Good news from Nor Editor’s Welcome way


My, how it’s grown


THE Norwegian aquac- ulture industry passed a remarkable milestone last year: it produced more than one million tonnes of farmed fi sh. That equates to an industry worth some £3.5 billion at fi rst point of sale – not bad for a country of only 4.8 million people – and it is set to produce an even greater tonnage in 2011.


In 2000 total production was just under half of this, while in 2005 it was 657,000 tonnes, so the industry needs to be congratulated for achieving consistent growth over the last decade, despite all the ups and downs of the global economy. The vast majority of produc- tion was salmon, accounting


for 930,000 tonnes in 2010, and Norway stands head and shoulders above other salmon producers, as Chile struggles to rebuild while the expansion of the UK and Canadian indus- tries continues to be limited by red tape and well-heeled opposition.


So how has the Norwe- gian success been achieved? Through long-term vision and pragmatic support for the industry. Aquaculture has long been seen as a key sector for the future of the Norwegian economy and has received strong political and fi nancial support over the years. The evidence of this was clear for all to see at Aqua Nor, which was opened by the


King of Norway himself and attended by 17,500 visitors. It is also evident in the contin- ued support of ventures such as the Nofi ma cod breeding centre near Tromso, which receives strong support from the Norwegian Government as it anticipates long-term future benefi ts from cod.


Looked at from the outside, Norway’s domination of the global salmon farming indus- try can cause resentment, but Norwegian production, equipment supply and feed companies continue to provide real jobs and economic oppor- tunities in Scotland, Canada, Chile and elsewhere. Long may it continue – skol! – we should toast your success.


In This Issue A glance at this month’s main features


Malcolm Dickson Editor


Malcolm Dickson


Editorial Advisory Board: Jim Treasurer Maeve Kelly Richard Slaski John Holmyard Martin Syvret


Publisher: Alister Bennett Editor:


Malcolm Dickson


Journalist: Rob Fletcher Production: Andrew Balahura Advertising Manager:


William Dowds wdowds@fishupdate.com


Contact Tel: +44 (0) 131 312 4550 Fax: +44 (0) 131 312 4551 e-mail: editor@fishfarmer-magazine.com


Websites: www.fishfarmer-magazine.com www.fishupdate.com


Contents Complete page guide


4 - 7 8 - 11 12 - 13 14 - 17 18 - 19 20 - 29 30 - 33 34 - 37 38 - 39 40 41


42 - 43 44 - 45 46 - 47 48 - 49 50 - 51


News in Brief News


Norwegian news Tromso Cod Oslo Børs


Aqua Nor 2011


Meridian Salmon Group Shellfish Storvik


Aquaculture Europe 2011 Aqua Des


MSD Animal Health Processing Markets


Research Briefs Aqua Source Directory www.fishfarmer-magazine.com 3


Head Office: Special Publications, Craigcrook Castle, Craigcrook Road, Edinburgh, EH4 3PE


Subscriptions Address: ‘Fish Farmer’, P.O. Box 1, Crannog Lane, Lochavullin Industrial Estate, Oban, Argyll, PA34 4HB. Tel: +44 (0) 1631 568000 Fax: +44 (0) 1631 568001


UK subscriptions £75 a year, rest of world £95 including postage. All Air Mail.


Printed in Great Britain for the proprietors Wyvex Media Ltd by Headley Brothers Ltd., Ashford, Kent ISSN 0262-9615


Fish Farmer September/October 2011


Tromso Hatchery Breeding the perfect cod By MALCOLM DICKSON


News in brief Hebridean project shelved Islay snubs salmon farm Orkney


application approved


The Sound of Islay: a resounding ‘no’


THE SCOTTISH Salmon Company has withdrawn plans for fi sh farms at two proposed sites off the east coast of Islay, following strong local opposition. The company had indicated it would prefer a site in Claggain Bay and, following a presentation to the community, asked Islay Community Council to gauge public opinion. However, following a campaign by local community group IASG, islanders returned objections by way of 33 letters, a petition of 741 names, as well as an online peti- tion with 1,767 signatures, while not a single represen- tation was made in favour of the development. Last week the Scottish Salmon Company told The Oban Times that the islanders had been misled by ‘inaccurate and outdated’ information. However, last Friday it is- sued a statement saying ‘analysis of current data and modelling’ at the sites, had suggested neither were suit- able for development.


