Scotland's Top Chefs Unite Behind Hand-Dived Scallop Campaign

Scotland's renowned seafood is prized for its quality and sustainability, but many consumers remain unaware of the methods used to catch it. A group of Scotland's top chefs, including those from Inver, The Palmerston, Gloriosa, and the Kinneuchar Inn, have joined forces to promote hand-dived scallops, a premium and low-impact seafood product that avoids the damaging effects of dredge fishing. The chefs, along with the Sustainable Restaurant Association and the UK's Good Food Guide, are urging consumers to ask questions about the sourcing of their seafood and to choose hand-dived scallops over those caught using destructive methods.

Key Takeaways:

• Hand-diving is a highly-selective fishing method that minimizes damage to marine habitats, eliminates bycatch, and supports coastal economies.
• Scottish hand-dived scallops are recognized as the gold standard in quality and sustainability, accounting for 95% of the country's hand-dived scallop catch.
• Scallops are predominantly harvested by two fishing methods: hand-diving and dredging, with dredging causing significant damage to seabed habitats.
• The Kinneuchar Inn, Scotland's only Green Star Michelin restaurant, has endorsed the Dived not Dredged campaign and serves hand-dived scallops on their menu, highlighting the importance of sustainable seafood.
• Chefs from across Scotland's hospitality scene have pledged their support for handdived scallops, recognizing the need for sustainable seafood practices to protect marine habitats.
• Open Seas is urging seafood buyers, wholesalers, and retailers to follow the example set by these forward-thinking chefs, supporting hand-dived scallops and rejecting seafood caught using destructive catch methods like scallop dredging.

Statistics:

• 95% of Scotland's inshore waters allow scallop dredging, which damages seabed habitats and eliminates bycatch.
• 5% of Scotland's inshore waters remain protected from scallop dredging, allowing hand-dived scallops to thrive.
• Scotland produces 95% of its hand-dived scallops, making them a prized and sustainable seafood product.
• Inver is Scotland's only Green Star Michelin restaurant, emphasizing its commitment to sustainable seafood practices.

Sources:

• "Dived not Dredged" campaign by Open Seas
• The Scotsman's Scran podcast, featuring Andrea Ladas, Sustainable Seafood Officer at Open Seas
• Remarks by Pam Brunton, Owner of Inver
• Remarks by James Ferguson, Chef at Kinneuchar Inn
• Remarks by Davy Stinson, Member of the Scottish Scallop Divers' Association