Scottish Sea Farms cuts 2026 harvest guidance by 3,000 tonnes
Salmon producer lowers expectations after biological challenges
Scotland’s second-largest salmon producer, Scottish Sea Farms, has reduced volume guidance for 2026 by 3,000 gutted weight tonnes to 40,000 gwt after biological problems at some sites in the third quarter led to early harvesting at the start of Q4.
SSF harvested 13,000 gwt in Q3 2026, compared with 7,200 tonnes harvested in the same period last year.
The company generated operating revenues of NOK 1.185 billion (£94.1 million) in Q3 2026, compared with NOK 679m in the corresponding quarter last year.
Operating profit was NOK 13m, up from NOK 8m in Q3 2025, but EBIT per kg gutted weight was just NOK 1.0 (£0.079) in the period, a decrease from NOK 1.2 per kg in the corresponding period last year.
Incident-based mortality
SalMar, which co-owns SSF with fellow Norwegian salmon farming heavyweight Lerøy Seafood Group, said SSF's results in the period were negatively impacted by incident-based mortality where sites with biological challenges in Q3, leading to them being harvested out in October.
Trade body Salmon Scotland’s monthly survival statistics show that SSF fallowed its Fada farm in the Summer Isles in August after gill health problems that led to mortality of 15.8% that month and 38.9% for the full production cycle. The farm is a small one with a maximum allowed biomass of 600 tonnes.
SSF’s Fiunary farm in the Sound of Mull was also fallowed in August. The farm, which has a maximum allowed biomass of 2,156 tonnes, had 32.4% mortality for the full cycle.
In September, the company fallowed its Tanera farm, also in the Summer Isles, after gill health problems pushed full-cycle mortality above 30%. In contrast, other SSF sites such as Dunstaffnage (0.5%), Holms Geo (0.5%), Shuna (0.5%), North Voe (0.6%), and Nevis B (0.9%) had low mortality in September.
