Shetland Salmon

Shetland salmon has a reputation across the world as the first choice for artisan food lovers.  Our salmon has firm muscular flesh and a low fat content.  The strong tidal currents around Shetland provide wild conditions for rearing the best salmon.  Salmon thrive in this pure environment under the careful eye of farmers, who have developed their husbandry to lead the way in animal welfare.

The care and effort invested in producing excellent salmon is seen at the harvesting stage.  Humane methods ensure the salmon are not stressed, thereby retaining their firm flesh.  Whilst the gutted salmon pass through rigor mortis, they are transported to our processing partners on mainland UK.  Once an order is placed, we fillet and scale to the customers specification either as wholefish or fillets, before delivering the next day.

What makes Shetland salmon so good

Our farmers have learned the secrets of breeding healthy, happy fish.  Control methods, such as area management schemes (the coordination of site restocking and fallowing), ensure the prevention of disease which is so harmful to fish stocks.  Such valuable experience has been acquired and many lessons have been learned since local salmon farming began in the 1980’s.

A key concern for farmers is sustainability especially in relation to the production of salmon feed.  There is now less pressure on wild fish species, as salmon feed is made from a greater percentage of plant based protein. The majority of the nutrients (70%) are from specially selected non GM; soya, wheat, maize or broad beans.  The fish protein is sourced from species which reproduce quickly, such as; anchovies, herring, menhaden, capelin, anchovy, pilchard, sardines, and mackerel.  Feed producers can be assured of sourcing from sustainably managed fisheries due to the increased monitoring and evaluation of these fisheries.

Environmentally friendly

Sea lice pose a threat to the wellbeing of salmon, but as the salmon sites in Shetland are exposed this is greatly minimized.  These open areas provide a constant exchange of fresh water with higher oxygen levels.  In addition, these larger exposed sites, made possible through recent technological developments, offer opportunity for less stock density which encourage growth and prevent sea lice and disease.

Shetland is at the forefront in pioneering new methods for treating sea lice.  A jet of hot water (no hotter than 34°C) removes the lice, so the salmon return to the sea clean and the lice are incinerated eliminating the threat to other marine life.  These, and many other innovations in animal welfare, help ensure healthy salmon, which is good for the farmer, the customer and the environment.

Healthy smolts

Healthy salmon start with strong juvenile salmon (smolts).  Advancements in smolt production mean salmon are selected for breeding owing to a resistance to disease.  This greatly reduces the need for medicinal requirements thanks to the sophistication of these breeding programs. 

An essential ingredient in smolt production is a good supply of fresh water which Shetland’s rainy climate is perfectly suited for.  Through the growth stage of from egg to parr, salmon require fresh water and not salt water, so hatcheries need to be located close to fresh water lochs.  However as the salmon mature to a smolt, the requirement changes to salt water.  It is at this stage they are put to sea where the rough weather conditions around Shetland help oxygenate the water and encourages strong healthy salmon.

Ethical farming

Farmers have learned to coexist with seals and other marine life using humane methods to keep the salmon safe, such as extra nets around the cage and underwater plastic whales.  Local farmers do not use Acoustic Deterrent Devices (ADD’s) to ward off seals or other predators, as recent research suggest such devices impact the navigation systems of whales, dolphins and porpoises.

To prevent wasted feed falling to the sea bed and damaging the environment, farmers use automated feed systems, underwater cameras and tailored feed programmes for each growth stage.  This maximises feed efficiency (Feed Conversion Rate) which also has a significant cost saving as feed is the most expensive component for the farmer.

Harvesting 

To provide customers with the required size of salmon each fish is graded prior to harvest.  Smaller fish swim through a square plastic panel placed in the cage, leaving the larger fish for harvesting.  This system developed in Shetland is now exported around the world.  Have a look at this video to see how it works.

To maintain a high quality of salmon, farmers must prevent any stress to the fish through the harvest process.  Chilling the temperature of the water in the harvest boat relaxes the salmon.  Another key factor is the speed from leaving the sea to being stunned and killed.  In Shetland, this is done within fifteen seconds, the highest standard set by the RCPCA Freedom Foods scheme.

For the safety of the local marine ecology and prevention of contamination, all the harvested salmon’s blood and guts are removed, treated, then carefully disposed of.  At the packing plant, each salmon is individually graded according to quality and size, before being iced and packed, ready for delivery.  The integrity of this process requires speed and temperature control.  The salmon come from the sea between 8 °C in Winter and 14 °C in Summer, but are reduced immediately to 3 °C during harvesting. This temperature is maintained right through to the customer.

 Processing

To ensure continuous supply all year we utilise salmon produced by farmers in Norway, the Faroe Islands and Iceland, who also operate to our same high standards.  We select the best fish depending on quality and competitive pricing.

When the fish arrive for processing it has passed through rigor mortis and is ready for filleting.  It is problematic to fillet and pin bone salmon whilst the fish is still in rigor as this can cause fillets to be break apart.  The customer, decides how they want their salmon filleted, choosing from a variety of different salmon trims available.  The specification for each trim is as follows:

Our processing partners are fully audited and maintain full BRC accreditation so you can trust our salmon products.  Once a wholefish or fillet order is placed our work starts immediately.  We can ensure next day delivery anywhere in the UK and the following day throughout Europe.

If you have any questions relating to the farming, harvesting or processing of the salmon, please get in contact with a member of the Shetland Finest team.