The team were awarded the Silver Award in conjunction with Weber Shandwick Scotland in the 'Corporate and Business Communications Campaign' for their work during the latest series of ‘Hugh’s Fish Fight’, which was aired at the beginning of this year.
The award recognises the achievements of the Seafish team in communicating with industry and the media during the Channel 4 series, which focused, among other things, on Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) and culminated in a campaign for the designation of 127 of these sites in England and Wales.
Whilst Seafish recognise the need for MCZs and a considered approach to planning marine protection in the future, some of the content included in the series was misleading and painted the seafood industry in a less than favourable light. It was in response to this that Seafish launched its own campaign of planned communications activities to dispel the myths, with a central aim of bringing greater balance and clarity to this important issue.
Chris Middleton, Head of Communications at Seafish said: “Through working closely with industry, giving a voice to leading experts over a range of platforms and working proactively in providing the media with useful information on the facts of the matter, we were able provide a rational and considered perspective in the mainstream and digital media.
"We feel really pleased that our work in this area has received such recognition from within the public relations profession. It demonstrates that by sticking to fact and reason, it is possible to achieve a positive outcome, even on issues that can be both complex and highly emotive for people.”
Seafish board member, Professor Michel Kaiser of Bangor University contributed valuable information during Hugh’s Fish Fight and attended the awards.
He added: “This award is a significant acknowledgement of how far Seafish has progressed as the 'Authority on Seafood.”
