SAMS news room

It was an unofficial ‘week of salmon aquaculture’ at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in Oban as the institute played host to companies, regulators and researchers in the sector.

Events included a stakeholder meeting on sea lice, a research delegation from Norway, an annual meeting and a visit from Salmon Scotland representatives.

To end the week, SAMS scientists were at sea to conduct experiments to better understand the life cycle and prevalence of sea lice as researchers seek to learn more about how to manage and minimise the impact on farmed salmon.

Steve Ham, Head of SAMS Enterprise, said: “SAMS has long been an impartial, trusted and reliable source of knowledge for the aquaculture industry and the range of visitors we hosted in just one week is testament to that.

“Such events give the industry access to the most up to date science but also ensure that our staff are equally well-informed about the most pressing issues in industry today.

“Such partnerships are therefore important to ensuring that the Scottish salmon aquaculture industry has reliable information with which to make the best choices and to operate in the most sustainable way possible.”

On Monday, 3rd June, SAMS hosted a meeting on sea lice as part of the BBSRC-funded “E(tive)lice: Revolutionising sea lice detection for sustainable salmon farming and conservation”, in partnership with University of Glasgow, Mowi and Argyll Fisheries Trust.

The project, which runs until summer 2026, aims to develop and test new techniques for identifying and counting sea lice larvae in various environments. These methods will be compared with traditional techniques. Additionally, lipidomics will be used to explore potential evolutionary differences between sea lice from wild and farmed fish. The research will also address key knowledge gaps in sea lice biology and ecology, as identified by recent studies.

The following day, aquaculture directors from the Norwegian Seafood Research Fund (FHF) came to learn more about SAMS’ research work on eDNA, HABs monitoring, modelling and early warning solutions and sea lice identification and modelling, while the institute played host to the Aqua-Reg 2025: Regulatory Science Network for Innovative Aquaculture. This network, funded through Innovate UK, brought together academia, industry and government to discuss innovative disease prevention solutions in salmon farming.

On 5th June SAMS hosted the Salmon Scotland AGM and board meeting, bringing salmon producers and the supply chain to the Scottish aquaculture heartland.  and annual meeting.

Daniel Carcajona, SAMS Enterprise Business Development Manager, said: “Our location is home not only to SAMS but also to a cluster of marine-related companies, forming a hub of innovation and collaboration in the finfish farming sector and the Blue Economy.

“This vibrant cluster supports both the industry and the development of young talent in the Oban area, offering training, apprenticeships, research opportunities and jobs that help sustain the vitality of our rural communities.”

Find out more about SAMS Enterprise aquaculture services.