Mowi to pull out of Loch Arkaig after 35 years

Looking ahead, Mowi will shift its focus to two new production sites on Loch Awe, Tervine and Braevallich, which were formerly operated by Dawnfresh.

Together, the sites aim to produce five million fish annually.

"These sites will be undergoing a major overhaul early this year, with upgrades to a more efficient and standardised set-up featuring 60m circumference pens (20 at each site), new feed systems and upgrades to the shore areas to allow for smolt inputs and transfers," added the spokesperson.

"We will continue to operate the stocking plan of large vaccinated parr coming into Loch Awe sites, with the hope this will allow us to produce some much larger smolts at 250g average weight for Loch Etive.

All staff will be retained at both sites as this will be a challenging venture moving from trout to salmon and we expect to have a total of around 19 people working here.

Mowi Scotland reached its highest-ever freshwater production in 2024, reporting the transfer of 22.5 million smolts to sea across its farms, including Wester Ross and third-party facilities.

Upgrades to hatcheries were cited as a key driver of success, with Lochailort approaching a milestone of producing 100 million smolts.

The freshwater teams also navigated operational challenges, including staffing shortages and harsh biological conditions. Despite these issues, the company says sites such as Loch Ness and Glenfinnan delivered strong results, praising staff for their resilience and focus on fish welfare.