Construction work has started to build a new £37 million Scottish Sea Farms' onshore smolt hatchery near Oban.

Robertson Northern is delivering a new £13m freshwater Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) at Barcaldine, which will rear young Scottish salmon to help meet growing global demand.

The project is part of Scottish Sea Farms' plans to invest a total of £70m in improving and maintaining its existing sites and acquiring new ones over the next few years.

One finished, the overall hatchery will raise the company's smolt production from five million to up to 11 million annually, as well as creating 25 new jobs for the area. The first fish reared in the facility are expected to be transferred to Marine farms in 2019.


Scottish Sea Farms Managing Director Jim Gallagher said: "This is a significant investment in our freshwater capacity and is a vital component to helping us meet the world's increasing demand for premium Scottish salmon.

"Robertson Northern have demonstrated that they have the right skills to help deliver what is a landmark development for Scottish Sea Farms and for Scottish aquaculture."

Frank Reid, managing director of Robertson Northern, added: "This is a revolutionary development in every sense of the word and an exciting development for both Scottish Sea Farms and the local economy.

"As well as creating jobs when complete, we will be using the skilled local workforce whenever we can throughout the development of this facility."

(LM/MH)