Securing Scotland’s top food export: The UK’s No.1 seafood choice

What is a Post-Smolt Salmon?

Salmon begin their life in freshwater rivers and naturally migrate to the sea. This transfer from fresh to salt is a biological process called smoltification. In traditional salmon farming, smolts are moved directly from freshwater hatcheries and lochs to seawater sites where they are grown for 18 – 24 months before harvest. With post-smolt salmon, they are moved to sea when they are larger and more robust. This reduces the on-growing time at sea sites to 12 months, thus eliminating exposure to a second summer and the associated environmental risks.

This past month, Mowi’s farms in Loch Etive (previously growing trout under the Dawnfresh brand) received their first delivery of juvenile salmon. This group will be raised in the brackish waters of Etive and will be the first post smolts sent to sea later this year.

Area Manager Clara McGhee is already noticing the growth in fish and staff, adding: “It’s an exciting time for training and development at Loch Etive. Many staff are now caring for a new fish species which requires new skills in feeding, biology and welfare and we are also embracing new technologies at the farm, such as high definition feeding cameras.”

Made for Scotland

For the past few years Mowi Scotland has been reliant on external egg supply, which doesn’t allow the company to have the control it needs to ensure future salmon generations are suitable for the locations where the company farms.

So, Mowi has made the important decision to develop a bespoke broodstock and egg facility at Ardessie, on the shores of Little Loch Broom. When completed this year, it will offer 8 to 10 direct new jobs and additional supply chain opportunities.

This new facility will boast state-of-the-art technology, including self-contained recirculating aquaculture systems and temperature control.

The key to this success is to build on the best qualities of each salmon generation.

This made in Scotland breeding programme will enable genetics experts to select parent fish whose offspring will be most robust to the specific environmental challenges faced locally, and provide significant improvements in survival and biological performance.

Join Mowi

Mowi Scotland is currently recruiting for positions associated with these exciting new developments. 

If you’re interested in a career that grows the country’s most valuable food export, see the most recent career opportunities posted at HiJOBS - opportunities at Mowi