Scots oyster boom marks Valentine’s Day – Fishupdate.com

VALENTINE’S Day is bringing an oyster bonanza to Scotland’s shellfish farmers as British consumers are keen to get their hands on the delicacy – well known for its aphrodisiac properties.

Shellfish farmers from the Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group (SSMG) are working almost flat out as they face a sudden surge in demand from all across the UK for their Pacific oysters.

Sales of oysters normally run at around 1.6 tonnes a week, but this month will see Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group’s (SSMG) farmers shipping up to four tonnes in the week of Valentine’s Day alone, an increase of around 150%.

SSMG Managing Director Donny Gillies said: “Valentines Day is the one of the busiest period our shellfish farmers have, second only to Christmas. Oyster farming in time for Valentines Day is a huge operation as Scottish Oysters have to be extremely fresh – and everyone wants to eat them on February 14th!”

SSMG’s oysters have one major advantage over their overseas competition – they are always in season. The Pacific Oyster spat is grown in waters along the West Coast of Scotland which never rise above 18 degrees Celsius – ensuring constant fresh growing conditions all year round.

SSMG is the UK’s premier producer of finest quality shellfish, supplying most major supermarkets, such as Waitrose, Tesco, Morrisons, and Sainsbury as well as wholesalers and restaurants with mussels, oysters and scallops farmed from the crystal clear waters of sheltered sea lochs located along the full length of the West coast of Scotland and Shetland.