Whitby Seafoods Ltd

Whitby Seafoods Ltd is a British producer and distributor of frozen, fresh, and chilled seafood. With company headquarters in Whitby, North Yorkshire. The speciality of this company is battered and bread crumbed seafood.Whitby Seafood’s business is predominantly business to business sales (most specifically to catering establishments) although more recently, the company has stepped up its efforts to increase its stake in the retail sector.Most of Whitby Seafoods’ retail sales are of its Oven Bake range of frozen fish, shrimp, and shellfish. Sales to the catering industry are predominantly breaded shrimp.

Early History - The Whitby Shellfish Company

The setting of Whitby Seafoods is of course, the historic town of Whitby, in North Yorkshire. This town (with a population of just under 15,000Fact|date=March 2008) is situated on the north east coast of England. Whitby’s economy lies in two distinct industries, fishing and the tourist trade. Due to its location on the north east coast, and the fact that the town’s harbour is sited at the mouth of the river Esk, this town is also well suited for shipping to Europe.The location of Whitby has served as a clear advantage to the fishing industry found there. On this foundation Nipmark Ltd began trading as The Whitby Shellfish Company in 1963. In its heyday, The Whitby Shellfish Company was a pioneer in the UK breaded scampi industry. In 1985 Graham Whittle acquired the assets of The Whitby Shellfish Company, transforming the company into what is now know as Whitby Seafoods Ltd.

Recent History - Whitby Seafoods Limited

Since the company was formed, Whitby Seafoods has relocated to a 40,000 square ft factory on the outskirts of Whitby. Extensive investment followed, most notably in 2006 when the company increased production capacity to 3000 tonnes, by directing a £3million investment plan. In 2007, Whitby Seafoods made headlines by acquiring the entire share capital of Northern Ireland based W Middleton & Son. Thus forming a company with a combined turnover of over £22 million and make Whitby Seafoods the largest producer of frozen scampi in the UK(Dune, M., 2007:1).Under the leadership of Graham Whittle, Whitby Seafoods is working to increase its presence in the UK retail sector, with Whitby Seafoods products stocked in national supermarkets such as ASDA, Farmfoods, and also upmarket retailer Wholefoods.

Whitby Seafoods Limited Today

In early 2008 Whitby scampi was committed to assessment by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). This assessment is to be carried out by independent certifier Moody Marine Ltd, and is expected to take around 12 months. This endeavour is sponsored by Whitby Seafoods Ltd, and the company will prove (if successful) to be the main beneficiary. If the fisheries are considered worthy of Marine Stewardship Council standard, Whitby Seafoods will be allowed to display the prestigious MSC eco-label on packaging, identifying the product as coming from a sustainable and well-managed fishery

Commenting on this pending assessment, a representative of Whitby Seafoods Ltd said: "We believe that these important scampi fisheries are already fished in a well managed and sustainable way, the fishing vessels concerned work to a very high standard. The MSC certification will give our customers confidence that our belief is justified".

In recent years Whitby Seafoods has been recognised for the company’s ongoing support into sealife research. Most notably, a study into the survival of nephrops in captivity, this research was funded by Whitby Seafoods, and associated with the University of Hull.

Additional to Whitby Seafoods’ commendable commitment to research and sustainability, Whitby Seafoods Limited is the largest employer in the town of Whitby and has shown a dedication to producing and marketing Whitby Scampi for 23 years.

References

* [http://www.whitby-seafoods.com Whitby Seafoods official website]
* “Whitby Seafoods land Kilkeel scampi producers,” Seafood Today, May 2007.
* "Seafish nephrops quality project," Fishing News, August 2007
* "SNS Nephrops," www.msc.org, February 2008.
* Dune, M., “Seafood company buys Northern Irish competitor,” MandADeals.co.uk, June 2007
* "Whitby Scampi Begins Marine Stewardship Council Certification Process," www.fresh-seafood.net, February 2008
* "Whitby Scampi Begins Marine Stewardship Council Certification Process," Commercial Fishing, February 2008