31 October 2005
Young Shetland entrepreneur Ben Wilcock established UK Scallops Ltd in 1999 with support from the Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust. This warranted him a royal visit last month by Their Royal Highnesses The Earl and Countess of Wessex.
Last year, Ben harvested his first batch of around 5,000 scallops and 100,000 queens. This year, however, marks a complete change of direction for the business. Ben has altered his farming process to grow scallops for two years only, he then sells the young shellfish onto other farmers to continue growth for a further two to three years until the scallops are ready for market.
“We are acting rather like a large hatchery,” said director Ben Wilcock. “This new method of working means a very quick product turnaround for me. I'm now supplying two year old scallops as far afield as France and Jersey where the product is proving very popular.
“I am extremely pleased with the operation, but it has been very hard work to get to this stage. It has been a case of learning as I go because, although there are three or four farms experimenting with scallop farming in Scotland , there wasn't a model in Shetland to be guided by.
“I was delighted to discover I'd been successful in securing start-up support from the Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust. It meant that the idea I'd been harbouring could be turned into a real business venture.
“My plans for the future are to keep expanding, particularly by increasing the production of queen scallops, which grow very well in Shetland. I've established a relationship with a processing unit on the mainland and am also building another unit in Hillswick, Shetland, so that we can supply half shell queens and queen meat to the hotel trade in Scotland .
“I've just embarked on a new creative project to develop packaging for this market and I'm also considering a concept for packaging fresh scallops for the high quality delicatessen sector.”
Ben has also begun a pilot project to investigate the growth potential for the small green sea urchin, which has a natural spat fall on his Shetland farms.
“Very little has been done within the UK to cultivate this species, although it seems such a natural thing for me to do. I'm still investigating the best method to farm sea urchins but, from other trials that I've done on my farms on the west coast of Scotland , I think the ideal way to guarantee any real commercial quantity would be to grow the urchins in small salmon cages.
“Other issues such as when is the best time to harvest the roe from the urchin, still need to be addressed and I'm just learning as I go. The North Atlantic Fisheries College in Scalloway has been very helpful and are currently undertaking scientific research on my behalf as I investigate the more commercial aspects of this new initiative.
“There is definitely a ready market for sea urchins, which, like caviar, is a highly sought after product, particularly by sushi bars. These new developments mean that the business is continually evolving and moving in new directions, ensuring that there is no reliance on the market for one particular species.”
For further information, please contact: Ben Wilcock of UK Scallops Ltd, tel 01806 503732 or email info@ukscallops.co.uk