Ethical island seafood company blames ‘dark’ reasons for closure

Mull firm delivered hand-dived scallops to UK restaurants

An Isle of Mull seafood company, which supplied top UK chefs with hand-dived scallops from West Coast fishing boats, has ceased trading.

The Ethical Shellfish Company, founded by Guy Grieve and his then wife Juliet Knight 12 years ago, delivered scallops to restaurants throughout the British Isles.

It began on Mull in 2010, dive fishing for king scallops from its boat Invictus, with an aim ‘to create a fishing company with a difference – one that would put ethics at the very centre of its priorities and would never sell seafood that had come at the cost of the marine environment’, its website says.

When the Covid pandemic struck in 2020, the company was forced to sell its fishing boats to keep going, but it continued to source scallops from other dive-fishing boats, and diversified into direct sales to home cooks during lockdowns.

However, Mr Grieve has announced on social media that Ethical Shellfish was ‘coming to an end’.

Mr Grieve’s tweet on Thursday April 14 continued: ‘The family farm is closing down. God knows we tried. Mother Atlantic kept us going for years. My sons characters were defined by the experience as was mine & that of my beloved former wife Juliet. Many lives to lead before we die.’

In a following tweet, Mr Grieve gave reasons for the company’s closure, saying the ‘dive sector has been severely weakened by Draconian legislation driven by mobile sector lobbyists.

‘HSE (Health & Safety Executive) have made it simply impossible to dive fish as we used to. Added to this, the MPAs (Marine Protected Areas) mean nothing. It’s all about bulk produce inshore and not about the environment that feeds us.’

He added later: ‘Sadly things are set up now to make our type of fishing nearly impossible. And what’s so clever about nailing an industry through over-regulation is that it appears it’s being done for our good, our safety. When really the reasons are darker.’ Tobermory Harbour Association said: ‘Sorry to read this Guy. All the best to you, Juilet and the boys. We only have three small fishing vessels working out of #Tobermory at the moment, so sad to see.’

‘It is indeed,’ replied Guy. ‘Tells us something.

‘We are lucky, always, to live in such a fine country and very humbled by the profound friendships we made by trying to do it right with ZERO compromise. We will never forget the honour of having a business whose customers were all friends.’

Another Argyll shellfish company, Dunbeg’s Caledonian Oysters, paid tribute: ‘It has been lovely working with you both and your boys. All my best wishes for your future adventures!’

Dougie Vipond, who presents the TV show The Great Good Guys with chef Nick Nairn, said: ‘I’m so sorry to read this. You folks worked so hard to produce an extraordinary product while protecting the seabed for the next generations. Gutted that you are no longer able to do this.’

‘What’s so clever about nailing an industry through over-regulation is it appears it’s done for our good.’