News from around Scottish Sea Farms and the sector May 2021 Major milestone as zero antibiotics target is reached Scottish Sea Farms reached a fish health milestone last year, with no antibiotics used in any of its farming operations, whether freshwater or marine. Although antibiotic use has been of 5mg antibiotic active substance facilities is making such infections decreasing at freshwater sites, and per kg of salmon produced. This increasingly rare.’ phased out in sea pens since 2012, this is compares to a target of 25mg/kg for Out of a total 13.5 million smolts grown the first time zero use has been recorded poultry meat (broilers) and 99mg/kg at the RAS (recirculating aquaculture by the company. for pigs. system) hatchery at Barcaldine, about The sector leading success has been In the four years between 2015 and 1.5 million were then reared in open achieved through a combination of 2018 inclusive, Scottish Sea Farms freshwater systems, before transfer improved husbandry practices and averaged 3.6 mg/kg but in 2019 to marine pens. the production of more robust smolts this dropped to 0.25 mg/kg (5% of at Scottish Sea Farms’ £58 million the sector target) and in 2020 the Continued on page 2... Barcaldine hatchery. company used no antibiotics at all. Ronnie Soutar, Head of Veterinary Scottish Sea Farms had no use of Services at Scottish Sea Farms, said he antibiotics on any of its marine INSIDE was ‘very proud we’ve got to this stage’. farms within the target period (2016 onwards) and, in fact, has had no use ‘It is important on a global scale that of antibiotics in marine farms since a antibiotic use is minimised and only used Re-purposing fish waste single treatment on one farm in 2012. when absolutely essential, in recognition New aeration trial of concerns over antimicrobial Soutar said it is now the company’s resistance,’ he added. default position to have zero One to one with Anne antibiotic use throughout production. Anderson ‘Scottish salmon farming generally has a very low use of antibiotics compared ‘Our use in the freshwater phase Regulatory reform a must with other livestock sectors and Scottish of production has been because Sea Farms has consistently had antibiotic infections can occur before fish are Increased maternity and usage well below the sector’s target.’ big enough to be vaccinated. paternity pay RUMA (Responsible Use of Medicines in ‘However, new husbandry protocols Investors in People Agriculture Alliance) set a goal in 2016 and major investment in biosecure re-accreditation Company news ...Continued from page 1. Diverting fish waste into To protect very young fish from potential bacterial diseases valuable by-products carried by wild fish, they may be dip vaccinated when around 2 to 5 grams. All fish are injection vaccinated for longer lasting immunity when they are between 30 to 60 grams. Scottish Sea Farms has adopted a holistic approach to fish health and welfare, with vets involved in farm management, and this has helped to bring down antibiotic use to zero, said Soutar. ‘But there is no room for complacency. There is an An innovative new system is being installed in Orkney that element of luck because there will add value to a previously disposable product. is always a possibility, whether you’re farming plants or animals, of emerging diseases that appear and cause problems. Typically, fallen stock that cannot New mobile ensiler be processed for consumption is ‘We will consider antibiotic use The mobile ensiler to be stationed incinerated, but now Scottish Sea if, in specific circumstances, in Orkney will be fed by all the nine Farms is taking delivery of a bespoke veterinary advice is that it is farms in the region, and will preserve ensiler that will enable fish waste essential for the protection of fish waste before it is transported to to be repurposed for potential use fish welfare. Pelagia’s Bressay plant for further in the production of carbon neutral processing. ‘The important thing is to bring fuels, organic fertilisers, crop growth the lessons we’ve learned, stimulants and green energy feedstocks. Within the ensiler, a macerator can process more than one tonne of fish an from dealing with furunculosis The ensiler has been supplied by particularly, to new bacterial hour, compared to one tonne every 24 Pelagia, which produces fishmeal and hours with a diesel incinerator. diseases. And the main thing is oil from pelagic fisheries, and has more getting vaccines; the last year recently moved into the salmon market, The quicker the fish are ensiled, the has really confirmed our long- upgrading waste into usable materials. better the quality of the waste and the held belief that vaccines are the more scope there will be for Pelagia to answer.’ To this end, Pelagia has modified an develop innovative products. existing facility on Bressay in Shetland, designed specifically to repurpose Operational efficiencies category two material from fish farms. Area Support Manager for Orkney Will Scott said the system will also Repurposing category two material Key elements of the make mortality management easier strategy to eliminate Scottish Sea Farms Head of Processing and more efficient, bringing it into line Donald Buchanan explained: ‘There are antibiotic use include: with Shetland where farms are already three categories of material: category supplying the Pelagia plant. one which is stock with a notifiable disease and has to be destroyed and ‘We’ve been looking at more sustainable incinerated with no further use; category ways of dealing with, and drawing Biosecurity measures to avoid two which is general mortalities; and value from, waste for some years. The the introduction of bacterial category three which is the viscera from potential new avenues this opens up are pathogens healthy fish going through processing. promising and it marks a sea change in the sustainability of our operations.’ Stock selected for resistance ‘Over recent years, category three to disease and robustness viscera has become a valuable product Once ensiled, tonnages can be bulked from leading genetics in its own right. Being a healthy source up to reduce transport costs and providers of omega-3, the by-products are refined there is also a storage option to avoid and utilised in pet food, shrimp feed, shipping small amounts of waste to Hygiene including daily and speciality pig and poultry feed Shetland, helping save on transport removal of dead or moribund additives. emissions too. fish to minimise infection ‘Now, we’re looking to make better use Commenting on the collaboration, Vaccination against known of our category two material, while at Pelagia’s Chief Operations Officer bacterial threats wherever the same time dispose of it in a more (Feed) UK and Ireland, Frank Trearty, possible and appropriate sustainable way.’ said: ‘Processing of category two mortality by-products is a new area for Stress reduction to maximise Pelagia Bressay. The production process fish welfare and avoid immune is highly technical and strictly regulated, compromises and we have taken great care to put systems in place to ensure compliance Nutrition to boost fish and operate to the highest of standards. robustness and ability to fight We look forward to working with infection Scottish Sea Farms and the farmed salmon sector in providing a sustainable Will Scott Donald Buchanan solution for this type of material.’ 2 Aeration trial to help tackle gill health challenge A new aeration system capable of boosting water quality in salmon pens is to be trialled at Loch Spelve on Mull. Aeration – pumping air into pens to boost water movement and, in turn, water quality – is one of several approaches used by farmers when rising levels of potentially harmful plankton levels are detected. Traditional aeration systems use high pressure compressors, Sustainable growth is technology that has had mixed results with some pens receiving a mission possible bigger boost than others. The new system, the Flowpressor™, manufactured by Canadian company Scottish Sea Farms’ new sustainability champion, Anne Poseidon Ocean Systems and Anderson, has two main responsibilities: to help minimise supplied locally by Trimara, has been custom engineered to upwell the company’s environmental impact and drive growth. deeper sourced water with expected lower phytoplankton and higher These twin goals may not at first Zest for change ambient oxygen. seem complementary but Anderson Anderson, who was with the Scottish Innes Weir, Scottish Sea Farms said they go hand in hand in salmon Environment Protection Agency Regional Production Manager for farming and one cannot be achieved (SEPA) for more than 20 years Mainland, said: ‘The Flowpressor™ without the other. before joining the SSPO in 2018, said effectively draws ‘clean’ water from ‘We can’t grow as a company if we she had long admired Scottish Sea the depth of the pen – in other are not operating sustainably, and Farms’ zest for change. words, well away the planktonic we can’t improve sustainability, ‘You can see the company’s drive for surface layers – and distributes which requires investment, unless the sustainability in the decisions it has it upwards, improving the water business is going forward,’ she told made; for example, the movement quality of the whole pen. The Source shortly after taking up out of the fresh loch environment and ‘Remotely controlled, it can run her new role. into the RAS hatchery at Barcaldine. 24/7 for routine water quality management then be moved to Shaping a cohesive strategy ‘And every time I visited the South Shian processing facility as a trade protection mode as required, As Head of Sustainability and body representative, there was using 50 per cent less diesel than Development, Anderson will always another innovation. The traditional systems.’ coordinate the various sustainability chance of success is high when you The Spelve trial, due to start in mid- workstreams at Scottish Sea Farms have this kind of team.’ into one cohesive strategy.