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Ferguson told Fish Farming Expert: “The aquaculture industry is a core part of Argyll’s future growth, and its importance is widely recognised. For that reason it is essential that the planning processes, while preserving all the environmental and other requirements, are streamlined and competitive”.

His comments follow the publication of a report by the forum this week, which illustrates the importance of aquaculture to the region – particularly given the decline in the fishing and farming sectors – and its “considerable growth potential”.

Indeed, aquaculture already provides 595 direct jobs – 489 in finfish and 109 in shellfish - in the region; has inspired £25m capital investment in the last five years; and provides annual salaries of £12m. Four of Scotland’s five major salmon companies – Cooke Aquaculture, Marine Harvest, Scottish Sea Farms and The Scottish Salmon Company – have operations in Argyll and Bute.

The report states that, to maximize the region’s share of future aquaculture investment, there are five key considerations:

Staying close to the key decision makers

Within Argyll and Bute, the Council and HIE need to stay very close to the top executives of the four major aquaculture companies, understanding their needs and responding to them. It should be made clear to them that we are very keen to have their investment, and will do all we can to make fish farming in Argyll more profitable than anywhere else.

Streamlining the planning process

This change was cited as critical by the aquaculture companies. Currently, a company seeking a new fish farming site needs to prepare three different applications (which all differ, although having similar data requirements) for Argyll and Bute Council, SEPA and Marine Scotland; and crucially, they are dealt with only one after another. In Norway, they have “one stop shopping”, with a single application form and simultaneous review. This leads to an application process period three times faster than in Scotland, and largely as a result, aquaculture investment and productions in Norway have been growing faster than in Scotland, despite the fact that it is more profitable in Scotland. A working group on this issue has now proposed a single application form; and simultaneous evaluation by the three agencies. This should be implemented swiftly; and should apply equally to site expansions.

Diversification

There are currently 30,000 tonnes of salmon, 3,000 tonnes of trout, 70 tonnes of halibut, four million oysters and 800 tonnes of mussels grown in Argyll each year. The report claims it would be good if diversification could be further encouraged. In particular, shellfish production could expand considerably: our oyster production at 4 million units compares with France at 60 million units, with a similar coastline length. The recent acquisition by Loch Fyne Oysters of an oyster hatchery in Cumbria, the funding of a mussel hatchery in Shetland, and the establishment of a scallop hatchery in Ross and Cromarty help address the current constraints and provide an opportunity for Argyll entrepreneurs to expand this sector. There is also a potential for scallop ranching, and possibly lobster ranching. Halibut is a new and growing product, based on the production facilities in Gigha.

Processing

Processing can be a big employer for the aquaculture industry. Loch Fyne Oysters now employs 120 people in processing at Cairndow. The Scottish Salmon Company, (owners of Loch Fyne Oysters), is planning a major new processing plant at Ardyne, near Dunoon, that has full planning consent for phase 1 and an approved masterplan from the Council. At the same time, the scallop and nephrops (prawn) catch for the fishing industry is today processed almost entirely outside Argyll, or shipped directly abroad. The possibility of some of that catch also being processed at Ardyne, or another suitable site in Argyll and Bute should be investigated.

Collaboration with academia

Building on current work with private sector companies and Universities, including the University of the Highland and Islands, SAMS at Dunstaffnage has the potential to be a centre of excellence for the aquaculture industry in terms of new species, new technologies and new product development. Indeed, SAMS already plays an important role in the development of future food products, including those based on seaweed and algae. Within aquaculture there is an opportunity to develop Marine Biotechnology, sometimes known as Blue Technology, which involves the use of marine macro and micro algae in the development of new products such as nutraceutical and pharma applications, bioremediation and biofuels. HIE are developing a business case for the creation of a pilot biorefinery to be situated at the European Marine Science Park. There is an opportunity, with the right investment, for Argyll and Bute to become the national and international leader in marine biotechnology.