Aquaculture and fishing

Argyll's coastal waters are teeming with marine life due to the actions of the Gulf Stream and have been fished in one format or another for hundreds if not thousands of years. Aquaculture in our area is represented by the international companies involved in fish farming such as Pan Fish and Marine Harvest and local shellfish producers such as Loch Fyne Oysters. The region is home to salmon farms, cod hatcheries, shellfish growers and harvesters along with a myriad variety of fishing boats plying the coastal waters.

Aquaculture
Argyll is home to a large number of fish farms offering employment to a significant number of workers in very remote areas.With the slump in salmon prices in the world market (although prices are recovering) many producers are looking to other species for a better investment with cod, halibut and haddock being the main alternatives. With large stable markets for these species in the UK many companies in the industry see this as an opportunity to escape the reliance on salmon.
We have a cod hatchery in Machrihanish which sells young fish to other fish farms across the UK and have a number of Marine laboratories engaged in research and support activities to this market. The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) is based at Dunstaffnage just outside of Oban and is home to some world class marine scientists. SAMS work with SEPA (Scottish Environmental Protection Agency) and currently for DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) with regard to the environmental impact of aquaculture and are also involved with two European projects into the use of in-situ biological filters to minimise impacts of effluent from fish farms.

Shellfish
Our waters are also host to large numbers of shellfish (both natural and farmed) and crustaceans. Mussels form the largest market segment with oysters and scallops forming smaller but still lucrative endeavours, most are native varieties dredged up while juveniles and re-laid in sheltered waters to reach maturity. Mussels are also farmed by suspension from ropes hung from long lines or rafts. Many local divers are involved in the scallop market. Lobsters, both native and squat, are also caught in the wild. Currently efforts are concentrated in restocking or 'ranching' suitable fishing grounds by introducing hatchery produced juveniles.      

Angling
Argyll's rivers and sea lochs offer a lure to anglers from the UK and beyond that is hard to resist. Salmon, trout (brown and rainbow) and pike are to be found in the rivers while the sea and local sea lochs are home to sea trout, wrasse, pollock, hake, ling, skate and conga eel to name but a few.
Estates on the islands and mainland offer sport fishing over much of the year and this is a growing tourist attraction with Islay hosting the World Fly Fishing event just earlier this year.  

These industries contribute to the Argyll economy in terms of employment, inward investment, tourism and through involvement in the export market. Shellfish from Argyll waters find markets in France, Portugal and Spain. So the next time you are enjoying garlic mussels on holiday in one of these countries you could be sampling good Scottish fair from Argyll and the Islands.