Like every sea farm, Loch Duart has had its lessons to learn.
 There were several escapes during the early years, the result of storm damage and seal attacks, which have required improvements to moorings and net materials and construction.

Vulnerability to human activities and nature is unavoidable.
 This was underlined in 2009 when a massive oil spill in Loch Carnan resulted in the loss of close to one million fish and in 2014 when a giant shoal of jellyfish got through nets in Loch Maddy, leading to the death of 300,000 young salmon.

Seal predation caused significant losses for a number of years, especially as the seal population grew, but, where sea currents and pen shape allow, a box-style anti-predator net is deployed.
 This has had the unexpected secondary effect of creating a safe haven for sea life – especially small mackerel, saithe and herring, which can now be seen in the predator-free areas created by the double-netting system.

Fin nipping by young fish, the result of boredom and bullying in hatchery tanks, has threatened the quality of life of the salmon population and is being solved by the development of artificial reefs and playthings.
Farmers both at sea and on land refer to this as ‘environment enrichment’.

The company entered the smoked salmon market by acquiring the Salar Smokehouse on South Uist in the Outer Hebridesin 2014 the smokehouse was returned to local ownership.
Like every sea farm, Loch Duart has had its lessons to learn.  There were several escapes during the early years, the result of storm damage and seal attacks, which have required improvements to moorings and net materials and construction.
Vulnerability to human activities and nature is unavoidable.  This was underlined in 2009 when a massive oil spill in Loch Carnan resulted in the loss of close to one million fish and in 2014 when a giant shoal of jellyfish got through nets in Loch Maddy, leading to the death of 300,000 young salmon.
Seal predation caused significant losses for a number of years, especially as the seal population grew, but, where sea currents and pen shape allow, a box-style anti-predator net is deployed.  This has had the unexpected secondary effect of creating a safe haven for sea life – especially small mackerel, saithe and herring, which can now be seen in the predator-free areas created by the double-netting system.
Fin nipping by young fish, the result of boredom and bullying in hatchery tanks, has threatened the quality of life of the salmon population and is being solved by the development of artificial reefs and playthings. Farmers both at sea and on land refer to this as ‘environment enrichment’.
The company entered the smoked salmon market by acquiring the Salar Smokehouse on South Uist in the Outer Hebridesin 2014 the smokehouse was returned to local ownership.
Loch Duart