Niche salmon farmer Wester Ross is well positioned in the US

Scottish fish farmer Wester Ross Salmon (WRS) is celebrating a successful visit to the annual Seafood Expo North America (SENA) in Boston last month after it secured a key position in the trade show venue for its exclusive US distributor, Wheeler Seafood.

“It has taken three years of collaborative planning to acquire a space in the hall for Wheeler Seafood, directly opposite the Wester Ross booth in the Seafood Scotland Pavilion,” WRS communications and marketing manager Gillian Osborne told Fish Farming Expert.

“I’d like to thank Kat McDonald at Diversified (SENA organiser) and Matthew Hurst at Seafood Scotland for their help in securing this.”

For small-scale, premium producers such as Wester Ross, brand promotion is crucial and includes telling customers about how and where their salmon is grown.

“The proximity of the stands at SENA enabled us to offer a complete service to existing and prospective customers within the US who are able to meet with Wheeler and Wester Ross, see our farming videos, and meet farmers and members of the Wester Ross team,” explained Osborne.

“This adds a real sense of place and heritage to the brand name and allows customers to see and ask questions about our artisanal production.”

Ringfenced by Mowi

Wester Ross Salmon was bought by salmon farmer Mowi Scotland in 2022 and ringfenced by the company’s senior management to enable it to continue growing Scottish salmon in a small-scale, artisanal fashion. WRS has continued using its bespoke feed formulation that contains a higher proportion of marine ingredients derived from fish trimmings, and still achieves the rich flesh colour associated with feeding naturally produced carotenoids.

The company has a strong and recognisable global brand and carries out its own marketing, something that has historically been hugely successful. Osborne said product quality and year-round availability have been secured through Mowi’s ownership and the WRS approach to all-natural production is being preserved.

Connie Pattillo, head of operations at WRS, said: “Our visit to Boston for SENA was a fantastic experience for everyone from Wester Ross Salmon. It is always great to catch up face to face with Wheeler Seafood, as well as connecting with our customers and meeting new faces.

“It is wonderful to see our artisanal practices being valued by chefs and seafood lovers alike. With our recent certification for Ikejime (a Japanese slaughter method) and year-round supply, we’re even better placed to support our diverse customer base and continue growing in the US market.”

More chances to taste

The proximity of the two booths in Boston increased the variety of tasting opportunities on offer to showgoers. Wheeler Seafood had a chef preparing Wester Ross sample dishes, and WRS was serving hot smoked Scottish salmon from Loch Torridon Smokehouse, one of its artisan smokers. In addition, the Seafood Scotland chef was preparing dishes using seafood from all the exhibiting producers on its Pavilion.

“There is no substitute for the ability to taste the product, and our Wester Ross Scottish salmon was unanimously well received,” said Osborne.

A spokesperson for Wheeler Seafood said: “The presence of the Wester Ross salmon booth within the Seafood Scotland pavilion is a highlight of the Expo for us. As the exclusive importers of Wester Ross into North America, we are a family. Their dedication to hand-rearing and all-natural, artisanal practices in the pristine waters of the West Highlands of Scotland is a testament to what salmon farming should be.

“Having them here in Boston allows our customers to meet and experience first-hand the ‘wild at heart’ spirit that makes this amazing salmon a benchmark for quality across the continent.”

Exports growing well

The importance of the Wester Ross brand was underlined at SENA by Ben Hadfield, chief operating officer farming for Mowi in Scotland, Ireland, the Faroes, and Atlantic Canada, who spent some time staffing the Wester Ross stand.

“We are delighted by the strong and growing interest in Wester Ross salmon as a premium artisanal Scottish salmon, particularly in the North American market,” said Hadfield. 

“Our exports of this premium, niche salmon are developing extremely well and it's really quite cool to see the affinity that people have for the provenance and the story of how Wester Ross salmon are grown. What’s really impressive is when you hear people asking for ‘Westers’ in high end retail and food service.”

According to Mowi’s report for the fourth quarter of 2025, Wester Ross salmon was popular in the US market and commands a strong premium price.

“Achieved prices increased from Q4 2024 on the back of strong superior share and sale of differentiated products, including Wester Ross brand,” the company wrote.

Hands-off approach

Hadfield said that Mowi has gone “all in” to support the continued production and growth of WRS by adopting a hands-off approach and leaving the Wester Ross teams to continue farming the artisan way, with support when needed.

“With the provision of new farming locations in and surrounding Wester Ross, we now have Wester Ross availability year-round, a great location for our broodstock operations (at a former WRS hatchery at Ardessie) and a happy and motivated team producing a truly bespoke Scottish salmon for the US market,” concluded Hadfield.