by Edd Hind
One of the reasons I became I marine scientist is because I love eating fish. It’s a healthy thing to do, but more importantly they taste delicious! Nevertheless, a taste for the juicy white flesh of cod, the salty aftertaste of an oyster, or the flavour explosion of mackerel can clearly be an ethical conundrum for people in our line of work.
At IMCC3, hopefully we can all share knowledge and help make decisions that will ensure I, and others like me, don’t have to feel guilty about our fetish for fish. The good news, in the meantime, is that we certainly won’t have to regret eating seafood while we are in Glasgow. The IMCC team have been researching the vibrant sustainable seafood scene in Scotland’s largest city. The following are just a couple of the great options.
Celebrity British chef Jamie Oliver has been a great patron for the oceans in the last decade, and in conjunction with IMCC, his Jamie’s Italian restaurant will be putting on a special sustainable Shellfish Supper on the evening of August 16th with a presentation on sustainable seafood in Scotland. This event is full, but IMCC3 delegates can try to make a reservation at Jamie’s Italian during their stay in Glasgow.
Don’t stop there though! A visit to the UK is not complete without tasting the national delicacy of fish ‘n’ chips. We’ve been in contact with top Glasgow ‘chipper’ and seafood restaurant, Gandolfi Fish, who were more than happy to tell you about both their seafood sourcing policies and what you should eat when at the conference.
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IMCC: What first motivated you to start selling sustainable fish?
Gandolfi Fish: At Gandolfi Fish, we believe that using sustainable fish supplies is the only way to run an efficient restaurant. It is not a question of doing the right thing; it’s more a question of doing the only thing you can to ensure healthy oceans.
IMCC: What types of sustainable fish are you selling, and how are you cooking them?
Gandolfi Fish: One of our biggest selling fish is Halibut, sourced from a farm in Gigha. We serve it grilled with creamed leeks, peas and bacon.
IMCC: If the delegates at the 3rd International Marine Conservation Congress should eat one thing while they are in Glasgow, what should it be?
Gandolfi Fish: They should definitely try pan seared scallops with black pudding. It’s a very classic combination, and Stornoway Black pudding has a protected status now in Scotland. We serve hand-dived Isle of Mull scallops this way, along with pear and cider cream.
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That. Sounds. Delicious! See you at IMCC, where I will be leaping head first into a tasty bowl of ethically sourced Cullen Skink.
Jamie’s Italian is located 7 George Square, Glasgow, G2 1DY and can be contacted on +44 0141 404 2690
Gandolfi Fish is located 84-86 Albion Street, Glasgow G1 1NY. You can take away or make a reservation on +44-141-552-9475
-Edd Hind is a Marine Resource Management faculty member with the School for Field Studies. He is also on the Communications Committee for IMCC3.
IMCC2018 
Well said Edd! I live in Somerville MA USA. (a city founded in 1842 for a Brit in the Scot’s Greys who refused to speak of his heroic deed at the only public gathering held in his honor, an event that happened to be in Glasgow (because a prominent Glaswegian held him captive. Somerville felt obligated for the hospitality but when pushed on stage refused to speak.) Thus, the moment I learned IMCC3 would be held in Glasgow I was grateful for the professional reason to visit. I quickly booked a room at Babbity Bowster, because it’s the closest bed&pub to Gandolfi. Turns out this pub is really great in itself, I mean really good.
At Gandolfi’s I had the pleasure of introducing a couple of ancient forest ecologists from Estonia to the bar upstairs. The bar itself physically had them on their knees with camera’s flashing for the burled wood tree trunk cut and polished lengthwise revealing the inner workings, turns and swirls caused by a very old viral infection in the wood that responded most artistically. I have yet to get past Gandolfi’s selection of whiskies – more research of this bar is warranted.
I was a bit bummed IMCC3 was so far away in the Expo Center, so many seafood places to walk by. It’s not just fish and chips, if you please, its which of 3 or 4 species of fish would you like. And then I dined at the little CrabShakk at 1114 Argyle. Is this heaven or is it Glasgow? When’s your next marine conservation event?