AQUACULTURE PR & COMMUNICATIONS

ANDREW
WATSON

A strategic PR and communications consultant supporting companies in the global aquaculture sector.

Previously PR and Communications Manager at leading Atlantic salmon farmer Cooke Scotland (2020-22) and Head of Communications & Partnerships for aquaculture trade body Salmon Scotland (2022-25) I've worked with dozens of producer and supply chain companies to protect and promote the reputation of the globally renowned Scottish salmon brand with key stakeholders including the media, customers and government at home and abroad.I have helped shape the salmon farming industry's narrative, focusing on jobs and economic benefit and promoting salmon's place as the UK's top food export, with domestic and international sales worth £2billion a year.I've worked with individual salmon farming and supply chain companies, providing communications advice and support to navigate reputational challenges and maintain brand integrity with supermarkets, customers and the wider public.One of the most experienced and well-connected communications professionals working in the industry, in 2024 I was appointed to the judging panel for the global Aquaculture Awards and will continue on as a judge for the next annual awards held during Aquaculture UK in Glasgow in June 2026.As well as supporting companies on a consultancy basis I am also writing for the respected specialist industry publication Fish Farmer Magazine and reported from the European Aquaculture Society's Aquaculture Europe conference in Valencia.You can read my write-up in the October magazine and watch a short wrap-up video I shot and edited below.

Skills and experience include

  • Media relations and crisis comms

  • Public affairs and government relations

  • Marketing and brand development

  • Social media management

  • Video content creation

  • Website development and management

  • Strategy

  • Stakeholder engagement

  • Social licence and planning consents

  • International trade

Endorsements

"A strategic thinker with working knowledge of media relations, crisis communications and public affairs, he’s a real all-rounder, always looking several steps ahead."Well-planned proactive campaign or fleet-of-foot media response, you can trust Andrew to calmly and professionally deliver on time, every time."Added to this the fact he’s as genuine and authentic as he is driven, and it’s easy to see why he has gained the respect not only of the aquaculture sector itself but – crucially – its stakeholders and key media contacts too."Lesley Rice - Ex-Head of Communications & Marketing, Scottish Sea Farms

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