Nicki Holmyard

Contributing Editor

Nicki Holmyard lives and breathes the seafood industry. As a specialist freelance writer for 25 years, she has travelled the globe to research in-depth articles, interviews and news stories on all aspects of fishing, aquaculture and processing for international journals and newspapers. She has contributed to books on sustainable seafood sourcing and the effects of climate change on the oceans, and acts as a communications consultant for leading fishing and aquaculture concerns. Nicki is also a director of Offshore Shellfish Ltd, which is developing Europe’s largest rope-grown mussel farm.

Published on
July 12, 2021

SwissShrimp, a land-based shrimp farming company in Rheinfelden, Switzerland, has announced its intention to raise CHF 8 million (USD 8.7 million, EUR 7.3 million) in new share capital to fund an ambitious expansion plan …

Photo courtesy of

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Published on
July 9, 2021

Dealing with hungry, predatory seals has become a big deal for inshore fishermen, fish farmers, and authorities responsible for safe passage for migratory salmon.

Losses caused through broken nets and half-eaten fish have risen sharply in the past few decades as protected seal populations have expanded globally.

From 2022, the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act will restrict imports of fish from salmon farms and commercial fisheries

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Published on
July 9, 2021

Gigante Salmon, which has plans to build a land-based salmon farm on the island in Indre Rosøya, Rødøy, Norway, listed on the Euronext Growth market on 5 July …

Image courtesy of Gigante

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Published on
July 2, 2021

Scotland recently published its annual shellfish-production figures, and they did not make for happy reading for the country’s mussel- and oyster-growers.

Production of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) decreased by 15 percent to 5,661 metric tons (MT) in 2020, the lowest figure for a decade, and Pacific oyster (Crassostrea edulis) production decreased by 33 percent to just under three million shells.

The Scottish shellfish farming industry

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Published on
June 28, 2021

Danish wealth management and investment company Artha has furthered its quest to play a leading role in the development of Norwegian cod-farmer Norcod, the world's first industrial producer of high-quality farmed cod.

In an internal share transaction this month, Artha increase its equity position in Norcod with the acquisition of a further 800,000 shares. The shares were purchased through Artha Norcod IV, a fund launched by Artha

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Published on
June 18, 2021

A paper published in Nature Communications, “Financing a sustainable ocean economy,” was among a long list of articles, announcements, and pledges that appeared on 8 June, commemorating World Oceans Day.

The paper’s authors, a group of international economists and ocean policy experts, found that public and private investment lags far behind that needed to ensure a thriving, resilient, and sustainable ocean economy.

The paper

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Published on
June 18, 2021

Andfjord Salmon plans to increase production volume by around 50 percent at its land-based farm in Kvalnes, located on the Norwegian island of Andøya …

Photo courtesy of Andfjord

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Published on
June 17, 2021

Six years after setting up Gaia Salmon, founders Bjarne Bjørkan, Geir Skarstad, and Morten Bjørkan are looking forward to breaking ground on their first land-based farm in early 2022.

Bjørkan, Gaia Salmon’s CEO, said the company has a vision of becoming a leading player in the production of sustainable salmon through the use of recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) technology.

“It’s a long process,

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Published on
June 9, 2021

Fredrikstad, Norway-based start-up Pronofa is hoping to become its home country’s largest producer of sustainable proteins for use in aquafeed ... 

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Published on
May 27, 2021

Oceanium, the Oban, Scotland-based biotech start-up focused on the development of innovative biodegradable materials and products derived from sustainably-sourced kelp, closed a GBP 2 million (USD 2.7 million) seed II funding round this week.

The investment – led by Green Angel Syndicate, with WWF as an anchor investor, alongside SyndicateRoom, Glass Wall Syndicate members, Kingfisher Capital, an ultra-high-net-worth family office and

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