‘Scottish-first fish farm can benefit area’

Positive engagement over plans to construct a new “semi-closed” fish farm near the east shore of Loch Linnhe has been welcomed by Ardgour Community Council.

Speaking at last week’s May meeting ACC committee member Andrew Squire reported that a meeting with Loch Long Salmon Company (LLSC) managing director Stuart Hawthorn and Mark Shotter, of Simply Blue Aquaculture, had been very informative and that the partners were keen to ensure that the proposals, which are still at an early stage, had “a positive outcome for the area”.

The proposals include the construction of a semi-closed fish farm that will be able to house 8,000 tonnes of salmon in floating pens with capacity for around 1.6 million fish - more than double the size of Scotland's current largest site.

The development will comprise nine enclosures with outer walls made from a flexible, impermeable material and a mesh inner liner to house the fish, with waste from unwanted food and faeces collected and pumped ashore for treatment. The technology has never before been used in Scotland but has been trialled in Norway and Canada.

According to LLSC, the system will have a much smaller environmental impact that an open-pen farm of the same size, helping solve many of the worst problems facing the aquaculture industry.

Mr Squire said that LLSC were keen to “work with the community to make the impact as little as possible” and turn it into a “positive outcome for the local areas“.

He added that he was impressed by the company's commitment to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

LLSC will be holding public events over the coming months and have said that the door is open for ACC to go back to them with any concerns in the meantime.