Alistair Barge, who owns the Argyll fish company Gigha Halibut - one of just two halibut farms in the UK - has breeding the endangered Atlantic halibut for the past four years on Gigha in the Hebrides.

But the fact that he has been developing this sustainable alternative almost a decade before perfecting his hatching methods has received special praise. Waitrose has made Mr Barge Food Champion Of The Year in the Country Living and Made In Britain Awards, presented him with a £10,000 cheque - and, potentially most lucrative of all, given him the chance to supply Waitrose supermarkets.

Gigha now accounts for 80 per cent of all halibut produced in Scotland. The innovative, land-based fish farm is powered by the community-owned wind farm.

Alistair inherited his passion for farm fishing from his father, Ronal Barge, who pioneered land-based salmon farming near Loch Fyne in the 1970s. When Alistair joined him, he decided to branch out into halibut and persevered for 14 years before managing to perfect his hatching methods.

He started Gigha Halibut at a defunct salmon farm on an island that has been owned by its community since 2002. As part of his environmental commitment, he’s installing a direct supply of renewable electricity from the island’s own wind farm. Waitrose says Alistair’s product gives fish lovers the chance to enjoy a delicious, guilt-free supper.

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend

Bookmark this

---