IASG member Willy Inglis said: ‘Whilst IASG obviously welcomes the news that the Scottish Salmon Company is not going to proceed with fi sh farms off the east coast of Islay, it is important to see this as part of a wider debate.


‘The Islay community includes sea fi shing, sporting and tourist industries which will all be affected by fi sh farm developments. Other communities may not have such a dependency on these industries and may ben- efi t from the additional employment that fi sh farming brings. However, as IASG has been keen to point out, it is the long-term damage to the environment that we must all be concerned about.’


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many support services.’ Salmon farming already makes a signifi cant contribu- tion to the Orkney economy, and employs 77 people. Between 2006 and 2009 Ork- ney’s salmon farmers injected almost £4.2million into local wage packets, which gener- ated £19.2 million of economic benefi ts, as money earned lo- cally is spent locally. Over the last four years (2006 - 2009) SSPO member companies have also made £4.4 million capital investments in the archipelago.


Salmon production in Ork- ney peaked at 10,740 tonnes in 2003, but fell to 3,724 tonnes in 2006. It has steadily increased year-on-year since then and Scottish Govern- ment statistics forecast pro- duction to have reached 7,510 tonnes in 2010.


www.fishfarmer-magazine.com


THE Planning and Protec- tive Services Committee in Orkney Islands Council has granted approval for a new fi sh farm off Cava. The application, from Mainstream (now part of the Meridian Salmon Group), was for a 24 hectare site to the south east of Cava, consist- ing of a dozen 90-metre cages and a 75-tonne capacity feed barge.


Scott Landsburgh, Chief Executive of Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation, said: ‘This is great news for the Orkney economy, as the approval of the new site will lead to a sustainable increase in production, signifi cant fur- ther investment in the islands and give the local job mar- ket a boost, not to mention increased expenditure in the


Success breeds success for tuna


UMAMI Sustainable Seafood Inc, a company that sup- plies sashimi-grade bluefi n tuna to the global market, has obtained DNA evidence confi rming natural spawning at its Kali Tuna facility in Croatia, making this the third consecutive year that natu- ral spawning activities have taken place at the facility. Eggs were collected from broodstock cages containing 80 mature fi ve-year-old fi sh. The fi sh were not treated with hormones but, over the years, have been closely managed by Kali’s scientists. This is the largest documented spawning in these cages to date. Kali Tuna has made a signifi cant investment, grow- ing over 1,000 young tuna into mature broodstock at its farms in both Mexico and Croatia to help replenish the wild population. One of their goals is to release hundreds of millions of fertilised eggs and fry back into the wild every year.


CEO, Oli Valur Steindors- son, said: ‘This event marks a major milestone in our com- pany’s ultimate goal of build- ing a commercially viable closed life cycle bluefi n tuna farming operation. Although we still have a lot of work left to do…these results prove that our experience, and our understanding of the species, is paying off. I am now more confi dent than ever that we will be able to dramatically increase the world’s access to this highly valued food source, without any degrada- tion in quality, while, at the same time, decreasing the pressure on the world’s wild populations.’


Cooke’s up for Culmarex


THE Canadian salmon farming company Cooke Aquaculture has signed an agreement to purchase Culmarex SA – Morpol’s seabass and seabream subsidiary. Currently the larg- est producer of the two species in Spain, Mor- pol acquired Culmarex as part of its purchase of Marine Farms last September. ‘We are always looking for strategic devel- opment and investment opportunities in the seafood sector,’ explains CEO Glenn Cooke. ‘This purchase gives us the unique opportu- nity to enter into the farming of seabass and seabream in Spain by working with one of the best performing players in this industry. We see tremendous synergies between the two companies and look forward to working with this highly professional team and diversifying our business as a fully integrated aquaculture company.’


