Pelagia Shetland Limited

Pelagia Shetland Limited is a UK-registered marine ingredients and pelagic fish processing company based in Shetland, Scotland. It operates as the Shetland arm of Pelagia, a Norwegian-headquartered group that is one of the world's larger producers of fishmeal, fish oil and marine proteins and oils derived from pelagic (mid-water) species such as herring, mackerel, capelin and blue whiting. The Shetland business sits at the intersection of the North Sea and North Atlantic fisheries, taking landings from local pelagic vessels and converting them into feed ingredients for aquaculture, livestock and pet food, as well as oils used in human nutrition and dietary supplements. The company's role in the value chain is industrial rather than consumer-facing: it is a processor and ingredient supplier, not a branded consumer product. Its customers are largely aquafeed producers — particularly the salmon farming industry of Scotland and Norway — along with feed compounders and nutraceutical ingredient buyers. Because fishmeal and fish oil are globally traded commodities, the Shetland operation is exposed to quota decisions, pelagic stock management, landing volumes and international commodity prices. Ownership is through the Pelagia group, which was formed from the merger of Norwegian and Scottish/Danish marine ingredient businesses and is controlled by Norwegian industrial and seafood investors. Pelagia Shetland is therefore a subsidiary within a larger corporate brand rather than an independent listed company. Its Shetland facilities and relationships with the local pelagic fleet make it a significant employer and buyer in the islands' fishing economy. Public information specifically about Pelagia Shetland Limited is limited; the dossier below reflects the group context and the company's known position in the marine ingredients sector. Details such as exact founding dates, plant capacities and financial results are not asserted here because they are not supported by the supplied evidence.

Pelagia Shetland Limited belongs to the Pelagia group, a Norwegian-headquartered marine ingredients company created by the consolidation of Nordic and Scottish fishmeal and fish oil producers. The group's origins lie in the North Atlantic pelagic fisheries, where herring, mackerel, capelin and blue whiting landings have long been processed into fishmeal and fish oil for animal feed and, increasingly, for human nutrition. The Shetland operation reflects the importance of the islands' pelagic fishery. Shetland's fleet and landing ports handle large volumes of mackerel and herring, and local processing capacity converts these landings into marine ingredients rather than only into frozen or chilled product for human consumption. As the industry consolidated through the 1990s and 2000s, smaller independent fishmeal and fish oil plants were brought together under larger groups, and the Shetland business became part of the Pelagia structure. Pelagia itself was formed through the merger of Norwegian and Scottish/Danish marine ingredient businesses, bringing together fishmeal and fish oil plants across Norway, Scotland, Denmark and Iceland. The group is owned by Norwegian industrial and seafood investors and operates as a private, non-listed company. Within this structure, Pelagia Shetland Limited is the UK-registered subsidiary responsible for the Shetland-based activities. The business has evolved with the aquaculture boom. Fish oil in particular became a high-value ingredient for salmon feed, and later for human omega-3 supplements, tightening the link between pelagic quota management and the profitability of processors. Sustainability certification, traceability and responsible sourcing standards became increasingly important to customers in the salmon farming and feed industries, shaping how the Shetland operation sources and markets its products. Specific dated events in the history of Pelagia Shetland Limited — such as plant construction dates, ownership transfers and capacity investments — are not documented in the supplied evidence and are therefore not asserted here.

Industrial marine-ingredients processor and ingredient supplier to aquafeed and nutrition markets, operating as part of the Norwegian Pelagia group.

• Fishmeal

  Protein-rich meal rendered from pelagic fish, used mainly in aquafeed and livestock feed.

• Fish oil

  Oil recovered from pelagic fish, used in salmon feed and in human omega-3 nutrition.

• Marine proteins and oils

  Ingredient streams for feed compounders and nutraceutical buyers.

• 2026

  Pelagia Shetland fined over £450,000 after worker injured in palletiser machine

  Pelagia Shetland, a fish processing company in Lerwick, was fined a total of £451,500 at Lerwick Sheriff Court on 26 August 2026 after pleading guilty to health and safety failings. The case concerned supervisor Curtis New, who suffered life-threatening injuries when he became entangled in a palletiser machine on 10 October 2024.

  Source

• 2026

  Pelagia Shetland fined £451,500 over worker's machine entanglement injuries

  Pelagia Shetland Limited, a fish processing company in Lerwick, Shetland, pleaded guilty to health and safety failings and was fined £420,000 plus a £31,500 victim surcharge at Lerwick Sheriff Court. The case followed an incident on 10 October 2024 in which forklift supervisor Curtis New was struck repeatedly by a palletiser machine, suffering multiple fractures and two collapsed lungs.

  Source

Read more

1. 1Pelagia Shetland fined over £450,000 after worker injured in palletiser machineshetnews.co.uk
2. 2Pelagia Shetland fined £451,500 over worker's machine entanglement injuriesbbc.co.uk