Aquaculture In The United Kingdom

Aquaculture in the United Kingdom is dominated by salmon farming (mostly in Scotland), then by mussel production with trout being the third most important enterprise. Aquaculture in the United Kingdom represents a significant business for the UK, producing over of fish whilst earning over £700 million in 2012 (€793 million).Values given are for 2012.

UK aquaculture applies to three main strands of species; finfish (salmon, trout, carp etc.), shellfish (mussels, oyster, lobster etc.) and marine algae ( seaweed). These are rated in the tonnage that is produced annually. Aquaponics involves the symbiotic relationship of fish farming with growing plants in water (a process whereby the plants clean the dirty water from the fish tank). As such, aquaponics is not included in this article. A fourth strand is ornamental (coldwater fish, tropical fish and aquatic plants), but this is in very small volumes by weight.

Scottish finfish aquaculture is rated third in the world behind Norway and Chile in terms of tonnage of production, and is the United Kingdom's most valuable food export. Aquaculture is also increasingly being used to help conserve rare species where breeding grounds have been destroyed or other environmental factors have affected reproductive patterns.

Overview

Historically in the United Kingdom, as in other European nations, the keeping of fish in ponds for use as food dates back centuries, possibly as far as the 13th century. A fish pond was a way of keeping a steady supply of food through the winter, and most Medieval and monastic houses and castles had a fish pond stocked with carp, pike and bream. Some were vastly under-utilised and the efforts of keeping fish was to serve up only on special occasions, especially in monastic houses, when freshwater fish would be avoided at Lent. During the 19th century, as fresh sea fish could be brought from ports to inland locations by the railways, the stocking, breeding and farming of fresh fish declined, unlike eastern European nations where the carp is still a 'table fish'.

The aquaculture industry in the United Kingdom is dominated by the farming of Atlantic salmon ( mariculture), which is concentrated in the shoreline waters around Scotland. Smaller aquaculture business include seaweed farming in Yorkshire and Cornwall and a shellfish industry in Wales. Salmon farming in Scotland started production in the early 1970s and the number of companies increased exponentially. Even though the number of farming sites have been increasing, the number of different companies has decreased; in 1995 62 companies operated 162 sites between them, by 2016, 254 sites were in operation overseen by just 16 companies. By 2019, only 12 businesses were in operation at what was described as "226 active sites". The tonnage of salmon production from Scotland in 2017 was , which makes Scotland the third largest producer behind Norway and Chile. However, concerns with the detrimental effects of fish farming on the fish themselves, the wild fish and the immediate environment that they habit and cohabit, has led to some criticism from wildlife groups and academics.

99% of finfish production is from Scotland, whilst 47% of shellfish production comes from England and Wales. The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), has over 500 business registered in England and Wales for finfish aquaculture, though most of these are breeders of fish for ponds and indoor tanks. Producers can apply to become members of the BAP (Best Aquaculture Practice), which guarantees responsibility and certification for every step in the production chain.

The second largest aquaculture market in terms of tonnage is the shellfish market, mostly mussels, but also oysters and scallops. The abalone Haliotis tuberculata, known as green ormer in the UK, is increasing possible to be farmed in the coastal waters of the southern half of the United Kingdom due to global warming, and some trials have taken place on the south west coast. The ormer does not suffer the effects of pollutants, and more importantly, does not store toxins in its flesh unlike other bivalve creatures.

Salmon

Scotland

Salmon farming on a commercial scale was started in Britain by a company called Marine Harvest, then a subsidiary company of Unilever. Marine Harvest had invested in two sites in the 1960s, a salmon and trout farm in Lochailort, and a flatfish and crustacean research centre in Findon, just outside Aberdeen. The first fish production from Lochailort was achieved in 1971, since then the industry has expanded and salmon and trout are farmed commercially in Scotland at sites in Argyll & Bute, Highland, Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles.

In 2014, fish farming in Scotland led to a turnover in the country to the tune of £1 billion, and supported over 8,800 jobs. However, diseases, and parasites such as the sea louse, have had a detrimental effect on the industry and have led to many different ideas on how to combat the parasite. Mortality rates of salmon during the 1990s and 2000s was rated at about 20% of eventual production tonnage. The indications are that this percentage is increasing. Companies have been moving away from using chemical and water washes to rid the salmon of lice, with a more 'natural' method being the use of wrasse and lumpsucker fish which clean the fish of the parasites.

Additionally, the increase in production has led to waste produced by the salmon settling on the sea-bed of the Scottish sea lochs. Companies have been trying large storm-proof cages that can be deployed further out to sea, thus the current will spread the waste over a larger area. Another benefit of the cages is that the stronger currents will make the salmon swim harder and increase their muscle tone, which makes them comparable to wild salmon. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency

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