Following in his father's wellysteps...
Jack Fraser was 16 when started weekend work at the fish farm managed by his dad, Iain. Now, both men are in charge of Mowi Scotland farms, a first for the company.
For the first time in Mowi Scotland history, a father and son have taken up the same role as farm managers.
Iain Fraser is farm manager at Laga Bay and his son Jack has recently been appointed farm manager at Kingairloch.
The Lochaber pair have each worked their way up after starting with the company straight from school. Iain began his career in 1987 when he left school aged 16, gaining experience at a number of freshwater sites before moving to the seawater side of things at Kingairloch. Then, in 2010 when Jack was 16, he came along to help with weekend feeding.
“I actually planned on going to university, but I enjoyed the job with Mowi so much that I decided to stay on full time when I left school,” Jack explained to Mowi Scotland’s staff newsletter, The Scoop.
“Working underneath my dad and starting from the bottom, it was a steep learning curve but that’s probably got me to the position I am now. I’ve reaped the rewards of that experience. After starting out learning the ropes at Kingairloch, I’m now managing the very same farm, and I hope to help other young people grow their careers here.”
Iain told The Scoop: “After working at freshwater sites for 20 years, my first sea site was Kingairloch. Back then we had square steel cages before changing them out to circles, and the feed barge that was there is the same one that’s there today. In fact, it was Jack’s sister who named the feed barge ‘Bradan brèagha’, meaning ‘beautiful salmon’ in Gaelic.
“We’ve also had uncles, cousins, and many other family members working at Mowi, and we enjoy working here. It really is a family affair.”
Mowi Scotland production director Sean Anderson said: “I would like to offer my congratulations to Iain for his exceptional long service. Mowi is extremely proud of the support and guidance he has provided to his team in recent months.
“I’d also like to congratulate Jack on his new role at Kingairloch and express my gratitude for the local support he has provided to the team at Laga, alongside his father. Their efforts have not gone unnoticed – both have truly gone above and beyond, and I am personally very grateful for all they have done. Here’s to many more years and I wonder what long service records can be made by this father and son duo!”
