Cairndow, Scotland-based Loch Fyne Oysters achieved Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certification for its oyster-farming operations.
The company operates an oyster bar, ships its oysters live directly to consumers, and supplies supermarkets with live oysters.
“Our team has been growing oysters on Loch Fyne for over 45 years, and this step ensures that the heritage and quality we are known for also comes with the strongest sustainability endorsement available,” Loch Fyne Business Development Director Beth Clark said in a release about the news.
The company, currently in its 49th year of production, has always prided itself on “a deep respect for the natural environment," but Clark said ASC certification provides consumers with a new level of certainty.
“Customers can now enjoy our oysters knowing they are making a more positive choice for the environment,” she said.
ASC Market Development Manager for the U.K. and Ireland Lief Hendrikz said that the organization was “delighted to see ASC-certified oysters on supermarket shelves.”
“Loch Fyne has a proud legacy of Scottish shellfish farming, and this certification is a powerful step in the transformation toward responsible seafood farming," Hendrikz said. "By choosing ASC-certified oysters, customers can enjoy outstanding seafood while supporting aquaculture that protects fish, farms, planet, and people.”
Hendrikz also said he hoped the certification would encourage other U.K. oyster farmers to follow suit.
Loch Fyne Oysters was acquired by Associated Seafoods in March 2023 from Scottish Seafoods Investments, the company’s former owner. Prior to its acquisition by Scottish Seafoods, the company had been employee-owned since the death of its co-founder, Johnny Noble.
The company once operated a chain of restaurants across the U.K. by the same name, which it sold to pub chain Greene King Brewery in 2007. In 2023, Greene King closed the Loch Fyne Restaurant chain, while Loch Fyne Oysters retained the Loch Fyne brand.
