Loch Duart to upgrade cages with Trident System

by
editorial staff

Steel cages used to BC waters to come to Scotland.

Scottish salmon farmer Loch Duart has chosen Trident’s Hybrid Steel Cage for its sites in North West Scotland.

The bid was secured through Trimara Services, a Scotland-based global distributor of aquaculture systems, services and products, who wrote the press release.

Aggressive waters
The aquaculture steel cage system is engineered for the aggressive waters off the coast of British Columbia, Canada.

“We trust Trimara’s ability to deliver,” said Loch Duart Managing Director Mark Warrington. “We want to be close to our fish and these cages will let us continue with our commitment to providing best-in-class husbandry while improving the working environment for our team,” he added.

Stewart Hawthorn, a founding director of Trimara, said the company was “really pleased to be bringing this new cage system design to Scotland”.

“Our team is proud of the trust Loch Duart is placing in us and our supplier partner Poseidon Ocean Systems. Poseidon has developed an exceptional cage system. Their advanced engineering increases staff safety, helps to ease fish care and handling, and reduces the overall cost of operations,” he said.

A 40m x 40m pen Trident System in BC Canada. PHOTO: Trident System

“There must be a better way”
Poseidon Ocean Systems, a specialist aquaculture company, was established by Mathew and Heather Clarke in 2015.

“We looked at existing steel cages and realised that nothing had really changed in more than 25 years. ‘There must be a better way’ was our design philosophy. What we have developed is a dramatically improved, innovative steel cage system. The system is significantly stronger and performs incredibly well at high-energy sites; it is also easier to maintain and the accessories are fully customizable,” said Mathew and Heather Clarke.

“All aspects of modern farm operations can be integrated into the Trident structure. For instance, farmers can recess feed pipes and other supply lines below the walkway – this eliminates trip hazards and keeps the system tidy. We have deployed a large system in Western Canada and are making good progress in Chile, but this Scottish sale is our first export order and we are delighted to see this progressing,” they added.

March
The Trident cages are currently being constructed and will arrive in Scotland through March. Trimara will be assembling the units in March and April ready for stocking in June. The cages use flexible HDPE pipes to improve safety and stability while lowering the overall operational costs of salmon farming.

“We can’t wait to see the first of these new concept system cages being worked in Scotland and are looking forward to a successful assembly and on-site installation process,” said Hawthorn.

Loch Duart currently produces 6,000 tonnes of salmon each year from its farms in Sutherland and the Outer Hebrides. Last year the independent salmon farmer purchased its first fish processing facility, a site which was previously owned by The Edinburgh Salmon Company.

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