Fish
Farming Today - Published on: April 04, 2003
SHETLAND’S fish farming industry welcomed a party
of three leading environmental journalists to Shetland
this week. Mike McCarthy from the Independent,
Paul Brown from the Guardian, and Jeremy Watson from
Scotland On Sunday followed a full itinerary of visits
to farms, a processing unit, a well boat, Shetland
Seafood Quality Control, and the North Atlantic
Fisheries College.
David Sandison, general
manager of Shetland Salmon Farmers' Association (SSFA),
accompanied the group. He said: “The strict
environmental standards to which the industry operates
are frequently overlooked and we felt it was important
to demonstrate these rigorous controls to key members
of the press, and to show them – absolutely openly –
every stage of the fish farming process here in
Shetland. We also wanted to show how developments in
cage technology, feeding equipment and harvesting
processes have completely changed the way in which the
industry operates.”
Speaking after the
tour, Jeremy Watson said: “It was an immensely
interesting visit in which I was brought up to date
with the developments in what is a very important
industry on the islands. Aquaculture is making great
strides, both technologically and environmentally, and
it was clear to see that the industry in Shetland is
at the forefront of the move to give fish farming a
better public perception.” |
