Scottish Sea Farms’ managing director Jim Gallagher has stepped down from the board of the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) to give his undivided focus to the company.
The company is expecting a decision soon by the Competition and Markets Authority on its planned takeover of Grieg Seafood Hjaltland UK and is also planning over £40M in strategic investments in 2022.
Jim Gallagher said it has been an honour to serve on the SAIC board. “Scottish aquaculture is without doubt better connected, more collaborative and operating increasingly sustainably thanks to the ongoing work of SAIC and its Independent Scientific Panel to bring together the country’s producers and academics to address some of the sector’s most pressing challenges and opportunities,” he said.
“However, the opportunities immediately ahead of Scottish Sea Farms have the potential to be equally transformative in terms of the company’s own growth and development, and I am keen to give those my undivided focus and attention,” he added.
Mr Gallagher was instrumental in scoping out the benefits of an innovation centre almost ten years ago before being appointed as a founding member in 2014. Despite stepping down from the board he will continue to be involved with the centre’s work. To date, Scottish Sea Farms has collaborated in nine SAIC co-funded projects, ranging from improved sea lice control to increased understanding of gill health issues, contributing over £2.2M of the combined £6.8M project costs.
