Scottish Sea Farms has celebrated a double triumph at the annual Aquaculture Awards.
The company’s Noelia Rodriguez scooped Finfish Farmer of the Year whilst the Orkney team won the Economic Sustainability prize for providing housing on the remote island of Eday.
“Across the company, in every region and department, we have exceptional people doing some really exceptional things, all with the shared purpose of farming as responsibly and as sustainably as we possibly can,” said Scottish Sea Farms managing director, Jim Gallagher.
“I am delighted for Noelia, who continues to go from strength to strength, and for our Eday homes team who, by thinking bigger picture, have improved conditions for colleagues and very possibly shaped a new business model for ensuring more of our remote farms remain viable in the long-term,” he added.
Noelia, operations manager at the company’s new Barcaldine RAS Hatchery, joined Scottish Sea Farms in 2012. Credited with creating greater collaboration between freshwater and marine farming, her focus is on producing top quality smolts.
In Orkney, Scottish Sea Farms worked with local landowners Willowstream to address the housing shortage in Eday which threatened the long-term viability of the salmon farm there, managed by Phil Boardman.
Phil, together with Northern Isles regional manager Richard Darbyshire, approached Willowstream and conceived a 1.5 acre, six-strong development of eco-friendly homes in the secluded area of Mill Bay.
