44-year-old Guy Tindall from Shetland has always had a love of the water, so starting his career as a commercial diver for Grieg’s Seafood was a natural first step into aquaculture. But after 10 years of working deep underwater every day, the physical strain was beginning to take its toll, and Guy decided to change career.
Guy said: “I enjoyed the diving, but things got tougher as I got older. When I started off, we worked in shallow nets of around 16 metres, but over time we moved towards bigger, deeper nets which accommodated a larger number of salmon. If you are diving deep, it puts more strain on your body and by the time I was 40, I knew that my diving days were effectively over and it was time to move on.”
Luckily for Guy, he knew people in the right places. He had been a diver at Greig’s site at Setterness in Shetland and knew the site manager well. One day he asked if there were any jobs going and his timing was perfect.
Guy said: “I think I caught my boss by surprise. At first he thought I was joking when I asked for a job, but I was aware that a few people had moved on and there was a shortage of hands. I got an interview and then landed the role of Aquaculture Technician looking after containment and biosecurity. One of the great things about aquaculture is you don’t need qualifications to get in. It’s very much a learn on the job type industry, with training and skills development provided along the way.”
After starting at the Setterness site, Guy did a Modern Apprenticeship in Finfish Aquaculture through NAFC Marine Centre UHI, now part of Shetland UHI, as well as various modules and tickets, including health and safety, first aid, sea survival, driving power boats and a range of other skills-based courses.
Guy believes that working in aquaculture can be tough, but it can also be highly rewarding, with opportunities to specialise in different areas. He continued: “It’s hard work with many hours spent on site in all weather conditions. But it’s very satisfying seeing the fish develop and thrive, growing from smolts up to adult Salmon. It’s important to love working outdoors and have a good attention to detail.”
A promotion for Guy in 2021 to Assistant Site Manager of Setterness South and Swinning sites led to a more office-based role. He worked with databases, a purchase order system, ensured workers hours were correct, budgeted, organised training, and managed treatments.
His career took another direction in 2023, when he took on the position of SQA Aquaculture Assessor with UHI Shetland, as Guy explains:
“For many years I wanted to get into the educational side of aquaculture. I have a love of learning and the industry, and this role fits me perfectly. My duties are to enrol students on to our MA Aquaculture courses and help them through to completion by visiting them on site, conducting interviews, helping with questions and collecting evidence.
I feel like this is the ideal job for me as I can impart my aquaculture knowledge to students and help them achieve their qualifications. It is possible that in the future, I may help train students on some of our short courses and possibly for their boat tickets, which I find a very exciting prospect”.