A £2.5 million European funding boost to support sustainable growth and investment in Scottish aquaculture was announced yesterday by Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing.

Announcing the award, Ewing called on the UK Government for more clarity on the replacement of such funding after Brexit.

Around £1.7m from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) will go to the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre at Stirling University to promote environmental sustainability, and bring industry and research together to provide innovative solutions to sector challenges.

Loch Fyne Oysters Limited, Charron Ltd, Dawnfresh Seafoods Limited and Fassfern Mussels Limited will also benefit from the funding, which is part of the second round of the EMFF, supporting 56 projects in communities all across Scotland.

Ewing was speaking at the Farmed Finfish Summit at Marine Harvest Ltd in Fort William where he demonstrated how essential support from the European Union was.

He also committed to form an Aquaculture Industry Leadership Group (ILG) to drive growth and improve partnership working between the industry and government.

Ewing said: “This is a great example of how essential EU funding is, helping to encourage further innovation and supporting the sustainable growth of aquaculture, in turn benefiting rural communities which depend on this industry.

“In the absence of clarity from the UK Government on the longer-term impact of the EU referendum vote on EU funding, we will do all we can to champion our shared interests and provide reassurance to our aquaculture industry. We know aquaculture has a key role to play in our rural economy. It is a major Scottish exporter to the EU which is why we will continue to engage with the UK Treasury to get clarity on future funding and to secure Scotland’s place in the single market.”

It follows the launch of plans to double the annual worth of aquaculture in Scotland to £3.6 billion and make the country a “global leader” in the industry in less than 15 years.

More than 9,000 new jobs are promised as part of the strategy for the sector, which takes in fish farming, mussel production, seaweed harvest and other related industries.

Salmon is currently the country’s top food export and aquaculture has contributed £1.8bn to the economy this year, but major players say it is falling behind international competition.

The new strategy relies on three key recommendations, including the creation of a new industry leadership group to help companies and government work together to deliver growth.

Others include stripping regulator Marine Scotland of its industry development role and trialling “cutting edge equipment, technology and fish health strategies”. The strategy has been drawn up by a working group including the Scottish Salmon Producers Association, wholesaler Aquascot, Highland Council and the Association of Scottish Shellfish Growers.

The country is the world’s third largest producer of the foodstuff, behind Norway and Chile, but its global market share has slipped by around 50 per cent over the past 20 years as it failed to match competitors’ growth.