, the bottom of the nets are stretched as tight as a trampo- line. This both makes the nets easier to clean and makes them more resistant to any predator attacks. What’s more they have false bottoms so seals can’t see or attack the fish. As a result of these factors we’ve never suffered any loss from seal damage and have no need to use any form of ADD.’ ‘The siting of the cages is also a factor in explaining why the halibut are less likely to escape, as they are not in open water, unlike some salmon sites, for the fish do better in sheltered areas, which are not subject to the same extremes of weather conditions,’ he adds. ‘The only other possible problems can occur during handling and human error is always feasible, but it’s not such an issue if you have well-trained staff. And it helps


HALIBUT ARE A LOT LESS PRONE TO ATTACKS FROM


PREDATORS www.fishfarmer-magazine.com


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