The Trout and Salmon and Sectors

1. The Trout and Salmon and Sectors Phil Thomas, Chairman SSPO

2. Authors’ Note David Bassett of the BTA became unavailable for the Inverness meeting at short notice. Thus Phil Thomas presented information on both the trout and salmon sectors. The presentation provided here has been slightly modified from that given at the meeting to include some additional information on the trout sector which has been provided by David Bassett.

3. Organiser’s Suggested Coverage For the trout sector and the salmon sector; • Outline of aquaculture in Scotland – covering table production and restocking. • Economic scale, distribution and development potential of aquaculture. • Aquaculture technologies and operations. • Unique aspects that audience should know about fish farming. • Why, where, what, how and ‘whatever’?

4. Why Finfish Aquaculture? • FAO says: One-quarter of the world's fish stocks are overexploited, depleted or recovering from depletion. They have been under excess fishing pressure which has reduced their capacity. There is no possibility of increasing fishing activity, and in some cases the stocks may decline further. • About half of the stocks are fully exploited. They are being fished at or close to their maximum sustainable limit. There is no room for further expansion of fishing activity. • Around one-quarter of fish stocks are underexploited or partially exploited and could perhaps produce more.

5. Trends in Global Fish Trends for Fish? • Total global production/consumption is increasing because of population increase and increased consumption per head. • Sea-caught fish supplies are restricted because of needs to conserve stocks. • Aquaculture provides an increasing proportion of fish supply; this will continue to increase. • Global aquaculture production is circa 67 million tonnes. Most is produced in China /Asia. Main species there are low value carp, tilapia and other fresh water fish. • EU production is relatively small but EU is the largest global importer of fish and seafood products and is only 40% self sufficient in supply.

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8. Trout History • Prior to the 20th century most trout eaten in Europe were caught from the wild. The few trout hatcheries that existed were used to re-stock rivers for fishing. • In the early 1900's a Danish farmer developed a farm design where fresh water flowed through each fishpond radically improving fish yield and reducing disease. This signified the start of the commercial trout-for-table farming industry. • In 1945 the UK's trout industry consisted of less than 20 re-stocking farms. The first ‘table trout’ farm was opened by a Dane in Lincolnshire in 1950. • In the following years the industry has grown to its current size of almost 360 trout farms producing around 16,000 tonnes per annum.

9. Trout Farming

10. Trout Types • Rainbow Trout (Onchorynchusmykiss) • Although native to lakes and streams of North-West America Rainbow Trout has been introduced to regions throughout the world including Australasia, South America and South Africa. It is now the main breed of trout to be farmed commercially. • Brown Trout: (SalmoTrutta) • Also known as the River or Lake Trout, the Brown Trout is indigenous to many European countries including Britain. • Golden Trout: (OncorhynchisMykissAguabonita) • Originating in the high altitudes of the northern Rocky Mountains of the United States the Golden Trout has been called the "fish from heaven" by the Americans.

11. Trout • Scotland is the largest trout producer in UK. • In 2009 production was 4,184t of small ‘table trout’ in and 2,628t of ‘large trout’. • Total farm gate value was £20.45m. • This excludes trout for restocking . • (Scottish stocked trout fisheries are estimated to be valued at £35m/yr) • There are four main types of farms; large trout are produced in open sea lochs. • There is a trend towards diversification of land-based sites with (partial) re-circulation units in the design.

12. Trout Farms

13. Trout - Overview • Production has been static for the past ten years. • There is no real demand for new farms on land at present; planning has been under the Town and Country Planning Act for a long time. • There is scope for increased production of large trout at marine sites. Commercial factors will determine whether this develops. • Permitted development rights at existing sites would be important. • Fish health implications of multiple species operations and mixed year classes would be important in determining development.

14. Salmon Farming

15. Why farm the salmon?

16. The History • Practical trials in Norway in the 1960s found caught salmon adapted readily to being grown-on in net pens. • Salmon also had large sturdy eggs which made the development of breeding technology feasible. • Salmon were a valuable fish with an established market demand. • Salmon were collected from 41 Norwegian rivers and a breeding work was started. • By the mid 1970s, salmon farm trials and breeding programmes had become established and salmon aquaculture was being developed in several countries, including in Shetland and mainland Scotland.

17. Annual Scottish Farmed Salmon Production Tonnes x 1000 The Crown Estate & Islands Councils Town & Country Planning Act Interim Arrangements

18. Where? • 90% of UK finfish aquaculture is in Scotland. • 454 registered finfish sites, 332 registered shellfish sites (Scottish Government, 2008). • Freshwater sites widely distributed. • Marine sites located west coast and islands.

