A NEW series of online modules to educate young people about the aquaculture industry has been launched by animal health and nutrition company Alltech and the Irish agri-food educational body, Agri Aware.

THE Hoganess Salmon sites in Shetland that are currently under investigation following the death of up to 6,000 farmed salmon last week have been suspended from existing certification schemes operated by the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation (SSPO), Scottish Quality Salmon and Shetland Aquaculture.

THE Scottish SPCA is investigating the death of up to 6,000 farmed salmon at a fish farm in Shetland, according to a report by Shetland Marine News.

The ex-farm value of the Shetland salmon sector is to top £145million in 2010, an increase of 15% from the previous year (£126m in 2009), according to Shetland Aquaculture.

FOLLOWING Norway's recent announcement of record seafood  exports, it has now emerged that Norwegian fish is taking over the seafood market in the United States. Sales of Norwegian salmon to the US in particular have rocketed since the Chile salmon disease outbreak 18 months ago. But it also being helped by the oil crisis in the Gulf where large areas of water have been clsoed off to fishing, leading to a seafood shortage in some areas.

Marine Harvest ASA has appointed Ola Brattvoll (born 1968) as Group Director for the new Business Unit Global Sales & Distribution. The new Business Unit will be in operation from 1. January 2011.

THE Irish Sea Fisheries Board, BIM, has opened applications for The Commercial Aquaculture Development Scheme.

Putting Scotland’s £400 million salmon farming industry, and the rest of the industry worldwide, on a more sustainable footing is the aim of new draft global standards published yesterday.

TESTING of a new bleeding method in combination with superchilling has shown very promising results for pre-rigor filleted farmed cod.

ANIMAL nutrition and fish feed giant Nutreco has recorded “excellent” revenues of €2.25 billion (£1.88 billion) for the first half of 2010. Pre-tax profits were €84 million and an interim dividend of €0.50 in cash or shares was declared.

MARINE Harvest today confirmed plans for an extraordinary general meeting on August 23, following yesterday’s announcement of the company’s performance in the first half of this year.

THE effects of higher salmon prices are now noticeable even in the US where the number of supermarkets offering farmed salmon on promotion is noticeably down, according to a firm of industry watchers.