Scotland 'forward-looking and positive' about offshore fish farming

Norwegian salmon farming heavyweight SalMar is working with “forward-looking and positive authorities” in Scotland as it seeks potential sites for offshore farms, the company’s chief executive Frode Arntsen said today.

Arntsen was speaking during a presentation of the company’s results for the first quarter of 2025, which included results for offshore segment SalMar Ocean, which was formerly a joint venture with ocean engineering company Aker.

He explained that, as previously announced, the offshore company had become a wholly owned subsidiary of SalMar after it was decided that technological development and opportunities would be more effectively managed that way.

Biological achievements

“The change in ownership does not change our view of offshore aquaculture,” said Arntsen. “The biological achievements that we experience when we can produce at optimal locations further out to sea give us continued strong faith in offshore farming in the long term.

“As of today, there are regulatory obstacles for us in Norway to build new units, and we know good work is being done to put [revised regulation] in place.

“But we are experiencing forward-thinking and positive authorities in Scotland, and we are continuing to look at expansion internationally.”

East of Shetland

In March, the Shetland News reported that SalMar Aker Ocean was exploring the establishment of an offshore fish farm off the east coast of Shetland. It said the company had already given a presentation to Yell Community Council and was expected to share more information in the spring.

Trine Sæther Romuld, who was SalMar Aker Ocean’s chief financial officer until the company became part of SalMar AS, told Shetland News that the company had been exploring “international opportunities”, with the northeast of Scotland being one region in the company’s sights.

“The entire eastern side of Shetland is considered prosperous for exposed aquaculture, i.e. further offshore than traditional aquaculture,” she said.

“We have a good dialogue with the relevant authorities, and we are in early phase of community engagement.”

At the end of April, the Scottish Government announced that it will change the law later this year to enable fish farmers to apply for developments between three and 12 miles from the shore, ending a legal anomaly that has so far limited fish farming to within three miles of the coastline.

Semi-offshore farms

SalMar Ocean operates two semi-offshore facilities - Ocean Farm 1 and Arctic Offshore Farming – in central and northern Norway respectively.

In the first quarter 2025, SalMar Ocean harvested 1,200 gutted weight tonnes of salmon from the farms and reported operating revenues of NOK 85 million (£6.2m) and operational EBIT (a measure of operating profit) of NOK -19m.

SalMar Ocean transferred smolts to Ocean Farm 1 in Q2 2024 and to Arctic Offshore Farming in Q3 2024 and started harvesting from both units towards the end of Q1 2025, which coincided with the lowest spot prices of the year.

The remaining volume of 5,800 gwt was harvested from the farms in April, said Arntsen.

A new batch of fish will be stocked in Ocean Farm 1 towards the end of the current quarter, but no new fish will be stocked in Arctic Offshore Farming until a new net has been constructed and installed at the facility.