Scottish fish farm production survey 2016

Report based on returns of annual survey questionnaire sent to all active authorised fish farming businesses in Scotland.

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4. Other Species

The Scottish aquaculture industry has continued to farm other species of fish during 2016. The production of brown trout ( Salmo trutta) showed a small decrease, with the majority of the production being for the angling restocking market. Production of halibut ( Hippoglossus hippoglossus) increased while there was no Arctic charr ( Salvelinus alpinus) or cod ( Gadus morhua) production during 2016. Lumpsucker ( Cyclopterus lumpus) and several species of wrasse (Labridae) were also produced in 2016. The production of lumpsucker and wrasse are targeted at the marine Atlantic salmon industry where they are used as a biological control for parasites.

Company, Site and Production Data

Table 40: Number of companies and sites producing other species in 2016, annual production of other species (tonnes) during 2013-2016 and estimated production in 2017

Species No. of companies No. of sites 2013 Production tonnage 2014 Production tonnage 2015 Production tonnage 2016 Production tonnage 2017 Production tonnage*
Arctic charr 0 0 0 0 t 0 0
Brown trout/ sea trout 12 15 44 48 42 41 92
Cod 1 1 t t 0 0 0
Halibut 2 3 56 66 56 67 80
Lumpsucker 4 7 0 5 6 10 46
Wrasse spp 3 3 0.1 0.1 3 4 3

* Industry estimates based on stocks currently being on-grown.

t Production occurred but this cannot be shown without revealing the figure for an individual company.

Staffing

Table 41: Number of staff employed in farming other species during 2007-2016

Year Full-time Part-time Total
2007 75 29 104
2008 80 44 124
2009 23 22 45
2010 19 24 43
2011 24 19 43
2012 25 21 46
2013 29 21 50
2014 29 20 49
2015 35 15 50
2016 43 20 63

In 2016, the overall number of staff employed in the production of other species increased by 13.

Production of Cleaner fish

Table 42: Number (000's) of cleaner fish produced during 2015-2016

Species Number of fish produced (000's)
2015 2016
Lumpsucker 235 262
Wrasse spp. 75 118

In recent years lumpsucker and wrasse spp. have been produced for use as a biological control for parasites in the marine Atlantic salmon industry. Data on the number of fish produced has only been collected since 2015. As data for future years is collected it will show trends in cleaner fish production.

Ova Laid Down to Hatch

Table 43: Source of ova from other species laid down to hatch during 2016

Species Source of ova laid down to hatch (000's)
Own broodstock Other GB broodstock Foreign ova
Brown trout/sea trout 407 0 5
Halibut 8,000 0 0
Lumpsucker 100 0 3,200
Wrasse spp. 5,200 0 0

Trade in Small Fish

Table 44: Trade in small fish of other species in 2016

Species Bought (000's) Sold (000's)
Halibut 400 65
Brown trout/sea trout 49 17
Lumpsucker 1,752 452
Wrasse spp. 1,000 43

There was also a small amount of production of: brook charr ( Salvelinus fontinalis); sheepshead minnow ( Cyprinodon variegatus variegatus); tiger trout ( Salmo trutta x Salvelinus fontinalis) and turbot ( Scophthalmus maximus). However, due to the small number of companies in production, it is not possible to summarise these data without revealing the production of individual companies.

Organic Production

Of the 30 sites recorded as producing other species in 2016, no organic production was reported.

Escapes

There were no reported escapes from sites rearing other species during 2016.

Contact

Email: Lorna Munro, lorna.munro@gov.scot

Phone: 0300 244 4000 – Central Enquiry Unit

The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

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