Meeting the new ASSG CEO Meeting the new ASSG CEO JANET BROWN INTRODUCES NICK LAKE T
he café at Heriot Watt was the des- ignated meeting place. ‘You can’t
miss it’. Dr Nick Lake, new ASSG CEO was right but I certainly had my doubts as it seemed very possible I wouldn’t fi nd the café. Nick was at Heriot Watt to sup- port his two boys playing in a squash tournament; both are studying computing sci- ence there – one in Year 3 and the younger having just started this year so Nick was down from his Black Isle home to lend support – and take instruction on repairs required to the student fl at! A Devonian by birth, Nick has lived 33 years in Scotland, essentially from the time he came up to Heriot Watt himself, to do a PhD on the effect of UV sunlight on farmed turbot and bream. Before that he had carried out his practi- cal work for his MSc at Ar- dtoe, on crab predation of cultivated scallops. In reality his non-scientifi c involve- ment with shellfi sh goes back even further – as an undergraduate he worked with Philip Gibbon on his oyster farm grading oysters on the Teign estuary. On one memorable weekend he remembers helping the Gibbons sell around 5000 oysters at the Elephant Fair in Saltash – many custom- ers being fi rst time recruits to the delights of oyster consumption. Taking up an appointment
at Ardtoe, he spent the long evenings writing up his PhD thesis but, as Shellfi sh Research Offi cer, he was occupied during the day on mussel and scallop culture work, such as re-tubing and density work for mussel droppers, on-growing king scallop for re-seeding and also investigating more varied species such as pal- ourdes, manila clams, native oysters and even winkles.
ENTHUSIASM Shellfi sh have been a large
part of his working life; the initial interest in the sea and all things marine having been sparked, as for so many others of his genera- tion, by Jacques Cousteau. Regrettably days of getting his hands dirty and putting his oilskins on were soon to be replaced by paper- work. From Ardtoe he was transferred to Inverness to take up a role as Fisher- ies Development Manager, looking at strategic devel- opment of local govern- ment policies for marine resources – covering aqua- culture, fi sheries, proces- sors and marketing. He was also seriously involved in
Much can
be gained by collaborative work in ICZM
www.fishfarmer-magazine.com
funding issues, particularly in relation to EU sources and Objective 1 initiatives for the Highlands and Islands. It was while here that he effectively settled to live in Rosemarkie on the Black Isle, in which he sees some shades of his native Sidmouth. He continued up the
ladder with the Sea Fish Industry Authority until 2002, when he started his essentially portfolio career. One of his fi rst tasks, in conjunction with previous colleagues from Seafi sh and through the SAGB, was to bring forward a develop- ment strategy for the English Shellfi sh Industry that covered both the wild and cultivated sec- tors. What was immedi- ately evident was that, on a range of issues, all sectors had common interests and much could be gained by collaborative work in the developing arena of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). Much of the work he does now is for the Scottish Govern- ment, particularly with Marine Scotland Inshore Fisheries Policy, and some ASSG members will have worked with Nick through the Inshore Fisheries Group network. I asked if he felt there might be a confl ict of inter- est there. Nick thinks to the contrary, it should be an advantageous link, since everything now is working towards ICZM and, as food producers, both shellfi sh sectors would be increas- ingly drawn into the new management process being implemented through Scot- tish Marine Region, Marine
Planning Partnerships. I asked what he could bring to us in the ASSG. Enthusi- asm clearly, he didn’t need to tell me that, but also ideas and his links to all the relevant bodies: SEPA, FSAS, SNH and of course SG. He is clearly on top of all the legislation and, more importantly for us, is strategically aware and that can only be of benefi t to the ASSG. There will be those of
you that are aware that we have not had an executive offi cer as a job title for some time and may won- der why the term Chair- man has been replaced by the ASSG Management team? Well Nick himself was involved in this discus- sion and it is seen as a statement of intent that he
sees the role very much as representing the views of the Scottish shellfi sh grow- ers and ensuring that these views are relayed but also that the ASSG is capable of developing and progressing initiatives to support the growers.
Nick is clearly looking
forward to starting work for ASSG at the beginning of April and he will be on the ASSG stand at Aqua- culture UK, so if you can get there he will be looking forward to meet up with friends old and new to ensure you have the chance to make your views known about shellfi sh growing issues and the future of the Association. In the interim Nick can be contacted at: contactnicklake@yahoo.
co.uk FF
Top: Martin Flanigan, Fabrice Richez, Mike Gubbins Janet Brown and Mar Marcos-Lopez at the recet OsHV-1 conference. Above: Walter Speirs and Nick Turnbull at the conference
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