Shellfish hatchery wins funding for graduate placements
Orkney Shellfish Hatchery, a multi-species aquaculture hatchery supplying shellfish products to the restoration market, is on the look-out for aquaculture graduates to work as hatchery technicians after securing new funding.
The company won a Scottish educational grant, courtesy of the Highlands and Islands Enterprises’ Graduate Support Program. The program aims to provide graduates across Scotland with well-paid work experience placements in key sectors.
Positions under the scheme are available to all graduates who have finished their studies in the last four years and there is no age restriction.
Four places
With the help of the program, Orkney Shellfish Hatchery will employ four new aquaculture graduates to continue its research into the on-land culture of premium native flat oyster spat and European clawed lobster.
Hatchery managing director Dr Nik Sachlikidis said: “This funding will allow us to bring new, eager graduates into the team, providing them with the opportunity to take their first steps into the hatchery world, alongside our team of experienced and highly knowledgeable aquaculture professionals.
“Most importantly, we are excited to bring more skilled, local employment to Orkney.
Exciting projects
“We would like to extend a huge thank you to the Highlands and Islands Enterprise for their ongoing support and we are excited to fill the positions quickly with graduates that are keen to be a part of our exciting native oyster and clawed lobster projects.”
Orkney Shellfish Hatchery runs a fully operational, state-of-the-art and bio-secure hatchery facility and is supported through investment from Cadman Capital Group, a multinational alternative investment firm. Cadman’s other aquaculture investments are in Northamptonshire company Ocean On Land Technology, which has developed the Aquahive hatchery system for clawed lobsters, and Caribbean Sustainable Fisheries, which on-grows spiny lobster at an on-land farm in the British Virgin Islands.