‘All of us at Culmarex are happy to become Metal man returns


STEWART Graham, founder of aquaculture and marine outfi tters Gael Force, is nearing the end of an epic round the world sailing trip. Despite the fact that he has already broken his back on the voyage he has decided to sail the fi nal 7,000 miles back from South Africa single-handedly.


The 47-year-old father of two set out on his voyage in August 2009 and now his Discovery 67 mono hull yacht the Rhiann Marie is set to battle its way through the South Atlantic winter, hopefully avoiding the hurricane season en route. If all


Takeover in Spain


News in brief


part of Cooke Aquaculture,’ said Geoff Smart, Managing Director of Culmarex. ‘Culmarex and Cooke Aquaculture share similar aims and principles; we take seriously our respon- sibility for the management of the company, the environment and the welfare of our employees. Like Cooke aquaculture, Culmarex refuses to go with the fl ow and has been a major innovator of bass and bream farming in Spain, both in terms of our products and our production methods. We look forward to devel- oping our future with Cooke Aquaculture with optimism, enthusiasm and excitement.’ As a company that is certifi ed to the interna- tionally recognised Seafood Trust Eco Label, sustainability and quality is of paramount im- portance to Cooke. The fact that Culmarex has also achieved third party certifi cation makes this purchase a good fi t for both companies. Like Cooke, Culmarex also focuses on deliver- ing quality fresh products to home markets within a few hours of harvesting.


Above: the Norwegian Cod Breeding Centre Opposite page: the centre has facilities for holding family groups of cod eggs, fry, fingerlings and mature fish, as well as an algae production facility


Norwegian cod production figures reveal a gradual upward trend


CEO Glenn Cooke


to the Caribbean, it will be next spring before he can return.


goes well, Stornoway- born Stewart, who lives in Inverness, expects to make the journey in two months. But, if trade winds force him from West Africa across the Atlantic


New growth for New Zealand Untitled-1 1


Stewart had eight nuts and bolts, two rods and a metal plate permanently fi tted into his spine after an off-road motorcycle ac- cident in the jungle in Ma- laysia in February on an earlier part of his trip, but was back at the helm just a week after the accident. He has also experienced a number of ‘threatening en- counters’, including hav- ing the yacht approached at high speed at dawn by a boat with masked men wearing balaclavas off Columbia. His yacht was hit by lightning in the Car-


Fish Farmer September/October 2011


THE New Zealand Government has passed a law which should allow for the expansion of the country’s aquaculture industry into a billon dollar operation within 15 years. Legislation has just been passed which removes the requirement for Aqua- culture Management Areas to be established before consent applications can be made, and provides for compensation to quota holders if they are forced out of some areas in favour of aquaculture.


Like the United States, which has also announced a huge ex- pansion of its fi sh farming industry, New Zealand now seeks to create an industry that will supply fi sh for the export market, not just for domestic consumption. Fisheries and Aquacul- ture Minister Phil Heatley said the new legal framework was needed to support growth in the sector, but stressed it would not be at the expense of the environment.


www.fishfarmer-magazine.com 5


COD aquaculture has become the poor relation of the booming salmon farming industry over the last 5 years or so. Poor prices and inconsist- ent performance, both in the hatchery and in grow-out, have plagued the devel- opment of the industry. However, while the UK cod farming industry virtually disappeared overnight with the collapse of No Catch in 2008, many in the Norwe- gian aquaculture sector have maintained their belief in a long-term future for the species.


Norway produced over 21,000 tonnes of farmed cod in 2010, which seems insignifi cant in the context of total aquaculture production of around 1 mil- lion tonnes, but still refl ects a gradual


14


ibbean, which destroyed electronics including its essential autopilot system, and he has had to cope with high seas, ripped sails and damage to his rigging, plus the constant repairs required to keep a circumnavigation on track, with a minimum amount of sleep.


upward trend.


