Mowi, Scotland’s largest aquaculture company, has acquired uninhabited Sanda Island, off the southern tip of the Kintyre peninsula, where it plans to build a salmon farm and stimulate tourism.

The purchase includes a former hotel and houses, as well as Campbeltown shipyard and associated property, Sandbank House.

With a multimillion pound investment, Mowi has ambitions to reinvigorate the whole island and to help support the establishment of a sustainable tourism industry, creating 10 jobs in addition to 14 at the fish farm.

Mowi’s plans include refurbishing the hotel and housing, ultimately hiring a caretaker couple or family to oversee the hospitality side of the business.

As it has done in other island locations such as Colonsay, it will also establish yacht moorings to bolster tourism as well as seeking to improve accessibility between Sanda Island and the mainland. Additionally, there is scope to explore rewilding and nature enhancement projects

Speaking about the vision for Sanda Island, Ben Hadfield, Mowi’s chief operating officer of farming in Scotland, Ireland, The Faroes and Canada East, said: “We have the opportunity to do something very special with Sanda Island.

“We already have incredibly valuable experience of developing successful fish farms off the coast of Scottish islands including Rum, Muck and Colonsay. We are also proud of the work we have done with local communities on these islands to improve infrastructure, be that through housing, broadband or moorings, to help retain or attract people to live and work on the island.

“Our first priority now will be to consult with the communities of the area and develop a comprehensive biodiversity plan for the Island. We will also undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed high energy salmon development.“

The Scottish aquaculture industry has committed to develop farms in more open-water locations, where environmental conditions are more varied.

In a signal of further confidence in coastal, high-energy locations for fish farms, Mowi has also purchased Fladda-chuain, an uninhabited island three miles off the northern tip of Skye. Further details of the company’s plans for this island will be announced in due course.