Mowi's ambitious project will create 24 new jobs on Sanda Island.
Photo: Mowi Scotland.
Mowi Scotland has announced the purchase of Sanda Island in Argyll and Bute. Located off the southern tip of the Kintyre peninsula, in western Scotland, the company plans to bring new life to the uninhabited Scottish island establishing a salmon farm on its east coast, as well as reinvigorating it and develop its potential as a tourism destination.
With a multi-million pound investment, the purchase of Sanda Island also includes the former hotel and housing, as well as the Campbeltown shipyard and associated properties, including Sandbank House. Mowi - which closed 2024 with record on record - has the ambition to revitalize it all.
As Mowi pointed out in its release, the Scottish aquaculture industry has committed to developing farms in more open-water locations, where environmental conditions are more varied. The company recalled that this was a widely discussed topic during the recent follow-up inquiry into salmon farming in Scotland undertaken by the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee of the Scottish Parliament.
The Scottish subsidiary of the salmon giant is confident that Sanda Island offers an ideal location for salmon farming as it provides some protection from the island whilst harnessing the tidal currents and favourable environmental conditions to grow healthy salmon.
The plan is for the fish farm to create 14 new jobs in two seven-people shifts, including apprentice positions. However, in its ambition to bring new life to the island, the company expects to generate an additional 10 jobs while contributing to the creation of a sustainable tourism industry.
"We have the opportunity to do something very special with Sanda Island," said Ben Hadfield, Mowi's Chief Operating Officer of Farming in Scotland, Ireland, The Faroes and Canada East, speaking about the vision of the Scotland's largest aquaculture company for the uninhabited Scottish island.
"We already have incredibly valuable experience of developing successful fish farms off the coast of Scottish islands including Rum, Muck and Colonsay," Hadfield continued.
"We are also proud of the work we have done with local communities on these islands to improve infrastructure, be that through housing, broadband or moorings, to help retain or attract people to live and work on the island," he added.
According to Mowi's COO of Farming in Scotland, Ireland, The Faroes and Canada East, the company's first priority now will be to consult with the communities of the area and develop a comprehensive biodiversity plan. In addition, it will also undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed high energy salmon development.
Mowi Scotland's plans to revitalize the island beyond the salmon farm include renovation of the island's hotel and housing, with the hiring of a couple or family to manage the hospitality area.
As has been done on other islands, such as Colonsay, yacht moorings will also be established to boost tourism and accessibility between Sanda Island and the mainland will be improved.
In addition, there is the possibility of exploring reforestation and natural ecosystem enhancement projects, as Mowi Scotland explains in this video describing its plans for Sanda Island:
Mowi, which has 1,500 employees and 48 fish farms producing more than 68,000 tons of salmon a year in Scotland, said it is "keen to hear from people interested in working on Sanda Island either in an aquaculture role or to help develop the tourism potential of the island," and encouraged interested parties to contact.
The ambitious Sanda Island project adds to other examples of the company's commitment not only to revitalizing the rural and coastal communities in which it operates, but also to raising awareness of all that work.
A case in point is the transformation of its Inchmore Hatchery, which last fall became a unique visitor experience that allows a range of stakeholders to learn more about the company and the aquaculture industry when they visit the site.
