£800,000 Project targets gill health in farmed salmon

A project worth almost £800,000 has been launched by Scottish Sea Farms and feed company BioMar to target gill health in farmed salmon.

The £798,400, two-year initiative, part funded by the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC), will develop innovative diagnostic tools to precisely monitor the gill condition of salmon in seawater pens, along with devising new feeds to promote optimum health and welfare.

It is hoped the research, which also involves the University of Aberdeen and Marine Scotland Science, will help address one of the biggest health problems affecting farmed salmon.

The diagnostic tools will enable farmers to fine-tune their husbandry practices to the conditions of the local marine environment, aided by rapid response modelling of risk factors.

Heather Jones, CEO of SAIC, which is contributing £284,000 of the cost, said: ‘As the first of a suite of gill health projects being funded by SAIC, we are delighted to support the experienced academic and industry team to advance our understanding of complex gill disease in Atlantic salmon and to develop innovative surveillance tools and nutritional solutions.’

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