Scots seafood producers bang the drum in Boston

Scottish fish and shellfish producers are heading for Boston, Massachusetts on a mission to raise awareness of the country’s seafood industry.

They will be representing the best of Scotland’s marine produce at Seafood Expo North America (SENA), which starts this weekend and goes on to 15 March.

The Crab Company, Loch Duart, Organic Sea Harvest, Scottish Langoustines, Scottish Seas, Thistle Seafoods and Wester Ross Salmon will be among the Scottish companies at the Expo.

They will be joined by renowned chef John Watret, who will be presenting live cooking demonstrations on 14 March, to give attendees from all over the world the opportunity to sample some of the exhibitors’ delicious products for themselves.

This is the first time that Seafood Expo North America has been able to take place since 2019.  Regarded as the premier seafood event in the Americas, it will be attended by thousands of suppliers and buyers from around the world.  For the Scottish contingent, getting back to the US is a crucial step towards the recovery of the seafood sector, which represents Scotland’s (and the UK’s) largest food export and employs thousands of people all over the country.

The Scottish Nephrops Working Group, with input and support from Seafood Scotland, is spearheading a drive to position Scottish langoustines as the number one choice globally. The initiative follows a difficult period for the sector which was hard hit during the Covid lockdowns with the closure of food service outlets.

Programme Manager Matthew Hurst will be joined in Boston by Scots langoustine fishers Graeme Buchan and Ian Wightman among others, all keen to meet buyers to gauge interest in this premium shellfish.

Adam Wing, the newly appointed Head of Trade Marketing – Americas, UK & Emerging Markets for Seafood Scotland, said: “Seafood Expo North America in Boston has always been a key date in our trade calendar, and it is central to the commercial success of many of our seafood businesses.  After a three-year hiatus, and given the challenges of that intervening period, it’s been vital to ensure a strong attendance from the Scottish industry and we are delighted to be able to represent it so comprehensively and to showcase the very best of what Scotland has to offer.

“The US market imported Scottish seafood worth £63.7m [according to figures from HM Revenue & Customs] in 2020 which shows how much the region appreciates the quality species our country has to offer. We look forward to extending this even further over the next few days.”

Chef John Watret