Ethically fished seafood in the spotlight

It’s really pleasing and amazing to see a scallop fisherman on the Isle of Mull featured in a massive advertising campaign in Heathrow Airport. Our good friend and supplier of ethically fished seafood, Guy Grieve of the Ethical Shellfish Company stars in one of four new animated adverts displayed across Heathrow to coincide with the festive season and attract more international visitors to Scotland.   The campaign is designed to inspire passengers to explore further afield in Scotland during their visit.

Hebrides cruises Skipper and Owner Rob Barlow is an experienced diver and especially loves diving for scallops. He often hand dives scallops for Guy as well as for the scallops served up on our cruises.  Ethically fished seafood is a passion of both Rob and Guy.

The Ethical Shellfish Company was established in April 2010 by husband and wife team Guy and Juliet Grieve from their home on the Isle of Mull.Their mission is to provide top quality hand dived Isle of Mull scallops direct to top chefs throughout Britain, with two key priorities: quality and marine conservation. Their core products are hand dived Isle of Mull king scallops, fished from their own boat around Mull and the surrounding islands. Periodically, they also supply lobster, langoustine and edible crab, all creel caught by local fishermen whose methods are guaranteed as 100% ethically sound. Hand dived scallops are fished with no damage to the seabed, no waste or bycatch, and small scallops are returned alive to the sea to allow them to grow and spawn. Dive fishermen work from small boats which use very little fuel.

Guy established his company with ethics at its heart because he was shocked to see the damage that is being done to our fragile marine environment by invasive fishing methods. Large sections of the seabed have been reduced to rubble with the complex benthic habitat completely destroyed. Talking to other divers and creel fishermen it was clear that he wasn’t the only one who was concerned. He heard from people who are vigorously campaigning for changes in marine legislation, yet whose voices have been ignored, despite the many models that have shown where we are heading unless changes take place. He set up his fishing company which pledges to support sustainable fishing methods, in the hope that we can contribute towards the recovery of our seas.

It is hoped that the issues around protecting our marine habitat will be highlighted because of this amazing promotion. Heathrow is a gateway to the globe and a hub for businesses and tourists from across the world with 255 weekly departures to Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow.  In a joint initiative combining VisitScotland, VisitBritain and Heathrow, the adverts will be showcased across 326 digital screens in the airport’s 5 terminals for the next 3 months.

The adverts tie in with VisitScotland’s ‘Meet the Scots’ campaign, featuring real Scottish people and their local travel tips. Spanning the themes of Food, Countryside and Heritage, the new adverts aim to introduce visitors to authentic Scottish ‘ambassadors’ and the experiences they represent.  Guy stars in the food-themed advert, echoing Scotland’s Year of Food & Drink 2015.