Aquaculture is the production of shellfish and finfish for food and to restock lakes and rivers for angling.
Traditionally the aquaculture sector consisted of small businesses often operating as a cottage industry consisting of finfish and shellfish production. Aquaculture is a relatively new industry in the UK which has evolved rapidly in the last 30 years. The finfish industry attracted investment by multi-nationals like Marine Harvest in the 1980s. The sector is now dominated by large, integrated companies.
Most of the industry is in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, where salmon, shellfish, trout, and small volumes of cod and halibut are produced. The main species farmed in England and Wales is rainbow trout, followed by mussels and oysters. The industry exports most of its output, mainly to France, Spain and Portugal.
On the horizon
Shellfish production is starting to polarise. Large dredged mussel operations for the export market are mainly in Wales, whereas premium rope grown mussels are in Scotland and to a much lesser extent in Cornwall, England. Shetland is now a very significant producer of rope grown mussels.
The aquaculture industry is very labour intensive with even the very small businesses requiring staff for boat work and processing, those businesses with no staff will usually use casual staff or contract in from other growers at harvest.
Men dominate the proprietor category, although there is a higher percentage of women at the staffing level. This gender imbalance is influenced by tradition, as men would work the boats and go to sea while the women did on shore processing work. This was largely due to the harsh conditions experienced at sea and the perception that women were generally much faster and better at grading. The industry's future gender balance is expected to alter under the influence of a higher migrant workforce and technology taking over the role of traditional jobs such as processing or grading.
Digging deeper
Our research helps us to ensure education and training is relevant to your sector. We study the skills and labour requirements of the aquaculture industry, and ensure these needs are met through your training.
For more detailed information, read the Aquaculture Sector Skills Agreement Report and Annex here.
