Halibut Hatchery

The UK's only halibut hatchery, now supplying Norwegian and Canadian Farms with juvenile Halibut.

Wild halibut is now listed as an endangered species. Gigha Halibut offered an alternative source of halibut which helps reduce the pressure on the endangered wild stocks of halibut in the sea. We support the work of www.fish2fork.com which seeks to empower the consumer by informing them of how the fish they eat are sourced.

Work started on Halibut at Otter Ferry in 1991 with the successful capture and transportation of live wild halibut from the North of Scotland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands.

The challenge then was to work out the life cycle of the halibut and the optimum conditions for each stage. What sets halibut apart from other marine species is the long and protracted larval rearing stage.

The broodstock at Otter Ferry are now 12-15 years old. There are 20 males to 60 females in each tank, they are stripped every year around February/March.

Our skilled and dedicated staff can keep track of standards and ensure the welfare of each individual fish in our care thus maintaining a genuine artisanal approach to food production.

Looking to the future, expanding the halibut business is on the cards. The amount of juveniles is enough to double production and there would be a requirement for a new site, purpose built for halibut. Additional photoperiods for broodstock would increase juvenile production and bring further new sites on stream. It would be a new kind of halibut farm for the future, pioneered by Otter Ferry with shallower tanks, renewable power and high quality of water.