His comments were backed by Canadian seaweed expert, Dr Thierry Chopin, Professor of Marine Sciences at the University of New Brunswick, who said diversification is the key to successful and sustainable industry growth. “Don’t put all your salmon eggs in the same basket!” he told delegates.

Dr Chopin outlined his vision of the fish farm of the future, drawing on his experiences with Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture – farming finfish, shellfish and seaweed on the same site - in the Bay of Fundy, Canada.

He said that while the Chinese and Japanese have been practicing polyculture for centuries, Western aquaculture companies are now starting to realise the potential of integrated aquaculture. In fact the project is supported by Eastern Canada’s largest aquaculture company, Cooke Aquaculture.

Delegates also heard from Hui Liu, Marie Curie Fellow and Associate Professor at the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Centre. She outlined the Chinese industry’s growth, to its current position as the world’s largest producing nation – responsible for around 70% of global production. China now farms over 100 species of marine animals and seaweeds.

Scotland can learn from Chinese experience, Associate Professor Liu told delegates. Some of China’s most successful species have been non-native species such as turbot, she added.

Delegates heard that species development will also play a key role in the future of the UK industry. The afternoon’s session featured presentations covering developments with species including tilapia, abalone, sea urchins and seaweed.

Dr Maeve Kelly, Senior Lecturer at the Scottish Association for Marine Science agreed that integrated aquaculture will feature prominently in tomorrow’s fish farms. Highlighting an example from a site where sea urchins are grown adjacent to salmon cages, she said a tonne of sea urchins can consume up to 40kg of salmon feed a day - food that otherwise would have been wasted. A second crop such as sea urchins or seaweed could lead to significant economic rewards, she added.

Asked whether current Scottish legislation is too restrictive when it comes to the introduction of new species, Dr Kelly said that, while non-native species such as abalone present no risk to the environment themselves, there is always the risk of new diseases also being introduced.

“I think there is a good case to look at each species on a case by case basis and to examine the potential benefits to that species,” she said.

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