Scottish Sea Farms and Marine Harvest were big winners at the The Crown Estate Scottish Marine Aquaculture Awards, held Thursday at Prestonfield House in Edinburgh.
Scottish Sea Farms was named “Best Aquaculture Company 2015” for its sustainable practice, business performance, investment, staff management practices and local community involvement.
“This accolade means a great deal to Scottish Sea Farms and the teams of hard working people we employ across Scotland. It is our employees who work extremely hard, in often challenging conditions, that have made this award possible,” said Jim Gallagher, managing director, Scottish Sea Farms.
The company was shortlisted for six awards in total and also won the Stewardship Award in a joint entry with Marine Harvest, a project with cleaner fish. Marine Harvest’s Rosie Curtis was awarded “Best Farm Manager” for her work at Clamus Glas farm on Loch Sunart. The firm also won the Stewardship Award for its joint project on the use of cleaner fish with Scottish Sea Farms.
“We are delighted that our success has been recognized at such a prestigious awards ceremony,” said Managing Director Alan Sutherland. “That success is due entirely to the hard work and dedication of all our team at Marine Harvest and I thank them all for playing their part.”
The Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group (SSMG) won the Aquaculture Seafood Product of the Year Award for its new range of mussel ready meals developed for Lidl. Products include Deluxe Scottish Mussels in Tomato & Chorizo Sauce, Scottish Cooked Mussels in Black Bean Sauce and Scottish Cooked Mussel & Clams in Thai Sauce.
“We are delighted that our innovation in new product development has been recognized in this way,” said Stephen Cameron, managing director of SSMG. “This award is testament to the hard work of all our employees and underlines the growing importance of the Scottish farmed shellfish sector as a provider of sustainable, nutritious and tasty food.”
The Awards ceremony, hosted by comedian Jo Caulfield, included a keynote address by Aileen McLeod MSP, Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform. (Photographed, left to right: host Jo Caulfield, Scottish Sea Farms Managing Director Jim Gallagher and Gareth Baird, Scottish Commissioner for the Crown Estate.)
The Scottish Marine Aquaculture Awards, held every two years and managed by The Crown Estate, aim to encourage and reward best practice and innovation in the marine aquaculture sector. With awards for aquaculture companies, as well as their suppliers and customers, the categories are designed to reflect The Crown Estate’s core values of commercialism, integrity and stewardship.
