Wester Ross to increase output by a third
Scotland’s oldest independent salmon producer, Wester Ross Fisheries Limited, aims to increase its stock levels by 30% within the next 12 months, having added two marine sites to its portfolio.
The two sites - Ardessie A & B - which are in Little Loch Broom, were previously let to Wester Ross by Johnie Parry but had lain fallow for over a year. Since the purchase, Fish Farming Expert has learned, A has been stocked, while it is not yet known when B is due to join it.
The deal, includes a shore base as well as the sites and, according to Scottish Business News Network (SBNN), it was made possible by “a significant funding package from Bank of Scotland”.
The acquisition will, according to SSBN, help the Ullapool-based business to “secure existing jobs and create at least six new ones”. It will also help them meet foreign demand for their “hand-reared” fish – the company currently exports 70% of the c.1,500 tonnes they produce a year.
It’s been a busy start to the year for Scotland’s only independent owner-operated salmon farming business. Earlier this week they received £951,309 in EMFF and Scottish Government funding “towards modernisation and sustainable growth in aquaculture”; while last week their owner and MD, Gilpin Bradley, was announced as the interim chair of the SSPO.
