Press Release

MARINE AQUACULTURE AWARDS SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED

22 May 2008

Judges of The Crown Estate’s awards scheme to recognise innovation and best practice in the Scottish marine aquaculture industry have announced a shortlist of finalists.

Finalists in the Aquaculture Processor or Retailer of the Year category are Salar Salmon, Greig Seafood Hjaltland, Marks & Spencer and Wester Ross Fisheries.

Greig Seafood Hjaltland’s Setterness farm in Shetland is also short-listed in the Best Marine Farm category, along with Marine Harvest’s Loch Linnhe, Scottish Sea Farms’ Loch Kishorn and Blueshell Mussels’ Shetland operation.

Blueshell Mussels are also nominated in the Aquaculture Supplier of the Year category where they face competition from Wester Ross Fisheries, Loch Duart and Skretting UK, and for the Business Development award where the opposition comes from Loch Duart, Temple & Shian Oysters and North Atlantic Shellfish.

Two of Marine Harvest’s farm managers, Calum MacDonald and Colin Steel, have been nominated for Farm Manager of the Year and are up against Lighthouse Caledonia’s Douglas Ingram and Colin Milne from Wester Ross Fisheries.

Nominees for Aquaculture Ambassador of the Year are David Patterson from Otter Ferry Seafish, Scottish Sea Farms’ John Rae, Marine Harvest’s David Corrigan and Colin Thwaites and Robin Dunlop from Temple and Shian Oysters.

The Stewardship Award will go to Loch Fyne Oysters, Gigha Halibut, Greig Seafood Hjaltland or Lakeland Smolt with Lighthouse Caledonia and Wester Ross Fisheries in the running for the Training and Education Award.

The winner of the Aquaculture Company of the Year will be announced at the Awards ceremony on 26 June 2008 at the Hub in Edinburgh.

Alex Adrian, Offshore Operations Manager for Scotland at The Crown Estate, said: “The judging panel was delighted with the extremely high standard of entries from across the Scottish aquaculture industry.

“Entrants demonstrated that Scotland continues to lead the way for best practice and innovation in aquaculture and it was clear that they are producing world-class products.”

The judges are Peter Dryburgh, until recently Director of NAFC Marine Centre; Dennis Overton, Managing Director of Aquascot; Martin Gill, Managing Director of Food Certification Scotland; Professor Phil Thomas, Chairman of the Scottish Aquaculture Code of Good Practice Management Committee; and Dr Carolyn Heeps (Chair), Head of Marine Policy, Science and Sustainable Development at The Crown Estate.