This paper describes an industrial research approach to fish farming and illustrates where appropriate how it differs from the research strategy employed by universities and governmental bodies. To illustrate this the Unilever experience of the establishment of salmon farming from a research concept to a production and marketing operation is discussed in detail. Three separate phases in the process of establishing industrial fish farming were undertaken and were entitled ‘Biological, Technological and Commercial’. The research programme involved in each of these phases is described in detail.

The salmon farming cycle which was arrived at after the biological phase is described in detail. The technological phase involved the translation of this biological phase into a viable farming operation. This enabled a computerised cost model of the salmon farming process to be built. This identified the six or seven crucial areas which had to be improved if the enterprise was to be profitable—the commercial phase.

To demonstrate the way the nature of the research programme has changed during the period 1968–76 a graph is given showing the main discipline involved in each year and how these have changed over that period.