Trials underway at £1.7m pilot mussel hatchery

TRIALS to get mussels to spawn in a hatchery environment are now underway at the NAFC Marine Centre at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).

The trials are part of a two-year research and innovation project to test the commercial viability of a Scottish mussel hatchery.

This latest milestone comes after several months of custom-design, engineering and installation of the core infrastructure, which includes algal culture and water treatment facilities along with tank room resources for spawning, larvae incubation and grow-out.

The trial is a collaboration between the Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group (SSMG), UHI, and Highlands and

Islands Enter- prise, with co-funding from the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) and, most recently, the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.

If the pilot project is successful, the insights gleaned will help build the business case for a national hatchery or series of regional hatcheries.

Janet Brown: Page 22