Former retail boss joins mussel farm
THE former seafood boss of Morrisons has been appointed general manager of a pioneering mussel farm.
Huw Thomas, who was aquaculture and fisheries manager for the supermarket chain from 2012 to 2016, brings significant experience of the industry to his new role at Offshore Shellfish, based in Brixham.
He also commands respect for his recent work with the Pew Charitable Trusts on sustainability and the campaign to end illegal fishing, said Offshore Shellfish.
‘We are delighted to welcome Huw to the company and look forward to working with him to steer the next stage of development,’ said managing director John Holmyard.
‘We have grown fast over the past couple of years, expanding our production capacity, increasing sales volumes, and building a skilled workforce.
‘Huw’s insight into the wider seafood industry will be of great help in making Offshore Shellfish a world class company.’
Offshore Shellfish has successfully completed three years of sea trials, which have shown that production of high quality rope grown mussels in a fully offshore marine environment is achievable, despite the many challenges the location brings.
The arrival of a 24m purpose built harvesting vessel, the Holly Mai, earlier this year allows the company to step up its harvesting capacity to meet customer demand.
‘Shellfish has been a major interest of mine since I started in the seafood industry in the mid 1990s,’ said Thomas.
‘Being able to return to that sector of the industry and work in a company that farms some of the most sustainable seafood in the world is a natural progression of my career.
‘I look forward to helping the founders, John and Nicki Holmyard, to achieve their ambitious plans to expand the production of farmed mussels in the UK.’