New Aquaculture Species in Shetland

The members of the Shetland Aquaculture are at the forefront of cultivating new species such as cod, halibut, sea trout and haddock. The aspiration to diversify the industry has been talked about for many years. While many still talk about it, in Shetland we are taking bold steps and leading the way in the UK.

The development of cod farming is on target to achieve output of over 6,000 tonnes by 2006. A new marine hatchery operated by Nufish Ltd at Broonies Taing, Sandwick, opened in 2003 and supplies juvenile cod to local farms. Johnson Seafarms Ltd is fully committed to rearing cod as well as sea trout and mussels. This company is also running a pilot project to grow haddock. Other member companies are also growing cod. The Shetland Halibut Company has been established following a 3-4 year trial and is now growing halibut commercially.  

The SSFA also has close links to the North Atlantic Fisheries College in Scalloway, Shetland. The NAFC has a programme of support for industry development, using its own marine hatchery, and has supplied both brood fish and eggs to the Nufish operation as well as producing small quantities of cod juveniles. The NAFC also do work with both wolf fish and haddock and is seen as a key support facility for encouraging further innovation within the aquaculture industry in Shetland.

The Shetland Salmon Farmers' Association can now truly state that it represents a diverse aquaculture sector, despite our name!