Staff

Gregg Arthur content

Gregg Arthur

Aquaculture Manager

In 1997 I started work as an aquaculture lecturer at the North Atlantic Fisheries College (Shetland Fisheries Training Centre Trust) and have generally stayed within the aquaculture discipline to the present day.  Increasingly, I have become involved with R&D projects that have had a particular relevance to aquaculture activities in Shetland.  This has specifically involved the development of facilities and methodologies for the rearing of cold-water marine finfish and shellfish, management of sealice, cleanerfish and gill disease, etc., and has also included collaboration with various life sciences projects as well as a range of education and training activities.  I was Senior Biologist at NoCatch Ltd. + Johnson Marine Ltd. and was involved in the commercial production of live-prey and juvenile cod.  As Aquaculture Manager my role has included management of staff, finance, operations, facilities (including various infrastructure enhancement projects, H&S, licencing, etc.), R&D projects, services, consultancies, and other work programs.  Since 2019 I have also had the role as Knowledge Exchange Coordinator for the UHI Aquaculture Hub.  My recent activities have focussed on the production of juvenile mussels and supporting the shellfish sector through development of Shell-volution.

I have held a personal and project licence holder for the Home Office as well as a role as HOLO and member of the AWERB.

I have also delivered various aquaculture-related vocational, professional courses and educational qualifications ranging in level from NPA to MSc.

Projects/Specialisms/Professional Interests

My interests include finfish and shellfish cultivation, hatchery development and environmental science including the monitoring of harmful algae blooms (via IFCB).

  • Shellfish
    • Project Developer, Shell-volution, 2018 - present
    • Steering Group, North Atlantic European Mussel Organisation, 2020 - present
    • Project Manager, Scoping Study – Capacity and production modelling for mussels, FLAG, 2018
    • Project Manager, Scottish Shellfish Hatchery Stepping Stone Project ~£1M – Phase 1, HIE, 2015-2016; Phase 2, EMFF+SAIC+SSMG, 2016-2019. 
    • Project Associate, SAICHatch +£87k, SAIC, 2016-2019
    • Project Manager, Mussel larvae and algal diets, £98k, SIC, 2017 – 2018
    • Project Associate, National Bivalve Hatchery Feasibility Study, EMFF, 2014-2015
    • Also, various cultivation projects with lobsters, sea urchins, oysters, and periwinkles
  • Finfish
    • Onshore mariculture systems development – broodstock conditioning, spawning, larval rearing, live prey production for various cold-water marine finfish including halibut, cod, haddock, and wolffish
    • Project Associate, Electrical stunning, recovery and rigor, AIEF, 2018
    • Project Manager, Cleanerfish - initial trials with wrasse broodstock and lumpfish, Scottish SeaFarms and Hjaltland Seafarms, 2015-2018
    • Project Manager, Anti sealice therapeutics – including testing and evaluation of novel physical and chemical agents: University of Aberdeen (2012 and 2016), Green Island Ltd. (2012), Centre for Health UHI (2019 and 2021)
    • Project Officer, Temporal and Spatial monitoring of sea lice sensitivity to licenced therapeutics and ZetFish, EMFF, 2009-2011
    • Project Manager, Novel Antigen Regions in Elasmobranchs immunisation program, 2009 – 2015, Wyeth, Pfizer, Elamogen and University of Aberdeen
    • Project Assistant, Calcium signalling in sea trout, 2015
    • Project Officer, Gill Health (2012) and use of Hydrogen Peroxide (SARF, 2013)
  • Plankton
    • Commercial (NoCatch) and semi-commercial (SFTCT) production of zooplankton and phytoplankton for live prey

Education and Training Programs

Experience in curriculum development for aquaculture courses, exam boards, SQA unit writing, student assessment and VQ observations. Involvement in course delivery includes :

  • Aquaculture CPD courses (includes Fish Welfare and Sea Lice Identification)
  • Mariculture Science and Technology MSc (2001 -2005; lecturing in hatchery technologies, broodstock, larval rearing and included supervision of several MSc research dissertations)
  • NC Marine Science and HNC Fish Farm Production Management (1997 – 2001)
  • National Progression Award in Aquaculture Level 4 and 5
  • Chair of NAFC Educational Outreach Group and member of Shetland Environmental Education Partnership

PURE Research database record