Marine Harvest Scotland has been given the green light for a new salmon farm development off the Isle of Rum, in the Inner Hebrides.
The application made was for 12 120-meter pens, with a maximum standing biomass of 2,500 metric tons.
The development was invited, and has been welcomed, by the Isle of Rum community trust, following the success of Marine Harvest’s site at Muck, the company said.
The community has now voted in favor of the development, and a formal agreement should now be signed “to ensure the objectives of the proposed farm are clear and mutually beneficial”, said Marine Harvest.
All staff employed at the farm will be based on Rum; the company will need to build properties at the town of Kinloch to support them, and annual rent will be paid to the community trust for the land.
Marine Harvest Scotland anticipates employing 12 full time members of staff, as well as one or two seasonal workers. It envisages a two-week rota system, given the remoteness of the site.
“We are delighted that the committee has approved our plans for a salmon farm off Rum,” said Ben Hadfield, managing director at Marine Harvest Scotland.
“This will bring much needed jobs to the island. We look forward to starting work on the salmon farm and plan to be operational this year, growing high quality salmon to meet the demands of our customers across the globe.”
This article was originally published at undercurrent news on 31/01/18.
Tags: Fisheries, Islands, Salmon Farm, Seafood