AN innovative project to get Scottish mussels to spawn in a hatchery environment has received an international boost with a visit from Tasmanian partners Spring Bay Seafoods – operators of one of the world’s few commercial-scale mussel hatcheries.
The partners first met during a four-day fact-finding mission to Spring Bay Seafoods in February 2015 and the insights they learned from the visit has helped create the £1.7 million 30-month project by the Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group (SSMG) and University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI). Co-funding is provided by the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.
Now, with the first year of project operations well under way, the team has hosted Spring Bay Seafoods’ Hatchery Manager Bryce Daly for a three-week visit to the NAFC Marine Centre UHI in Scalloway, Shetland, where he will be observing the systems in place, sharing his husbandry expertise and helping the team hone the skills necessary to rear mussels in a hatchery environment.
Michael Tait, Chairman of SSMG and Shetland-based mussel farmer, says: “The visit has come at a hugely opportune time for the project.
“We have had lots of spawning but increasing post-spawn survival rates has been a core focus. Bryce, with his many years of experience in hatchery production, has helped identify several small adjustments that should significantly improve survivability.”
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