Grieg Seafood Hjaltland’s farming (aquaculture) company Hjaltland Seafarms will receive £615,218 from the European Fisheries Fund (EEF) and £26,475 from Shetland Islands Council.
The grants will be allocated towards the following projects:
- Equipment for new site in Bomlo and upgrading equipment.
- Pilot project to improve the accuracy of determining biomass calculations within salmon cages.
- Seal predation protection project.
- Pilot project to evaluate different feed formulations within the Scottish environment.
Grieg Seafood Hjaltland’s managing director, Michael Stark said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this money which will make a significant contribution to enhance sustainable best farming practices and working conditions for our employees.
"It will also mean that we will be able to demonstrate to our consumer our continuous ambitions to improve all aspects associated with the farming of Atlantic salmon (Salmo Salar), strengthening Hjaltland’s position as the leading producer of high quality sustainable salmon from Shetland," he added.
Grieg Seafood Hjaltland is the largest private sector employer in Shetland and provides jobs to 160 workers, including part-time help, running at 23 sites divided at five clusters. The factory is currently expanding and will contain one of Europe’s most state-of-the-art salmon smokehouses.
Lerwick Fish Traders Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary of Hjaltland, harvests the salmon. About 70 per cent of the salmon production is delivered as whole salmon and 30 per cent as various fillet varieties.
The firm has garnered a large customer base in the UK and on the Continent. The sales department sells its own fish production plus some fish from external producers, and effect delivery through distributors to a number of the larger supermarket chains in the UK.