Throughout his journey, Stewart has managed to oversee the successful continuing development of his business, through on board communications, including e-mails and conference calls by satel- lite link. To visit his blog see http://blog.mailasail. com/rhiann.marie


One of the main resources behind con- tinued efforts to develop the cod farming industry is the Norwegian Cod Breed- ing Centre at Kraknes, near Tromso in northern Norway. The centre is owned and operated by the Norwegian Govern- ment research organisation, Nofi ma (formerly Fiskeriforskning). It includes dedicated facilities for stripping, hatch- ing, feeding and broodstock management for the Cod Breeding Programme. Alongside Fish Farmer’s William Dowds I visited the land-based site in July, at the kind invitation of the Norwe- gian Seafood Export Council as part of a ‘sustainable Norwegian seafood’ visit to Tromso.


www.fishfarmer-magazine.com


The Norwegian government decided to set up a cod breeding programme in August 2001 and the practical part of the project was given to Nofi ma. Dur- ing the fi rst half of 2002, the strategy for establishing the breeding centre was developed. The new centre was built in collaboration with the Tromsø Aquacul- ture Research Station, based at Kårvik on Ringvassøy.


Opening


In the spring of 2003, an offer was made to Troms Marin Yngel to buy their newly built cod hatchery at Kraknes on Kvaløya, as the facility would be well suited as a breeding centre. After relatively modest rebuilding, the Norwe- gian Cod Breeding Centre was offi cially opened on 19th August 2005 by Svein Ludvigsen, Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs.


Production at the centre takes place in two steps. Fry production is carried out in a land facility at Kraknes, outside Tromsø, where seawater is pumped into the tanks, while further growth takes place in cages at the Kårvik sea site. At Kraknes, the parent cod are stripped of eggs and milt, and the cod fry are hatched and grown until they are ready to be transferred to sea. The number of tanks, tank size, water circulation sys- tem and water treatment are all scaled


for production of 200 family groups. When the cod are ready to be trans- ferred to sea, they are moved to the marine farm in Røsneshamn, on Ring- vassøy, outside Kvaløya, where they are kept until they are sexually mature. The best individuals are then transported back to the land facility at Kraknes, to be used as broodstock for future genera- tions.


The marine farm has equipment to measure, weigh, mark and vaccinate the cod. It consists of 12 steel cages and has an integrated service raft. The cages have nets with extra strong twine to re- duce the danger of escape. The cages also have shade nets to prevent the cod from getting sunburnt and are fi tted with a Lift-up system for removal of dead fi sh and wastes.


Research scientist, Oyvind Hansen explained that the main focus of the centre is to improve farmed cod perform- ance through a family selection breeding programme, which has met with some success.


He said: ‘Through selection, we have been able to improve growth rates by 15-20% in each generation, so our F3 fi sh are now showing around 40-50% better growth than the original wild cod.’ ‘Of course we also need to be mindful of disease resistance,’ he added, before explaining that, while 80% of effort goes


www.fishfarmer-magazine.com 15


Our F3 fish are showing 40% better growth than the original stock


Fish Farmer September/October 2011


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Fish Farmer September/October 2011 08/09/2011 10:52:48


Meridian Salmon Orkney aquaculture We have


no problems with sea lice here


SC A FL salmon farming


AP By MALCOLM DICKSON Fish Farmer September/October 2011 30


OW www.fishfarmer-magazine.com


THE Meridian Salmon Group was launched earlier this year as the new name for Morpol’s UK fi sh farming and primary processing operations. The company resulted from Morpol’s acquisition of Cermaq’s Mainstream UK farms and Marine Farms’ UK Lakeland operations, as well as a number of smaller independent farms and processing operations, such as Brookside Products.


Orkney is one of three seawater farming ar- eas, along with Shetland and Argyll, for what has suddenly become one of the larger salmon farming companies in UK. I was fortunate enough to be given a whistle-stop tour of Me- ridian’s sites in Scapa Flow by the company’s Orkney farming manager, Robert Peterson. Robert started by explaining the current state of play regarding the formation of the new fi sh farming group, saying that all the sites are now managed as if they were one operation,


‘Overall production by Meridian sites will rise from just over 4,000 tonnes last year to 6-7,000 tonnes this year and this will increase once new sites, such as Cava, are developed.’ Robert pointed to newly assembled Fusion Marine cages near the fi sh farm buildings and pier at Lyness on the south-east of Hoy and


www.fishfarmer-magazine.com


explained that it has taken a long time to get ap- proval for the new site at Cava in Scapa Flow.


