A hatchling industry:Half a century since Marine Harvest prnduced the first farmed salmnn in Scotland, we look at how far the sector has come

摘要

Salmon farming is a major sector for Scotland today, but the industry began with one harvest of just 14 tonnes, half a century ago on the shores af Loch Ailort, on Scotland's west coast. The farm at Lochailort-the spelling is different for the sea loch and the village - was an experiment that paid off for Marine Harvest, the company now known as Mowi, the world's largest supplier of farmed salmon.Marine Harvest had been founded in 1965 by Unilever, the UK food and domestic products giant, with a view to securing a supply offish at a time when it was becoming clear that traditional fisheries were going to struggle to meet the demands of a growingpopulation. Unilever was involved in sea fishing, freezing and processing, and also owned a number of trout farms in England.Scotland's fishing industry was concentrated on the east coast, and Marine Harvest benefited from the support of Unilever's research centre in Rndon, near Aberdeen. Despite also trialling trout and halibut, it became clear that, commercially, salmon wasa potential winner. The geography in the east did not favour fish farming, however, so the company searched for a site on the west coast, where sea lochs offered shelter from wild weather.