Crabs create jobs

A SMALL Shetland whitefish processing and sales company is expanding by diversifying into sustainably fished brown crab.

Scalloway based QA Fish said on Wednesday that they were more than doubling their workforce from six to 15.

The company, headed by directors Gordon Johnson and Robert Williamson, have set up a brown crab processing operation at Blacksness Pier.

The local fishery for brown crab received the prestigious Marine Stewardship Council (MCA) certification, last year.

QA Fish is now cooking, processing and freezing the locally landed brown crab for a single customer in the south east of Scotland.

Johnson said it made perfect sense to set such an operation at Blacksness Pier.

“This is a completely new project for us, for which we have a ready market. 

“We buy around 10 to 12 tonnes of brown crab per week from local boats, and cook, grade and freeze the product ready for dispatch by refrigerated container to our customer.

“Customers are becoming more and more conscientious about the origin of produce, so it is important for us that we can verify throughout the supply chain that our seafood comes from a sustainable and well-managed resource,” he said.