In May 2022 the first tranche of member companies joined Salmon Scotland. 12 companies including hauliers, service vessel owner-operators and net manufacturers, all of which help ensure that the farm-raised salmon sector continues to grow responsibly and provide well-paid, rewarding jobs to some of Scotland's most rural areas.
We are thrilled to be able to to draw some well-deserved attention to our new member companies, who are all leaders in their chosen fields and do so much to drive our sector forward.
Supporting communities
The Scottish salmon sector directly employs 2,500 people in Scotland in some of Scotland's most fragile coastal and rural areas - Shetland, Orkney, the north-west Highlands, the Western Isles and Argyll and Bute. But salmon farmers are supported by more than 3,600 supply chain companies employing more than 10,000 people.
These people live and work in every constituency in Scotland. Without them Scottish salmon wouldn't be the international success story it is. With a growing membership, Salmon Scotland is pleased to represent organisations working in every part of the supply chain in every part of Scotland.
Each new member is a leader in technology and innovation, helping the sector to reduce its already low carbon footprint and drive advances in sustainability.
Providing a wealth of well-paid jobs at sea
Salmon farmers are out on the water 365 days of the year to care for their fish. Most producer companies have their own vessels, but also rely on vessel owner-operators to provide extra support.
Mull-based family-owned company Inverlussa is one of Scotland's leading workboat operators, servicing contracts throughout the UK and Europe with one of the largest fleets of modern vessels in the county.
Inverlussa recently delivered a semi-hybrid workboat to Scottish Sea Farms which will cut CO2 and reduce fuel consumption at a time of sharply rising bills.
As well as becoming a member company, we're delighted that Inverlussa managing director Ben Wilson was also appointed to our board at our AGM in May 2022.
Shetland-based maritime company AquaShip own and operate a versatile feet of service vessels, harvest vessels, well boats and feed carriers. Their distinctive teal-coloured vessels are regularly seen supporting salmon farms across the country.
Innovating to achieve a low carbon future
New member companies helping us to achieve our goal of becoming net zero by 2045 include ScaleAQ, which provides innovation, technology and equipment to the aquaculture industry, including delivering Scotland's first hybrid feed barge to Salmon Scotland members Loch Duart, and equipment that maximises fish welfare and meets high environmental standards to deliver on the targets set out in the Salmon Scotland sustainability charter.
We're also proud to welcome Inverness-based AKVA Scotland into Salmon Scotland membership. AKVA provides a range of advanced equipment and services to the aquaculture industry globally. In Scotland its team has constructed no fewer than 400 pens from their Kishorn port yard, and their investment in net cleaning technology, amongst others, helps salmon farmers to provide the best environment for their fish.
Maximising fish health and welfare
The health and welfare of our livestock is top priority, with our member companies investing significantly into research and development to develop the healthiest broodstock and salmon at sea.
The welfare of Scottish salmon will continue to be high standards with the help of member company Benchmark Genetics, leaders in aquaculture genetics, breeding and fish egg supply focusing on salmon, shrimp and bass/bream.
MSD Animal Health, likewise, contributes towards our world-leading welfare standards by offering market-leading biological and pharmaceutical products, technical services and support for both Atlantic salmon and trout to maximise fish health and welfare through preventative solutions.
We are also pleased to welcome Pharmaq, a global leader in vaccines and innovation for aquaculture. Part of Zoetis, a world leader in animal health, Pharmaq opened a new lab in Inverness earlier this year which will provide high quality diagnostic services to the aquaculture sector.
Safeguarding our livestock
The containment and protection of our livestock is a critical issue for the sector.
Kilburnie-based W&J Knox has been a trusted manufacturer of nets for more than 240 years and has supplied fish farm netting and other services to the aquaculture sector since the earliest days of the sector 50 years ago. They continue to innovate and provide a net washing, inspection and repair service to keep nets in top condition.
New member Garware is the world's largest producer of aquaculture nets, lice shields, and ropes for many of the world's major fish farmers and manufacture several net products in use in Scotland including the popular Sapphire Seal Pro anti-predator nets.
Shetland-based Morenot Scotland supply aquaculture mooring systems and nets that minimise the risk of escape, and provide net servicing in Shetland and the Western Isles.
Delivering high quality Scottish salmon to the marketplace
Alness-headquartered Aquascot is one of the largest employee-owned businesses in Scotland, processing responsibly-sourced salmon from Salmon Scotland members for premium supermarket Waitrose, a relationship that stretches back more than three decades.
Larkhall logistics giant DFDS is one of the largest and busiest international shipping companies in northern Europe. DFDS Scotland plays a critical role in delivering fresh Scottish salmon to customers in the UK and the European Union, via its distribution hub in Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France.
Representing the sector
Expanding to bring supply chain companies into membership alongside our producer companies is a natural evolution for Salmon Scotland.
We changed our name from the Scottish Salmon Producers' Organisation back in November 2021 to reflect our broader responsibility to represent the interests of people and businesses right across the sector.
Working with our new members, we will continue to champion the farm-raised salmon sector's social, economic and environmental contribution to Scotland and the UK.
We look forward to growing our membership and representing the interests of the wider Scottish salmon sector, which continues to go from strength to strength.