Developments
All-new farm or planned expansion or relocation of an existing farm or facility, you'll find details of our current planning applications here.
This is a very early stage consultation, ahead of any pre-application discussions, to see whether a salmon farm development is of interest to the local community.
Progress with any such development thereafter would be updated on this page, and to the Skerries Community Council, with detailed content available to inform the wider public and supporting stakeholders to consider their participation in a future formal planning application process.
Our consultation event in Skerries will be held on:
9th October, 12pm-8pm
Skerries Village Hall
Presentation with Q&A sessions:
Afternoon – 1pm
Evening – 7pm
Last updated: 22nd September 2025
We’re exploring the waters around Skerries, Shetland, to see if they might be a candidate for a new salmon farm.
This is an indicative map of what a salmon farm off the West coast of Skerries might look like.
For all new developments, we are looking to:
- Ensure space between pens, to maximise water exchange and oxygen levels
- Enhance operational efficiencies
- Boost fish health, welfare and survival
- Increase company harvest volumes.
The West coast of Skerries has ideal environmental conditions for the best fish welfare and production.
As with our other farms, each pen would be stocked to RSPCA Assured densities of just 1.5% fish to 98.5% water. What this means for proposed tonnage and maximum permitted biomass at Skerries still needs to be confirmed, once we have a proposed site development plan.
To help keep our fish safely separate from other marine life, pens would be equipped with predator defence netting systems and pole-mounted top nets.
Adjacent to the pens would be a feed barge housing a camera-monitored feeding system, office and welfare facilities for the farm team, and a store for fish feed.
All new developments are equipped with the latest farm infrastructure, specifically chosen depending on the size of the nets.
Most of our new or redeveloped farms use a pole-supported top netting system as standard, designed to provide a barrier between farmed salmon and sea birds.
These feature a mix of 100mm x 100mm mesh on the upper layer and 75mm x 75mm mesh on the sides; small enough to prevent bird access but large enough to prevent bird entanglement.
All of our salmon pens are supported by a modern feed barge, which are designed to blend into the local seascape following guidance from NatureScot.
Shore base
In addition to a feed barge, we aim to support our farms with an on-land shore base which the team will travel to site from. As Skerries would be a brand-new farm, shore base options will be explored more once we have a proposed site development plan.
We are currently the largest private employer in Shetland.
- Securing farm jobs and support roles for the longer-term
- Ensuring continued onward spend by employees in their local communities
- Generating local business via the investment in the new farm infrastructure, installation and ongoing maintenance.
A farm at Skerries could improve the working age and employment rate, increase access to health and transport and present opportunities for investment in housing and infrastructure; all in alignment with Shetland’s Islands with Small Populations: Second Locality Plan.
Economic benefit
Based on our historic expenditure cross-Shetland for new developments and farm expansions, it is estimated that 16.4% of the total Gross Value Added (GVA), which takes into account indirect and induced spend, would be spent with local suppliers.
The positive effects on our supply chain would be at both initial set up and during ongoing operations.
National contribution and beyond
Scottish farmed salmon is consistently one of the most valuable food exports, both in Scotland and in the UK.
Proposed farm developments such as this, aimed at enhancing fish health, welfare and survival, will further add to the volumes available for sale, helping to better meet the needs of a growing population and a global demand for low-carbon protein.
Have a question related to our proposed development by Skerries that’s not addressed here?
You can contact our Development team by:
- Emailing development@scottishseafarms.com
- Writing to Development team, Scottish Sea Farms, Barcaldine Hatchery, Glen Dubh Walk, Oban, Argyll, PA37 1SQ.
