Working with the seafood industry in Scotland

How we work in Scotland

Our work in Scotland is guided by the Seafish Scottish Advisory Committee (SSAC). Our bespoke work programme is agreed in consultation with them and aligns with Ambition 2030, Scotland’s vision for a growth strategy for the Scottish food & drink industry.

Our aim is to partner with industry, providing timely support on the issues they face locally. We create and support projects, events and initiatives that celebrate the fantastic seafood produced in Scotland and the people and businesses who supply it.

Our manager in Scotland, Jess Sparks, works closely with the Scottish seafood industry and the SSAC to support local coordination of our activities.

What we do in Scotland

We work with the seafood industry to give them the information and support they need. We assist seafood businesses, organisations and individuals across the supply chain. This also includes liaising with Scottish Government and Seafood Scotland. As the industry changes our work adapts and evolves.

Priorities are identified through the SSAC, we then bring people together to work on a range of projects covering areas that currently include:

• Processing Industry Standards - We are supporting the Scottish Seafood Association in their programme to improve standards in the seafood processing sector. We contribute to the operation of their business support programme, and in the development of a bespoke technical standard which the SSA have introduced to their members. The initiative provides training support, mentoring and guidance on improving technical standards and management controls. It has helped several processors raise their standards to achieve independent certification.
  
  
• Marketing Seafood Through Education - We are supporting the development and delivery of seafood masterclasses in several Scottish colleges, improving future chefs understanding of seafood and ultimately helping to get more seafood on menus in Scotland. 
  
  
• Fisheries Innovation and Sustainability (FIS) – We support the work programme of FIS, a unique public-private collaboration between seafood experts, government and scientists to champion innovative research in the Scottish fishing industry. We contribute to the financial needs of this body and provide advice in the FIS technical advisory committee. The SSAC has also directly supported a FIS project piloting a real time bycatch reporting project off the west coast of Scotland.

Regular email updates

We send out a regular email with links to relevant articles, services or meeting dates, and landings data, which anyone connected to the Scottish seafood industry can receive. Sign up for our updates.