Impact case study database

Stirling research has been pivotal in establishing and driving cleaner fish aquaculture in the UK and internationally as a biological control method for sea lice ( R1). Mowi Scotland (part of Mowi ASA, based in Norway with extensive Scottish operations, the world’s largest producer of Atlantic salmon), Scottish Seafarms (SSF) and The Scottish Salmon Company (SSC), together >70% of UK farmed salmon production, formed collaboration agreements with Stirling to initiate programmes of research and development for farming ballan wrasse from 2010 and then lumpfish from 2014. The research addressed many knowledge gaps and made breakthroughs which gave confidence to the industry to invest in facilities, staff and technologies with a commitment to reach full reliance on farmed rather than wild cleaner fish in coming years ( S1).

Impact 1 – Economic benefits

Research-generated knowledge ( R1 to R6) has provided the resources and confidence for industry-upscaling of cleaner fish farming to meet Scottish demands. All salmon farming companies in Scotland and Norway now therefore recognise the importance of specialist husbandry requirements for cleaner fish deployment in sea net pens, and in the UK have employed dedicated personnel with cleaner fish husbandry responsibilities, comprising 76 new FTE including 24 at Mowi Scotland, 22 at SSF, 10 at SSC and 20 at Otterferry Seafish ( S2/S3). This job creation has led to improvements in cleaner fish welfare and biological control of sea lice, resulting in a reduction in the use of veterinary medicines for remedial treatments, thereby improving the welfare of farmed salmon. The financial impact is estimated to be equivalent to an increase in annual turnover of more than GBP8,000,000. Research also led to new investments in hatcheries and on growing sites. The joint venture between Mowi and SSF in the wrasse hatchery in Machrihanish saw large investments in new recirculation systems, live feed production units (more than GBP 500,000/year in CAPEX and GBP1,000,000 annually OPEX since 2014 S2/S3). In 2019 Mowi bought two new facilities in Anglesey and upgraded these for producing ballan wrasse, and lumpfish (Ocean Matters) (GBP16,300,000 investment). SSF/SSC, together with Otterferry Seafish, have invested in new broodstock juvenile production facilities, with a new large scale on-growing facility that opened in 2020 (GBP10,500,000, S4). Production at OFS of ballan wrasse (started 2010) and lumpsucker (started 2014) reached 250,000 and 700,000 fish respectively commercialised in 2020 with a forecast to reach 500,000 ballan wrasse by 2025.

These benefits have all relied on Stirling research, as according to the Chief Executive of the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation, who represents the entire Scottish salmon sector with exports to over 50 countries, University of Stirling research “has been pivotal in supporting our widescale use (and production of) cleaner fish” ( S6).

Impact 2 - Production benefits

Stirling research led to commercial protocols implemented within the industry in the UK and Norway from broodstock to deployment of first wild and then farmed ballan wrasse and farmed lumpfish, leading to the rapid expansion of their deployment in the global salmon farming sector, starting from the UK, Norway ( S5) followed by Faroe islands and Ireland, and recently expanding to Canada. The best evidence of research impact is the rapid expansion of the use of farmed cleaner fish by the Scottish industry (and other salmon producing countries), with only a few salmon farms using wild-caught wrasse at research inception (2010-12) to most of the 217 Scottish sea sites using cleaner fish in 2019 and >70% of these using farmed cleaner fish ( S6). The first sea site which deployed farmed cleaner fish and successfully completed the cycle up to harvest without medicinal treatment was Mowi Loch Leven ( R4 and R6 study location) and many more sites and production cycles across the Scottish industry have achieved the same since. The use of farmed cleaner fish has been a key milestone for the Loch Leven site which became the first place in the UK to be approved by the international Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), which certifies and labels responsibly-farmed seafood for consumers.

According to Dougie Hunter, the Technical Director of MOWI Scotland, “This innovation has been a major step forward for salmon farming in Scotland towards improved sustainability and fish welfare” ( S2). Scottish SeaFarms, Head of Fish Health and Welfare stated, “we fully recognise the highly valuable contribution that the University has made for the use of cleaner fish as playing an important alternative means of control of sea lice on farmed salmon. … This successful collaboration [with Stirling] has proven to be a landmark in the development of cleaner fish, not just in Scotland but globally. The discoveries made and new knowledge gained have significantly advanced our understanding of many of the fundamental areas of fish welfare and biological control of sea lice, and in doing so will help pave the way for successfully scaling up cleaner fish production for the future sustainable growth of the sector” ( S3).

Impact 3 - New products developed and commercialised

Stirling research has been central to the development of dedicated feeds ( e.g. R4) for ballan wrasse with both adult and juvenile hatchery diets developed with feed producer BioMar (one of the three global leaders in sustainable aquaculture feeds) ( S7) who commercialised 550 tonnes of Symbio feeds and agar blocks between 2014 and 2020 across the UK and Norway for a total value of circa GBP3,700,000. To meet increasing demands, BioMar also invested in new infrastructure in Scotland to manufacture the feeds and dedicated personnel (5 FTE). Extensive research has examined aspects of immunology and immunocompetence ( R5) to support the development of a proven effective vaccine by Ridgeway Biologicals (owned by CEVA, a leading global pharmaceutical and biotechnological company) in collaboration with Stirling, against atypical Aeromonas, the main pathogen responsible for ballan wrasse (and lumpfish) mortalities. The resulting vaccine is the only one authorised for use in the UK and by 2020 more than 23,000,000 doses had been deployed for ballan wrasse ( S8). Both feeds and vaccines contributed to the improved health, welfare, and delousing efficacy of farmed cleaner fish.

BioMar Scotland MD and Vice President Salmon for the company globally emphasises “the contribution Stirling research had on BioMar business and as such on the global salmon sector” ( S7). Ridgeway Biologicals MD stated, “The research collaboration has been instrumental in opening this novel market for Ceva Ridgeway enabling the development and commercialisation of vaccines, which have a unique formulation” ( S8).

External Recognition of Impact

Stirling cleaner fish research and impact is widely recognised as an innovative and productive model for industry/academia collaboration ( S8), receiving notable accolades including:

• Stirling’s Institute for Aquaculture won a 2018-20 Queen’s Anniversary Prize, of which our work on cleaner fish was a major component.

• Finalist (2014) and winner (2016) of Scottish Enterprise Life Sciences award (Innovative collaboration award),

• Winner (2019) Aquaculture UK awards (Applied research breakthrough),

• Recognition of Industrial contribution through Crown Estates 2015 Scottish Marine Aquaculture, Marine Stewardship award,

• 2015 SCDI ScotRail Business Direct Award for Excellence in Business Service & Engagement, and

• 2016 Scottish Food & Drink Excellence Award for Innovation ( S10).

The Scottish Government has also recognised the “major efforts which the sector has made in recent years to tackle the challenge of sea lice both through preventative husbandry and through non-chemical methods such as sustainable use of ‘cleaner fish’” and “recent developments in industry breeding programmes” ( S9), achievements which are dependent on our research.