Nick Lake, CEO, C/o Mendosa, Court Hill Road, Rosemarkie, Black-Isle,
Inverness, IV10 8UE Telephone: 44 (0) 1381 620883 mobile: 44 (0) 7876 556784
The ASSG’s annual conference includes a competition to find Scotland’s best shellfish:
Rock Oyster, Crassostrea gigas
Native Oyster, Ostrea edulis
Mussel, Mytlus edulis
Do you have some to enter?
All entrants must be members of ASSG or Seafood Shetland.
Competition Format
1. Register your intention to compete, by entering on t conference registration form.
2. Bring along a 1kg sample of live mussels (count 60-90/Kg) or 12 live oysters (range 80-120g).
3. Product will be held in chilled storage until 1230 on the 31st October, when the competition takes place.
4. Each mussel sample will be debyssed and cooked over high heat until the shells are open. No flavourings or additives will be used.
5. Each oyster sample will be presented some unopened and some opened on one plate.
6. The origin of samples will be anonymous to the judges.
Competition Rules
1. All samples must come from registered Scottish farms and be accompanied by a despatch note to ensure traceability, and depuration certificates where necessary
2. Shellfish must be brought to the competition in a chill box to ensure the cool chain is not compromised
3. Competition entrants must be registered as delegates at the conference
4. One entry per registered farm
5. The decision of the judges is final.
ASSG Conference Oban 2019 - Charges
ASSG Member: £100 (£50 / day)
Non-ASSG Member: £150 (£75 / day)
Standard trade show stand – including two delegates’ registrations: £250
Large trade show stand - including two delegates’ registrations: £350
Conference dinner: £50
Student concession: £50 (£25 / day)
Day 1 October 31st
11:30 Open for Delegate Registration - (Trade stands and discussions)
12:00 Conference welcome Nick Lake ASSG - Conference Opening
12:10 Mairi Gougeon MSP - Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment
12:30 Best Scottish Shellfish Competition(Start of judging) Awards sponsored by HIE
Conference Session 1 - The Big Picture
14:15 - 14:45 “Bivalve shellfish - resilience in action” Sandra Shumway - Department of . Marine Science, University of Connecticut, USA
14:50 – 15:20 “Shellfish production - delivering benefits” Aad Smaal - Aquaculture and . . fisheries group, Wageningen University, Netherlands
Conference Session 2 - The International Picture
15:45 - 16:10 “Mussels and Oysters - shelf space guaranteed”
Mhairi Forbes and Rosemary Wilkinson, M & S
16:15 - 16:40 “A short career in shellfish and restaurants ”
Ben Wright, Wright Brothers restaurants, London
16:45 - 17:10 "Turning shellfish into seafood - a simple process?”
Stephen Cameron, Scottish Shellfish marketing group
17:30 - 18:00 - ASSG AGM for members
19:00 for 19:30 - Annual Dinner Fishouse Restaurant The Railway Pier, Oban
+ Award winners announced Sponsored by HIE
Day 2 - November 1st
09:00 - 09:05 Conference welcome - Nick Lake, CEO ASSG
Conference Session 3 - Industry Development
09:10 - 09:20 “Improving biotoxin testing capabilities” Kevin Mulholland,
Product manager, Neogen Europe
09:25 - 09:35 “Finding NAEMO—Mussel research support network”
Åsa Strand - Co-ordinator, Mussel stocks workshop
09:40 - 10:05 “Selecting the “best” shellfish for production”
Tim Bean - Roslin research Institute, Edinburgh
10:10 - 10:40 “Mussel longlines and environmental benefits” John Holmyard/Danielle . Bridger - Offshore farms Ltd,/University of South West, Devon
Conference Session 4 - The Scottish Perspective
11:20 - 11:45 "Shell-volution - an opportunity for demand driven industry research"
Gregg Arthur - NAFC Marine Centre, Shetland and Michael Tait, SSMG
11:50 - 12:15 “Applying science and technology - delivering shellfish”
Carter Newell - Pemaquid Mussel Farms, Maine, USA
12:20 - 12:50 “Bivalve hatcheries and growers requirements—views and visions from our . suppliers” Panel discussion chaired by Tristan Hugh Jones - Loch Ryan
Mark Dravers - Guernsey Sea Farms
Kelsey Thompson - Morecambe Bay Oysters
12:55 - 13:00 Conference closing remarks - Nick Lake - ASSG
13:00 - 14:30 Buffet Lunch and conference close