New sites


‘The Cava site will have a production capac- ity of 1500 tonnes, but it took over three-and- a-half years to get approval and there are pretty tight conditions,’ Robert explained. He added that they intend to submit applica- tions for other sites but face strong opposition, particularly from sea trout anglers, who say that salmon farms are affecting their sport. He explained that Meridian is working with Scottish Sea Farms, fi shing interests and environmental NGOs on Area Management Agreements to cover the Orkney sites, but this had been a long process so far.


‘But we have absolutely no problems with sea lice here,’ Robert said. ‘You just don’t see any lice on the fi sh, maybe the odd Caligus but virtually no Leps.


‘What we do have a problem with in Ork- ney is seals. There are huge numbers of grey seals here and many of them have a taste for salmon. We can lose hundreds of fi sh in a sin- gle incident. It’s particularly distressing when they just eat the liver and leave the rest of the carcase. And we fi nd that seal scarers do not provide long-term protection. Seals learn


31 Fish Farmer September/October 2011 08/09/2011 11:01:35


Harvesting salmon at Meridian’s Chalmers site in Scapa Flow


Photo: Andrew Wood


Aqua Nor 2011 Norwegian exhibition TRIUMPH in


exhibition that has been widely hailed as a resounding success


A look back at a record-breaking


GIVEN the buoyant state of the salmon farming industry over the last 18 months it is perhaps no surprise that its fl agship exhibition, Aqua Nor, had a record number of visi- tors from 16-19th August. More than 17,500 visitors from 61 nations came over the course of the four days – 25 per cent more than during the last exhibition, Aqua Nor 2009 – so the extra 2,000m2 of exhibition space that has since been made available was fully put to use. A total of 460 exhibitors from 26 countries were present at this biannual affair.


‘The exhibition is a very ef- fective meeting place, created by all the exhibitors and visi- tors who are here,’ refl ected Liv Holmefjord, Chairman of the Board of the Nor-Fishing Foundation, who organised the event. ‘Representatives of 61 nations – more than a quarter of all countries in the world – visited the exhibition during the four days it lasted. ‘The recipe for this success is a balanced mixture of exhibi- tors, professional conferences, seminars and presentations. In addition, all the interna- tional visitors have added colour to the exhibition,’ said Ola Eriksen, Managing Direc- tor of Trondheim Spektrum, the technical organiser. Aqua Nor also drew a number of foreign delegations to Trondheim. Five foreign ministers – including Scot- land’s Minister for the Envi- ronment, Stewart Stevenson – visited the exhibition as heads of offi cial delegations. ‘This is very nice and quite


Fish Farmer September/October 2011 Untitled-1 1 20 www.fishfarmer-magazine.com Ocea’s new barge and workboat


fl attering. And when people say they will be back the next time, we feel that we have succeeded,’ said Eriksen. Many of the fi sh farming companies brought a number of their own staff, both man- agers and onsite workers, to the exhibition. ‘It is very interesting to talk to all these people,’ Eriksen refl ected. ‘The common comment from the exhibitors is that it gives them an opportunity to dis- cuss professional problems, but also to just get together more socially.’


Innovation


A new feature this year was the addition of several events organised around town during the exhibition – in particular at the Ravnkloa fi shmongers market on the waterfront. This part of the programme was a joint initiative with the Trondheim Business Associa- tion, one of the local banks, Visit Trondheim and Trond- heim Spektrum.


‘In spite of rain and less than perfect weather people did go out and attend these events,’ noted Eriksen. ‘The Ravnkloa “Salmon Table” and concerts organised in connec- tion with this were well at- tended. It seems we managed to fi ll a need that we really did not know was there.’


www.fishfarmer-magazine.com 21 Fish Farmer September/October 2011


New information technology was put to use for the fi rst time this year – in the main entrance hall a large informa- tion screen was installed, and some 15 smaller screens were


Trondheim


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