Award-winning fish farmer wants to make a change
AQUACULTURE may not be considered the most glamorous of careers, but one young Fort William fish farmer is looking to change that, writes Neill Bo Finlayson.
Jack Fraser, 22, is one of the rising stars of the aquaculture industry having recently won two national awards, and he is keen to show the next generation there is more to being a fish farmer than people think.
Along with his job as assistant manager at a sea farm in Kingairloch, Jack has taken on an ambassadorial role with Marine Harvest, visiting schools to teach young people about career opportunities in fish farming and change people’s perceptions.
He explained: ‘I recently went to Lochaber High School and many of the comments are the same. People think it’s only about handling fish all day, but they don’t realise the number of different roles. Getting your hands dirty can certainly be one part of the job, but there is so much more. It’s an incredibly satisfying and challenging role and this is what I want to get across to young people who are considering their options.’
In just six years, Jack has progressed from feeding fish after school for pocket money to being an assistant manager at Kingairloch Sea Farm. Not only this, in March this year, Jack won the prestigious Aquaculture and Modern Apprenticeship categories at Lantra Scotland’s Aquaculture Learner of the Year Awards.
Jack started a SQV Level 2 Modern Apprenticeship scheme in 2015 which combines practical work at one of Marine Harvest’s fish farms, with study through Inverness College UHI and aims to prepare apprentices for the working environment and has helped Jack secure his current role. Jack is one of a long line of Frasers who have made a name for themselves in aquaculture. His father, Iain, has been working in the industry for more than 30 years and Jack’s uncle, Neil Fraser, also farmed salmon, as do several of his cousins.
Jack puts a lot of his early success down to support and guidance from his father, saying: ‘Without the encouragement of my dad, I wouldn’t be where I am today. He taught me the importance of listening to others and learning from them.’