19. Marine Scotland Salmon Fisheries Regions East North East Moray Firth North North West West Coast Clyde Coast Solway Orkney Shetland Outer Hebrides

20. Distribution of Scottish Salmon Farms Total sites 271 Total consented biomass 298, 113 tonnes

21. Why are farms distributed like this? History, Policy, and Planning Salmon Catch Distribution • Historically salmon farming started in west coast and island areas because of the water quality and suitability of sites. • Government Planning Policy in 1997 to locate farms to the west coast and islands. • Scottish GovernmentLocational Guidelines based on predicted nutrient enhancement, benthic impact and natural heritage sensitivities direct location.

22. Table Production of Salmon • Table production of salmon is estimated as 135,000 t (whole fish equivalent) in 2009. • Scotland accounts for 97% of UK salmon production. It is the 2nd largest salmon producer in the World. • In the next 5 years production is anticipated increase by a minimum of 30,000 t. • Present value is > £400m at farm gate level – roughly the same value as the Scottish Fishing industry. Salmon accounts for over 30% of Scottish food exports. • The salmon industry is increasingly vertically integrated, with added-value processing and manufacturing in Scotland. • Expenditure in services and supplies and the economic multiplier -effects increase economic impact by some 2.5 times.

23. Annual Scottish Farmed Salmon Production Tonnes x 1000 Anticipated The Crown Estate & Islands Councils Town & Country Planning Act Interim Arrangements

24. Headline Numbers • £500m into economy in 2008. • £84m in capital projects over 2005-08. • £304 m expenditure on supplies and services. • £36m in local wages from salmon farms. • Approximately 6,200 full and part time jobs in farming and processing. • 70% of farm workers live within 10 miles of salmon farm. • 88% of farm workers live within 20 miles of salmon farm.

25. Area Multiplier-Income of Farm Wages

26. Salmon Restocking • No published national statistics on restocking. • Restocking is mainly takes owners of fishing rights and/or DSFBs/fishing trusts. • Restocking only subject to regulation in 2008. • Examples of very successful restocking. • National scale and economic value of restocking is unknown.

27. Salmon Farming Follows the Natural Cycle Broodstock female Breeding male Eggs Fertilised Egg Alevin Fry Smolt Parr Smolt Salmon Salmon

28. Salmon Farming Follows the Natural Cycle Broodstock female Breeding male Breeding Hatchery – 2 months Smolting Egg to Smolt (S0 or S½) – at 10 mths Egg to Smolt (S1) – at 14 mths Egg to smolt (S2) – at 24 plus mths Ongrowing Smolts to sea - Sept-Nov (S0) or March - May (S1) Growing phase – 14-20 mths Growing/harvesting phase – 8-10 mths Fertilised Egg Alevin Fry Parr Smolt Salmon

29. Technology Development Different sets of technologies evolve together but in a stepwise and not necessarily coordinated way: • Pen designs, netting, anchorage; • Feed systems – barges and equipment; • Farm configurations and farm based technology; • Ancillary vessels, such as well boats and related technology; • Management and husbandry methodology, including nutrition, fish health techniques, husbandry. In practice, it is possible to see lots of mixed technology operations.

30. Historical Change • Wooden framed cages (early years). • Polyethylene cages (rings). • Hinged steel cages in integrated farms • Semi-exposed systems. • Open-sea fish farms (submersible systems).

31. Bracken, 2010 Bracken, 2010 Creran Hjaltland, Shetland

32. North Moine

33. Overseas things may look different Salmon Farm, Norway Farming in China

35. Technology Development After Hanlon Plastic Pens Closed containment systems Technically feasible but unlikely to be a viable option. (After, Chopin, 2010)

37. Sustainability of Finfish Farming

38. Feed and Nutrition • A conversion ratio of caught fish to farmed salmon of 5:1 is often quoted. This figure is incorrect and based on an incorrect set of assumptions. • Modern salmon nutrition and aquaculture feed use provides a conversion rate of 1.25:1. However, about 25% of fish meal is derived from waste from fish processing. • Inclusion rates of fish meal in salmon diets have been reducing progressively as feed technology develops. • The notion that salmon farming is ‘not sustainable’ because of its fish-feed needs is incorrect.

39. World Fish Meal Production and Use in Aquaculture World Fish Meal Production Aquaculture Feed

40. IFFO Summary of Changing Use in Fishmeal Use (After FIFO, 2009)

41. Alternatives to Fish Meal (After Skretting, 2010)

42. Benefits of farmed fish Climate change benefits -small C footprint Human health benefits – show need for more fish

43. Seals and Finfish Farming A very small proportion of seals attack finfish farms but they can do substantial damage to stocks. Attacks are not predictable.

44. The End