Building
common ground
for a thriving Fish+
sector in Scotland

Two oyster workers loading up large mesh bags of freshly harvested oysters onto a nearby van
Enormous crab being held by a seafood worker
Chef at work in a busy restaurant kitchen plating up many servings of the same tasty looking dish.
Delicious looking bowl of Cullen Skink with a delightful wooden soup spoon and tasty hunk of bread.
Freshly made seafood and possibly kale salad
Fishing vessel speeds through the water creating a large frothy bow wave, with stunning vista of mountains behind
Photo of freshly caught large brownish lobster
Freshly filleted salmon sitting on a tray, the filleter's hands at work in the background.

Project
Vision

We want everyone in Scotland to have access to aquatic foods that are delicious, nutritious, and produced in a way that is fair to both people and the environment.

To begin this work, we are convening the Fish+ in a Good Food Nation Panel—a diverse group of voices from across the Fish+ sector—who will collaborate over the next year to chart a clear and actionable path forward.

Scotland’s Good Food Nation Act provides an opportunity to ensure seafood and the broader Fish+ (animals, plants and algae) sector is fully embedded in food policy development and implementation. Seafood Scotland and Nourish Scotland have partnered to build a broader and deeper consensus on how aquatic foods can contribute to a fairer, healthier, and more sustainable food system.

More about the project

What is Fish+?

Fish+ refers to animals, plants and algae (including seaweed) from aquatic environments.

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informed

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The Panel

We are looking to form a panel of up to 15 people that brings together diverse perspectives of fish+ stakeholders in Scotland.

More about the panel

Frequently asked questions

The Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act, passed in 2022, sets a vision for “a Good Food Nation, where people from every walk of life take pride and pleasure in, and benefit from, the food they produce, buy, cook, serve, and eat each day.”

It is a framework law that guides both national and local government in developing policies and strategies that improve the way food is produced, distributed, and consumed in Scotland.

For more information visit: https://www.gov.scot/policies/food-and-drink/good-food-nation/

Our goal is to build meaningful dialogue and consensus across a diverse range of perspectives. To do this well, participants need time and space to get to know one another, explore disagreement, and find common ground.

A smaller panel size helps ensure that everyone has the chance to actively participate and that conversations are respectful, productive, and inclusive.

That said, this process is not closed. Panellists will be encouraged to share learning with their networks. At the end of the year, we will run five in-person events across Scotland to share the panel’s findings and gather feedback from wider communities. These events will be participatory, and your reflections will be included in a final dissemination report.

We are also conducting research alongside the work of the panel to better understand the diversity of perspectives of Fish+ in Scotland. Anyone in Scotland will be able to participate in this research, to find out more email contact@fishplus.scot

There are several ways to get involved:

  • Participate in the research we are conducting to better understand the diversity of perspectives of Fish+ in Scotland. Anyone in Scotland will be able to participate in this research, to find out more email: contact@fishplus.scot
  • Join us at one of our five in-person events happening across Scotland in 2026 to disseminate the panel’s findings.
  • Follow updates on this website and our social media channels.
  • Depending on interest and capacity, we may also hold open sessions or webinars during the year, register your interest here: contact@fishplus.scot

We want the conversation to go well beyond the panel room.

Instagram:
@nourishscotland @seafoodfromscotland

Linkedin:
Nourish Scotland

Seafood Scotland

Panellists will be chosen through an application process, aiming for balance across the sector—small and large-scale producers, processors, interested members of the public, environmental groups, public health and nutrition professionals, and workers’ rights organisations.
The selection process will be led by the project’s academic co-chairs and secretariat to ensure broad representation and a strong mix of expertise, lived experience, and perspective.

If you live, work, or eat in Scotland—this work matters.

We want everyone in Scotland to have access to aquatic foods that are delicious, nutritious, and produced in a way that is fair to both to people and the environment. This means supporting the people and communities involved in harvesting and processing seafood, protecting marine ecosystems, and helping more people enjoy Scottish seafood as part of a healthy, affordable diet.

To achieve this, we need a shared vision and pathway—and that’s what this panel is working to build.

We will update this website throughout the year with news stories and blogs. You can also follow us on socials:

Instagram:
@nourishscotland @seafoodfromscotland

Linkedin:
Nourish Scotland

Seafood Scotland

In January 2024, Nourish Scotland and Seafood Scotland co-hosted a one-day event that brought together a wide range of voices to begin a national conversation about the role of aquatic foods in Scotland’s food future.

The energy and diversity of perspectives in that room made one thing clear: this needed to be the start of a longer and deeper conversation. That conversation is now continuing through this panel process.

Find out more and read the report here.

This work is generously funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.