Aquaculture firm invests £2 million in sites at Aith and Unst

Cooke Aquaculture Scotland is making a £2 million investment in new cages and equipment for its sites in Shetland.
In what is the biggest single order received by Argyll based Fusion Marine, the bulk of the contract (34 pens) is for sites at Balta Isle and North Sandwick on Unst, with a further four pens earmarked for Aith.

The order also includes a wide range of associated equipment including bird net support wheels and sinker tubes.

The contract for 38 Triton pens will “ensure that Cooke Aquaculture Scotland is equipped with the latest containment technology” for three of their farm sites on Shetland.

Cooke Aquaculture Scotland managing director Colin Blair said: “We are particularly pleased that we have been able to place these orders with a Scottish manufacturing company. It underlines the importance of salmon farming to Scotland’s economy in supporting jobs in rural communities and sourcing services locally, when possible. The containment equipment offered by Fusion Marine is ideally suited for the demanding environmental conditions found in the Northern Isles.”

Fusion Marine engineers will assemble the tough polyethylene constructed pens at Cullivoe, from where they will be towed to their final locations in a phased delivery over the coming months.

Iain Forbes of Fusion Marine said: “This order is great news for everyone here at Fusion Marine and will also deliver direct economic benefits to Shetland through the development of sustainable and responsibly managed aquaculture.

“We are pleased that the pens will be assembled in Shetland, which will provide an additional boost to the islands through the development of local supplier networks. This latest order is testimony to the quality of our equipment and the strong partnership we have established with Cooke.”

Fusion Marine is currently investing in new staff and production equipment and this latest order will provide an additional boost to the Argyll based company as it continues to grow.