Shellfish Growers Association - Code of Good Practice and Seminar
In association with Highland Council, The Crown Estate has assisted the Association of Scottish Shellfish Growers (ASSG) in developing a code of good practice providing guidance on environmental and legislative issues for Scottish shellfish growers.
The code covers all aspects of shellfish growing including: site location and design, common problem issues (noise and odour), safety and navigational matters, waste management strategies, and draws attention to environmental concerns facing the industry at all stages of production.
The code of good practice was launched at the 2005 ASSG conference, also funded through marine stewardship, and was widely disseminated across the industry.
Water Quality in Loch Etive
Water quality in shellfish growing areas is of prime interest to shellfish growers. The Crown Estate is a board member and primary funder of the Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum (SARF). As a sign of its commitment to water quality, SARF has co-funded a project with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to examine risk factors in shellfish harvesting areas.
The Scottish Association of Marine Science (SAMS) at Dunstaffnage will undertake a programme of research to assess the factors associated with contamination of shellfish with human pathogens.
To compliment this project, The Crown Estate are co-funding (with Highlands and Islands Enterprise), additional work on behalf of ASSG – “Ribotyping E. Coli from Loch Etive Mussels”. This project will use molecular techniques to determine whether the source of E. Coli found in mussels can be identified.
Further Information
