A Member of the Scottish Parliament has highlighted the economic importance of salmon farming to Shetland and Scotland following a visit to a Cooke Scotland seawater farm.
Beatrice Wishart MSP toured a farm off the west mainland of Shetland on 27 February, hosted by Cooke Scotland’s Shetland regional manager David Brown. The visit included meetings with staff and discussions on husbandry practices and investment in innovation within the sector.
Wishart, who is Deputy Convener of the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs and Islands Committee, is currently involved in an inquiry examining the Scottish salmon sector.
“I’d like to thank Cooke Scotland for inviting me to see their salmon farming operations. It’s not only an important industry to Shetland but also to Scotland as a whole,” she said.
“It was interesting to see first-hand how Cooke raises salmon at the seawater sites and learn about the investment and developments being made in the industry in terms of innovation.”
“Salmon farming is a critical economic driver for rural and coastal communities, supporting thousands of high-skilled jobs as well as careers in the wider supply chain.”
Cooke Scotland said the salmon farming sector contributes around £91 million annually to Shetland’s economy and supports approximately 1,000 jobs across the northern isles.
Brown said the visit provided an opportunity to demonstrate the day-to-day work carried out at the site.
“Beatrice is already aware how vital salmon farming is to Shetland’s economy and community life, and it was a pleasure to show the care and hard work that we put into producing our fish here,” he said.
“It was a sunny but wet and windy day so it really was an insight into how our farmers work tirelessly in all weathers to produce nutritious, healthy and sustainable food to feed a growing world population.”
He added that visits by policymakers help improve understanding of both the opportunities and challenges facing island businesses.
Scottish salmon is the UK’s largest food export, and around one in five farmed in Scotland are grown in Shetland.
Cooke Scotland operates seawater sites off the east coast of Yell and Unst, as well as off the west coast of mainland Shetland. The company also runs a processing facility in Yell and freshwater sites in Unst.
