• About us

  • The Crown Estate is a diverse property business valued at more than £7 billion. We have been trusted to manage a wide range of properties across the UK including commercial and retail properties. In the country, it includes agricultural land, parkland and forestry. It includes shopping centres, business parks, farms and housing. And we have over half the foreshore and almost all of the seabed around the UK.

    • Our business
    • Financial information
    • Our values
    • Our people
    • Scotland
    • Awards
    • Our history
    • FAQs
    • Contact us
    • Our offices
  • 

    Welcome to The Crown Estate

    Launch

• Sustainability
  • • Sustainability
    • Our strategy and targets
    • Tackling climate change and energy security
    • Driving environmental value
    • Sustaining communities
    • Working together
    • Reporting and assurance
• News & Media
  • • News
    • Local focus
    • Branding
    • Press contacts
    • Get updates
• Careers

  • We hope you're here because you believe your talents and experience match the exciting opportunities which exist in our unique organisation.

    • Careers
• Contact us
  • • Our Offices
    • Agents A-Z

• Home
• Urban

  • The Crown Estate's urban portfolio comprises a wide and varied mix of properties ranging from modern purpose-built offices, retail and shopping centres to Grade I listed buildings.

    • What we do
    • Our portfolio
    • Local focus

    Estates mapAgents A-ZCase studies

  • 

    Retail

    Prime retail is one of our core sectors.

    Read more

• Marine

  • We manage virtually the entire seabed out to the 12 nautical mile territorial limit, as well as around half of the foreshore.

    • What we do
    • Aggregates
    • Aquaculture
    • Cables and pipelines
    • Marine research
    • Marine stewardship fund
    • Metal detecting
    • Minerals potash
    • Moorings and marinas
    • Wildfowling
    • Downloads

    Estates mapAgents A-ZCase studies

  • 

    Aggregates

    Our estate includes the rights to explore and utilise the mineral interests of the UK continental shelf.

    Read more

• Energy

  • The Crown Estate is a key player in supporting the delivery of a diverse and secure energy supply for the UK.

    • Offshore wind energy
    • Onshore renewables
    • Carbon capture and storage
    • Natural gas storage
    • Wave and tidal
    • Downloads

    Estates mapCase studies

  • 

    Offshore wind energy

    As managers of the seabed out to the 12 nm limit, we play a major role in the development of the offshore wind energy industry in the UK.

    Read more

• Rural

  • The rural estate comprises the agricultural, mineral and forestry estates in England, Scotland & Wales, as well as residential and commercial property.

    • What we do
    • Agriculture
    • Development
    • Forestry
    • Minerals
    • New business
    • Rural residential
    • Tourism
    • Our portfolio
    • Local focus
    • Sustainability
    • Downloads

    Estates mapAgents A-ZCase studies

  • 

    Agriculture

    Our agricultural interests include both livestock and arable farming over 106,000 hectares (263,000 acres) across the UK.

    Read more

• Windsor

  • The Windsor Estate covers approximately 6,400 hectares and includes Windsor Great Park, the Home Park of Windsor Castle, extensive forests, residential and commercial properties, golf courses, a racecourse and let farms.

    • What we do
    • Parkland
    • Forestry
    • Residential and commercial lettings
    • Working with us
    • Local focus

    Estates mapAgents A-Z

  • 

    The Royal Landscape

    Situated in the southeast corner of Windsor Great Park lies The Royal Landscape, featuring the famous Savill and Valley Gardens.

    Read more

• Estates map

• Marine
• What we do
  • Working with us
• Aggregates
  • Our portfolio
  • Local focus
  • Working with us
  • Sustainability
• Aquaculture
  • Working with us
• Cables and pipelines
• Marine research
  • Aquaculture research
  • Energy research
  • Seabed and coastal research
  • Socio-economic research
  • Sustainability
  • Local focus
• Marine stewardship fund
  • Our projects
  • Case studies in detail
  • Working with us
  • Local focus
• Metal detecting
  • Metal detecting permit application
• Minerals potash
• Moorings and marinas
  • Our portfolio
  • Local focus
  • Working with us
• Wildfowling
• Case studies
• Downloads

Aquaculture

Overview

Overview

We continue to work with and promote the aquaculture industry, which in Scotland alone supports more than 6,000 jobs.

The Crown Estate manages virtually all the seabed around the UK out to the 12nm limit, so for those wishing to carry out fish farming operations a Crown Estate lease is required. We manage the seabed, but are not a regulator of and have no statutory function in relation to the fish farming industry.

Aquaculture can be broadly split into three categories:

• Growing finfish in cages or pens
• Growing shellfish on the seabed, trestles, suspended on ropes or nets
• Growing seaweeds.

The bulk of marine aquaculture is in Scotland and is mainly salmon and shellfish, chiefly mussel production. Experimental cultivation of farmed salmon began in 1969 and has since developed into a substantial rural industry, with an estimated 8,000 jobs provided by salmon farming and related support industries, mainly in remote locations where alternative sources of employment are scarce. Virtually all production takes place in the inshore waters of the west coast and the Western and Northern Isles, where the most favourable conditions for aquaculture are to be found. Alternative species, such as cod and halibut, are being grown in commercial quantities and organic farming is also on the increase.

We see further commercial potential in seaweed around Scotland and are exploring this in line with the Scottish Government's draft National Marine Plan through the commissioning of studies to inform a commercial production pilot project. This has included setting up a macro-algae forum to help co-ordinate and disseminate information on our and other macro-algae related work to industry and other key stakeholders.

Last year we invested over £100,000 in research and development including the investigation of cultivation protocols for wrasse and remote detection of jellyfish blooms.

We also continued to work with government to create a detailed and up-to-date web-based overview of the Scottish industry for the general public and stakeholders. Our comprehensive records of both current and historical aquaculture seabed interests are used to assist existing and prospective producers in exploring opportunities for development, and our aquaculture team are in frequent communication with tenants enquiring about such opportunities.

The bi-annual Crown Estate Aquaculture Awards is a well established way of showcasing industry best practice and encouraging innovation to a wider audience.

Research and reinvestment

Research and reinvestment

Since commercial rents were first introduced The Crown Estate has reinvested over £2 million of fish farming revenue into research and education-related projects.

The reinvestment strategy has aimed to improve the viability of fish farming with a view to securing a long term, sustainable future. We have provided around £100,000 a year towards a number of initiatives since 1988, principally directed towards new research and the identification of practical solutions to identified issues.

Last year we invested over £100,000 in research and development including the investigation of cultivation protocols for wrasse and remote detection of jellyfish blooms.

Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum

The aquaculture strategy document published in April 2003 by the Scottish Government recommended the establishment of a new body to review marine aquaculture research priorities and to co-ordinate funding commitment from amongst its membership. This body is the Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum (SARF), which we are a major contributor of funds towards.

Scottish ministers announced the revision of the aquaculture strategy in 2007, and SARF remains a strong focus of the new strategy.

Other aquaculture research

We also support a number of other aquaculture research projects through the marine research fund: Aquaculture research.

Print this page