Seafood Scotland hosted a highly successful Seafood Bar at the European Seafood Exposition (ESE) in Brussels at the end of April, where Richard Lochhead spoke to the press, fishermen and seafood professionals, about his Government's support for the industry and his hopes for a sustainable future.

A team of chefs from the Federation of Chefs Scotland prepared more than15000 samples to tempt foreign visitors to 'buy Scottish', and served around 1000 tasting plates to visitors holding meetings in the Seafood Bar's seated area. According to Sarah Holmyard, who managed the event for Seafood Scotland, there was significant interest in the current quality, environmental, responsible fishing, marketing and business initiatives being undertaken by Seafood Scotland, as well as many requests for contact details of Scottish seafood producers. "Our chefs do an excellent job preparing and serving Scottish seafood for international buyers, and their efforts always result in serious enquiries for supply," she explained. "The Seafood Bar is an excellent showcase of the industry, and Scottish fishermen, processors and suppliers both enjoy visiting it and find it beneficial," she added.

Seafood Scotland also organised a successful Scottish ceilidh evening in Brussels, attended by more than 400 people. Scottish fishermen, processors and aquaculture producers invited their international customers to the event, which was hosted by Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead MSP and Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham. "The ceilidh was especially good at showcasing the best of Scotland and I was impressed with the enthusiasm for the event by all involved," said Richard Lochhead.

Whisky makers Famous Grouse donated a limited edition bottle of 27 year old whisky as a raffle prize, with the proceeds going to the Fisherman's Mission. Won by Iain MacSween, Chairman of both Seafood Scotland and the Scottish Fishermen's Organisation (SFO), the bottle was swiftly auctioned to Ian Buchan, owner/skipper of the Peterhead-based pelagic trawler Quantus, who boosted the total money raised by €1300 to €1800.

"The Mission does extremely important work with fishermen and their families and is always in need of funds, so I was more than happy to help boost them," stated Ian. He was visiting the show with the SFO, where his vessel's chef cooked up fresh Scottish langoustine for visitors. 

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