SalmoBreed Scotland launched

A NEW company, SalmonBreed Scotland Ltd has been established that promises to bring 'tailor-made' salmon eggs within the reach of all Scottish salmon farmers, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to FishNewsEu.Com.

SalmoBreed AS, which has been developing salmon selective breeding programmes in Norway since 1999, has over the years assembled a unique team of experts in genetics, fish health and fish husbandry, and now supplies around 20% of the market for Atlantic salmon ova world-wide.

To satisfy the ever increasing demand for specialised ova that produce salmon to meet the needs of both farmer and processor, SalmoBreed AS has newly established SalmoBreed Scotland Limited, which will bring all the expertise of SalmoBreed's Norwegian operation to Scotland.

The Scottish salmon industry will now reap the benefits from all of the years of R&D through 'tailor-made' ova production on its doorstep. SalmoBreed Scotland's freshwater stocks will be held in facilities operated by the University of Stirling's fish farm at Howietoun, benefitting from not only SalmoBreed staff's expertise but also the services of the University of Stirling's Institute of Aquaculture.

The new company will also operate closed containment broodstock facilities in Argyll. SalmoBreed Scotland  will also be developing co-operative working arrangements with the major Scottish salmon farming companies in relation to selection and production of broodstock, as well as spawning and incubation facilities.

 "We are delighted to be launching our new operation in Scotland," said SalmoBreed Managing Director, OddGeir Oddsen . "The industry here is well-placed for future expansion, and that means there is an increasing demand for high-quality eggs. Our track record in producing salmon eggs which are tailor-made for customers' requirements and our ability to offer both disease resistant strains and ones with favoured production characteristics will be at the service of the Scottish industry in due course."

OddGeir, who was for many years the Managing Director of Pan Fish Scotland and Lighthouse Caledonia and knows the Scottish industry well, continued: "We look forward to working with all the major salmon farming companies which operate here. We have had very, very positive feedback from all of them, and they have welcomed the launch of SalmoBreed Scotland."
The company aims to supply 40 - 50% of the Scottish market for salmon eggs.