Scotland’s seafood capital hosted the annual celebration of Scottish shellfish culture this week.
Where Do We Go From Here? was the apt theme for the annual conference of the Association of Scottish Shellfish Growers (ASSG) this year.
The two-day event at Oban’s Corran Halls was a packed programme of presentations and discussion.
The conference also featured the Best Scottish Shellfish competition supported by Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
ASSG producer members hotly contest the best mussel, rock oyster and native oyster categories, with their shellfish judged on taste, appearance and presentation. The judging panel, led by industry expert and seafood journalist Nicki Holmyard, director of Offshore Shellfish Ltd.
David Jarrad, CEO of the Shellfish Association of Great Britain (SAGB) and Secretariat for the Westminster All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on shellfish aquaculture, kicked off the conference talking about what the APPG is and the vital work it does in getting recognition for the sector.
He said: “MPs across the nations, tend to relate the word aquaculture with finfish farming, and know little, if anything, about the culture of shellfish species or the benefits of the industry. This is being redressed through the APPG, which is also enabling shellfish farmers to press for post Brexit parity with Europe, in terms of rules and regulations,”
The importance of understanding the natural balance of micro-organisms in
the marine environment and the place of shellfish within it, was covered by Tim Bean, Principal Investigator at the Roslin Research Institute, University of Edinburgh.
On the research front, Carmel MacDougall, Lecturer at SOI, St Andrews University, looked at current research topics based on practical knowledge of what has helped the Australian industry, while Martin Sutcliffe, Aquaculture Specialist at CIEL, will hold a crystal ball to the future of shellfish aquaculture research.
Investing in a future industry also includes encouraging new consumers to the table and promoting the industry. These topics were covered by Eleanor Adamson, Fisheries Programme Manager, Fishmongers’ Company Trust on healthy eating, and by Rob Mitchell, Managing Director of Scottish Shellfish (SSMG) Ltd, talking about a Crown Estate Scotland supported initiative.
There were more speakers on Wednesday.
ASSG chief executive officer Dr Nick Lake said: “Our annual conference is well supported by shellfish growers, equipment suppliers and regulators, and we are grateful to our sponsors, Crown Estate Scotland,
Seafish, SAIC and Ciel for their financial assistance.
“This country has developed an enviable reputation for the quality of its cultivated shellfish, and especially for the way in which it is grown sustainably in the Highlands and Islands.”
In support of local organisations, the ASSG holds a well-supported raffle each year in aid of the RNLI.
Caption: The annual ‘Best Scottish Shellfish’ competition, held at the Association of Scottish Shellfish Growers’ conference in Oban last year saw mussel and oyster farmers anxiously awaiting the results of this keenly fought contest. The winners were, left to right: Andy Abrahams of Colonsay Oysters for best gigas oysters, Cameron McLean of Inverlussa Shellfish on Mull for best mussels, and Judith Vajk of Caledonian Oysters, Barcaldine, for best native oysters. Who will it be this year?
NO_T41_Shellfish event_02_Best shellfish winners_L to R_Andy Abrahams_Cameron McLean_Judith Vajk