October 17, 2007

Scottish salmon breeder first to send salmon smolts to Russia

Landcatch Ltd., a Scotland-based salmon breeder, has become the first company to sell salmon smolts to Russia.

The company sent a consignment of 300,000 salmon smolts, each weighing 75 grammes,  on a 1500-mile trip via well boat from the Argyll coast in Scotland to Russian Salmon's production base at Ambarnaya Fjord near Murmansk.

Landcatch chairman Hugh Currie said the operation, which supplied Russia's embryonic salmon industry, was a major tribute to the quality of Landcatch stock and the company's breeding methods.

A two to three-day transfer would normally be considered a lengthy journey but this time, the stock was on the move for more than twice that time, he said.

The fish, worth more than GBP 300,000 (US$610,000 ), survived the trip with very few mortalities, he said.

They are now entering production at Russian Salmon's farm which is scheduled for an initial production output of 2000 tonnes of salmon a year.

Landcatch Ltd was founded by the Scottish-based family-run Lithgows' business 25 years ago as a land-based salmon production unit. In 1996, the company moved into the specialist production of eggs and salmon smolts.

Production now totals 65 million salmon eggs in Scotland and 45 million eggs in Chile. Landcatch Scotland also produces 5 million smolts plus parr while Landcatch Chile produces 3.5 million smolts.

By 2010, the company expects to have a 20 percent share of the world salmon egg market.