Scottish salmon farming creates 400 jobs

24-Jan-2012 - Last updated on 24-Jan-2012 at 13:19 GMT

Multi-million pound investment has helped to create over 400 jobs in the past two years

Multi-million pound investment in the Scottish salmon industry has created more than 400 jobs over the past two years, a leading industry expert will tell a scientific meeting in Dundee this evening (January 24).

Dr John Webster, technical director of Scottish Salmon Producers' Organisation, will tell an event hosted by the Tayside and Fife branch of the British Science Association at Dundee University that during 2010 alone, employment in the sector climbed by 15%.

Driven by investment in new technologies and burgeoning demand, Webster will explain how more than £150M has been invested over the past five years. Further significant investment is planned for 2012, including the opening of a multi-million pound processing facility in Rosyth later this year.

Fastest growing

Webster said: "Fish farming is one of the fastest growing food-producing sectors in the world.

"Global demand for fish is increasing as a result of increases in the population and a rise in the average consumption per person. However, almost 90% of global fish and shellfish farming takes place in China and the Far East; only 3% takes place within Europe.”

Without farming, which now provides over half of the global supply of seafood, there would be severe fish shortages, said Webster.