It’s really pleasing and amazing to see a scallop fisherman on the Isle of Mull featured in a massive advertising campaign in Heathrow Airport. Our good friend and supplier of ethically fished seafood, Guy Grieve of the Ethical Shellfish Company stars in one of four new animated adverts displayed across Heathrow to coincide with the festive season and attract more international visitors to Scotland. The campaign is designed to inspire passengers to explore further afield in Scotland during their visit.
Hebrides cruises Skipper and Owner Rob Barlow is an experienced diver and especially loves diving for scallops. He often hand dives scallops for Guy as well as for the scallops served up on our cruises. Ethically fished seafood is a passion of both Rob and Guy.
The Ethical Shellfish Company was established in April 2010 by husband and wife team Guy and Juliet Grieve from their home on the Isle of Mull.Their mission is to provide top quality hand dived Isle of Mull scallops direct to top chefs throughout Britain, with two key priorities: quality and marine conservation. Their core products are hand dived Isle of Mull king scallops, fished from their own boat around Mull and the surrounding islands. Periodically, they also supply lobster, langoustine and edible crab, all creel caught by local fishermen whose methods are guaranteed as 100% ethically sound. Hand dived scallops are fished with no damage to the seabed, no waste or bycatch, and small scallops are returned alive to the sea to allow them to grow and spawn. Dive fishermen work from small boats which use very little fuel.
Guy established his company with ethics at its heart because he was shocked to see the damage that is being done to our fragile marine environment by invasive fishing methods. Large sections of the seabed have been reduced to rubble with the complex benthic habitat completely destroyed. Talking to other divers and creel fishermen it was clear that he wasn’t the only one who was concerned. He heard from people who are vigorously campaigning for changes in marine legislation, yet whose voices have been ignored, despite the many models that have shown where we are heading unless changes take place. He set up his fishing company which pledges to support sustainable fishing methods, in the hope that we can contribute towards the recovery of our seas.
It is hoped that the issues around protecting our marine habitat will be highlighted because of this amazing promotion. Heathrow is a gateway to the globe and a hub for businesses and tourists from across the world with 255 weekly departures to Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow. In a joint initiative combining VisitScotland, VisitBritain and Heathrow, the adverts will be showcased across 326 digital screens in the airport’s 5 terminals for the next 3 months.
The adverts tie in with VisitScotland’s ‘Meet the Scots’ campaign, featuring real Scottish people and their local travel tips. Spanning the themes of Food, Countryside and Heritage, the new adverts aim to introduce visitors to authentic Scottish ‘ambassadors’ and the experiences they represent. Guy stars in the food-themed advert, echoing Scotland’s Year of Food & Drink 2015.
We were so pleased with the charter booking from the initial emails inquiring about dates available to the last minute questions and timely responses as we prepared to head to Scotland. Emma is professional, kind, and prompt in responding by email. We appreciate good customer service and yours is excellent. Since this was our second cruise with Skipper James and the Emma Jane, we knew what to expect about anchorages and visiting the islands. However, this cruise exceeded any expectations we had. We enjoyed returning to some islands we had previously visited and seeing new places. We continue to be overwhelmed by our visit to St. Kilda (thank you, Skipper James!) and seeing the many, many species and numbers of birds throughout the cruise that were not around in these numbers in September 2017. James knows much about all aspects of the Hebrides; if he doesn’t know an answer, he says that he doesn’t know. I like that. Will was knowledgeable about cetaceans, birds, plants, and extremely helpful to those of us who decided to take some of the walks that included narrow and muddy trails with steep inclines. He was available to offer a hand or arm to steady us as we hiked up and down the hills. Anchoring in protected areas overnight is an extraordinary experience—the quiet, the skies, the gentle rocking of the vessel. All ten of us on this charter live on bodies of water—bays, lakes, ocean. Anchoring in coves next to small villages or near an unpopulated island is special. The cruise was extra special. We were made to feel welcomed back and our friends from New Hampshire were thrilled with their experiences seeing the Hebrides and the wildlife, scenery, remoteness, and the comfort of the Emma Jane.
Angela & David Hiley: 8 June 2019Private Charter 10 Nights