Properly managing our seas means making sure critical species have a long-term future – without healthy ecosystems, our fishing industry cannot thrive.

Thank you to Edinbane Lodge and The Gannet for hosting such a delicious lunch, and to Gusbourne Wine for the generous drinks sponsorship 🦞🍽️🍷

Scallop dredging is still permitted across most of Scotland’s inshore waters, damaging seabed habitats and preventing recovery. But hand-dived scallops show there is a more selective and low-impact way to harvest outstanding seafood.

Peter McKenna said: “Choosing the most sustainable option is a responsibility we take seriously. It’s the only way to ensure Scotland’s marine habitats remain healthy and productive for years to come, for us, and for the next generations."

The menu highlighted the quality of truly sustainable seafood, followed by a panel discussion focused on the urgent need for transparency in how our seafood is caught.

The agenda includes:
🦞 Five-course sustainable seafood lunch.
🎤 Q&A panel with the chefs and divers.
🗣️ Conversation around how we can better connect what’s on our plates with what happens in our sea.

Stay tuned to learn more.

📸: 2. Paul Naylor; 3. Keith Mutch; 5. Michiel Vos

🐟 Pollack are found around rocky coastal waters, and feed on fish, squid, shrimp and crabs. Also known as lythe, this species is often mistaken for its close relative, the coalfish or saithe.

🦈 Small-spotted catshark, otherwise known as the lesser-spotted dogfish, live close to the seabed either in shallow waters or up to 100 metres deep. They prey on crabs, molluscs, and small fish and curl into a doughnut shape when threatened.

🐚 Blue-rayed limpet live on kelp and feed on its fronds. Though only exposed at very low tide, their brownish shells are marked with vivid blue lines making them a little easier to spot.

⭐ Spiny starfish are the largest starfish in UK seas, growing up to 70 cm across. Its body is covered in white spines and it can be found in shallow coastal waters but also at depths of around 200 m.

🐟 Sand eels may be small but they play a huge role in Scotland’s seas as a vital food source for seabirds, fish, and marine mammals.

🐠 Cuckoo wrasse are among Scotland’s most striking fish, spending their lives in rocky areas around the coast.

A five-course menu will be served with dishes celebrating hand-dived scallops, followed by discussions on how menus, food storytelling, & consumer choices can help drive more sustainable practices across Scotland’s seafood sector.

Learn more about the event ➡️ www.openseas.org.uk/thegannetlun...

With government commitments still waiting to be fulfilled, it’s time to turn what they have promised into robust action for Scotland’s underwater meadows.

📚 Read more about Scotland’s seagrass in our Ocean Witness Report at the link in bio. openseas.org.uk/ocean-witness/