Community engagements for Loch Etive taking place this month
As previously reported, Mowi has launched a community engagement process to explore the potential for its farms at Loch Etive to grow post-smolt salmon.
The farms at Loch Etive are part of Dawnfresh Farming’s operations acquired by Mowi Scotland earlier this year.
Two events have been organised to provide an opportunity for members of the local community to learn about current farming practices, proposed changes and to ask questions.
The first event takes place Tuesday 5th September at Taynuilt Village Hall at 7.30pm and the second event takes place Wednesday 6th September at Ardchatten Centre at 7.30pm.
Attending the events and available to answer questions about the proposal for Loch Etive will be Clara McGhee, Area Manager of Dawnfresh operations. Speaking about the forthcoming events, Clara said: “I do hope that people living near Loch Etive will come along to these information sessions. Our proposal for post-smolt production at Loch Etive will lead to a reduction in overall vessel activity on the loch and we believe it will be extremely beneficial for the salmon by maintaining a low level of sea lice.”
Currently, individual sites at Loch Etive are fallowed at different times. Mowi’s new production plan would include six-month growth cycles to enable farms to synchronise fallow (empty) periods throughout the whole loch system. This break in production combined with the loch’s naturally brackish waters will help maintain a low sea lice population in Loch Etive (sea lice do not flourish in low salinity). With less standing biomass on site, less feed will be used and therefore less organic waste generated which will aid in the seabed’s recovery. Harvesting operations will be eliminated which will lessen overall vessel activity on the loch.
Mowi’s production experts have reviewed several options for its post-smolt programme, including a land-based recirculation unit, and have found Loch Etive to be the most suitable considering cost and carbon footprint.