QA Fish’s £500k expansion

UP TO five new jobs are set to be created in Scalloway once seafood processing company QA Fish’s £500,000 expansion project is completed.

The business, which operates from premises on Blacksness Pier, has been successful in attracting almost half a million pounds of EU and Scottish Government funding towards the project.

The investment will see the construction of a two-storey building that ties together two existing factory units, as well as an increase in the fish processor’s freezing and chilling capacity.

“It will increase our factory floor space which means we can increase production, and with the freezing unit going in we can hopefully also diversify into frozen fish,” managing director Robert Williamson said.

“I think we are looking at employing another five people by the end of this year.”

He said it was important to remain positive and forward thinking despite uncertainties with regards to the European market.

At present, the company markets around 60 per cent of its fresh whitefish and scallops within the UK while 40 per cent is exported to the EU. 

Williamson said: “At the moment there is nobody who knows what Brexit holds in store for us, but Europe is a huge market for fish and I can’t see that changing.

“I don’t think anybody can tell exactly what is going to happen but we need to push on and keep developing our markets in Europe.”

The plan is for the expansion project to be complete by March next year.