Scottish seafood restaurant wins MSC certification

An award-winning Scottish seafood restaurant is scaling the heights in its championing of sustainable fishing.

The Captain’s Galley located in Scrabster Harbour, on the northern shores of Caithness, prides itself on sourcing all of its main produce within a 50 mile radius from its own doorstep.

Earlier this month the Captain’s Galley – which has already netted a host of impressive accolades since opening in 2002 – received Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification meaning that the restaurant’s customers can now choose certified sustainable Scottish mackerel and herring – identified by the MSC logo on the menu. In the near future, the restaurant also hopes to source from other Scottish fisheries currently under assessment.

And the efforts of its owners - Sutherland-born husband and wife team Jim and Mary Cowie - in supporting sustainable practices across the seafood industry, won further recognition when they met His Royal Highness, The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay who was in Scrabster on the occasion of the MSC’s 10th anniversary.

MSC certification assures restaurants and their customers that the fish they buy can be traced back to a fishery that meets the MSC environmental standard for sustainable fishing. Once a fishery has been certified, all companies in the supply chain - from boat to plate - must have the MSC’s Chain of Custody Certification.

Only one other restaurant and one fish and chip shop in Scotland have received this certification to date.

Jim, who has worked in the fish trade for 40 years, said: “MSC works hand in glove with our own ethical policy. The organisation is all about sustainability of fish stocks, which has to be important to everyone in the industry. We have got to look to the future.

“The certification is recognition of how we operate our business, supporting others in the industry who agree with our ideals. It is the way forward for the industry because, if we don’t do it now, we, and many others, won’t have a future.

“I like to think that I have tried throughout my career in the fishing industry to be at the forefront of change and to be forward thinking.”

Jim and Mary opened the Captain's Galley seven years ago in the refurbished old Scrabster Ice House and Salmon bothy which dates back to the early 1800s, sympathetically restoring the lichen-clad stone walls, local flagstone floors and barrel vaulted ceiling to their original glory.

Claire Pescod, the MSC’s Scottish Fisheries Outreach Officer, said: “With the certification of the Captain’s Galley, the restaurant’s team there is leading the way in Scotland.

“I am delighted that the Cowies are now using the MSC to highlight the organisation’s options which gives their own customers extra information and choice.

“Scottish fisheries are responsible for the majority of seafood landed in the UK, and the proportion of Scottish fisheries in the MSC programme - either certified or under assessment – has now risen to over 50% by value, a clear indication of the leadership position taken by the Scottish industry and their determination to demonstrate the sustainability of these fisheries resources to the market.

“The Captain’s Galley is a further example of the changing attitudes to help sustain the seafood industry, both by restaurants and by their customers.”

Find out more about The Captain’s Galley at captainsgalley.co.uk.