Species and sites

Considerable effort have been directed toward the development of fish farms in the UK but not every species has proven easy to adapt for farming, as the suitabilty of a particular species can depend on a number of factors. These include market price, cost of production, site location, access to a cheap and reliable source of seed, species selection, growth rate, physiological robustness and resistance to disease.

It is important to identify locations and methodologies of culture that are acceptable to the local and regional area. All culture operations in the UK have to conform to strict and effective controls including an environmental impact assessment prior to start up or if a significant change to operations is envisaged.

Choosing a suitable siteThe selection of a suitable site is crucial to the success or failure of any aquaculture business. Species selectionSeafish has produced a suite of ‘Hyper books’or electronic encyclopaedias on culturing different bivalves and finfish.