2026 marks seven years since Whale-like-fish first made a splash onto the PR scene! And, to mark this milestone, we thought we would share seven highlights from the past year.
50 years of Jacobite Loch Ness Cruises
We kicked off 2025 announcing a year of celebrations for Jacobite Loch Ness Cruises which has been welcoming visitors from all over the world to Loch Ness for 50 years.
We were proud to support this incredible local business with the communication of so many wonderful initiatives in its anniversary year including:
- Monthly donations to a staff-nominated charity.
- A free-to-use customer app using GPS to reveal stories, insights, quizzes and photo/video challenges throughout cruises.
- Complimentary places for carers on cruises and the launch of a sensory Santa Cruise Christmas sailing for neurodiverse visitors.
- An anniversary cruise and reception at An Talla.
- The launch of the An Talla Beag food truck.
- 50th anniversary postcard featuring a specially commissioned image of Jacobite boats spelling out ‘50’ on Loch Ness, on which customers could write a memory from their time cruising the loch.
- The installation of a ‘50’ floral display at the entrance to An Talla at Dochgarroch.
- A commemorative coffee table book reflecting on Jacobite Loch Ness Cruises’ history.
Jacobite Loch Ness Cruises welcomed over 320,000 visitors in its 50th anniversary year and contributed approximately £10 million to the regional economy through employment, visitor spend and its strong Highland supply chain.
Launch of the SPOA Youth Sports Sponsorship programme
Thanks to the Scottish Plant Owners Association (SPOA), six youth sports teams and groups from across Scotland were the first recipients of the SPOA Youth Sports Sponsorship programme.
Launched in 2025, this programme aims to support under-16s clubs with up to £1,000 awarded to each club which can be used towards new strips or training tops.
We loved communicating updates on this initiative and seeing the teams wearing their new strips. Congratulations to North Lanarkshire Chiefs Basketball Club U-12s; Team Kay Curling; Strathendrick Rugby U-16 girls team; Falkirk Football Club 2015s team; Hillwood Football Club 2014s team and Auchterarder Community Football Club.
40th anniversary of Inverness Half Marathon & 5K
We have been lucky enough to provide PR support to Caledonian Concepts for the Inverness Half Marathon & 5K since 2020. Marking its 40th anniversary in 2025, the event welcomed Julie McElroy, the first frame runner to the Inverness Half Marathon and Ros Jemmett, who first completed the event 1985 and returned to run it again 40 years later.
We were also proud to welcome local running royalty Megan Keith, Inverness Harrier and 10,000m Olympian, as the official race starter.
With 3,355 signing up for the Half Marathon and 1,500 for the 5K, it was inspiring to see so many runners of all abilities take part in this event and, of course, raise money for fantastic charities.
60 years of Mowi
Long-standing client Mowi, the world’s largest supplier of farm-raised salmon and most sustainable protein producer, celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2025.
Throughout the year, we were delighted to support numerous initiatives, both globally and in Scotland, including a 60th anniversary edition of The Scoop newsletter. Among the highlights for Mowi Scotland was its purchase of Sanda Island and the opening of Inchmore Visitor Experience.
In a first for the aquaculture industry, the visitor experience is open to everyone from local schools and community groups to politicians and customers. It has been designed to showcase the entire Mowi value chain from farm to fork while highlighting the exciting career opportunities available, important environmental commitments, and Mowi’s impact on local communities across Scotland.
We are proud to support the biggest producer of Scottish salmon and one of the biggest employers and contributors to the Highlands and Islands’ economy.
Decoding seafood
Staying with Mowi and farm-raised Atlantic salmon, we were delighted to extend our services over the Atlantic Ocean to the Consumer Products team in the USA to work on the Decoding Seafood by Mowi podcast.
The podcast aims to inform and educate consumers about all things seafood. In 2025, we invited chefs, scientists, nutritionists, influencers and everyone in between to talk to host chef George Duran about nutrition, sustainability, the ocean and the best ways to eat salmon, whether that’s feeding a big family, eating healthily with a busy career or fuelling your body for sport.
Check out the podcast at https://decodingseafoodbymowi.us/.
Art in Mind
Whale-like-fish was privileged to support leading mental health charity in the Highlands, Centred, with its campaign Art in Mind during the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival Highland.
Centred acquired six mannequins from the former Debenhams store when it closed in the Eastgate Centre in Inverness. The charity asked leading Highland artists Michael Forbes, Rona Kant and Lisa Poulsen, as well as Emma Roddick MSP and service users, to use the mannequins to create their artistic interpretation of the struggles of mental ill-health to help raise funds for its vital work in the Highlands.
In memory of Sinéad McCarthy
In a campaign close to our hearts, we were honoured to help spread awareness of Frazer Grant’s mission to raise £60,000 for the Highland Hospice, to give back for the seven days of care his wife Sinéad received there in 2024.
In a yearlong series of fundraising events, Frazer undertook many challenges including a team half marathon row at CrossFit 57 North and running 11km in a weighted vest each day in July.
In his own words: “The Highland Hospice needs to raise £8,500 every single day to provide its vital services across the Highlands. That is why I have set a target of raising £60,000 this year, to give back for the seven days of incredible care Sinéad received.”
Sinéad McCarthy, who was 34 and a doctor at Raigmore Hospital, was diagnosed with Melanoma in March 2024. Sadly, after a short battle, Sinead took very unwell in November, and she was admitted to the Highland Hospice on the 19th where she spent her final days.
If you would like to help Frazer reach his target, you can donate here.
If you need help to raise awareness of a product, service or issue, get in touch with the team at Whale-like-fish.
Featured image: Inverness Olympian, Megan Keith, gets runners underway at Inverness Half Marathon and 5K. Photo: Paul Campbell