Plans for a £3.2 million new salmon farm in Orkney have been giving the go ahead.
The farm will be located off the small island of Hunda within Scapa Flow creating six new full-time roles.
Following approval to grow up to 1,677 tonnes of salmon, the farm will feature a 200-tonne steel feed barge – the first to be built at the former Corpach Boatyard in Fort William – alongside 12 pens, underwater cameras and environmental monitoring technology to help preserve the creatures.
Workers will use a 46ft catamaran-style workboat worth £665,000 – being built by Macduff Shipyards in Aberdeenshire – to monitor the site, owned by Scottish Sea Farms.
Scottish Sea Farms’ production manager for Orkney, Richard Darbyshire, said: “Salmon farming continues to advance at a great pace and this new farm at Hunda will benefit from the latest know-how and technologies.
“Each and every aspect of our farming activity has been carefully considered: from enhancing fish health and welfare, to protecting local marine life and the surrounding environment.”
Around £200,000 will be injected into local salaries through the venture followed by significant investment in training and development, adding to the existing skills base in Orkney.
Scottish Sea Farms’ head of human resources, Tracy Bryant-Shaw, said: “Well-paid, skilled jobs are crucial to enabling people to remain within remote and rural communities, so we’re delighted to be contributing an additional six full-time jobs to Orkney.
“Each job comes with training and development, delivered by local providers wherever possible, and the opportunity for those in trainee roles to undertake a Modern Apprenticeship.”
