Fishy business

I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while. I first thought about it when I saw an episode of Springwatch  on the BBC in which Kate Humble visited a fish market in the UK. What struck me about the programme was a statistic mentioned by the fish market manager – 75% of fish caught in British Waters is exported and 80% of the fish that the British consume is imported from abroad! I have tried my best to find a video clip of this to no avail. I think if you live in the UK, you can watch it on this page on the BBC Springwatch website and click on Watch a preview of Springwatch Sea Life, let me know.

One of the messages being put accross in the programme was that people are reluctant to try anything new. When we go to the Fish and Chips shop, we like to stick with good old Cod or Haddock. The programme was suggesting that we should try to help fish stocks in danger, like Cod, by eating more sustainable fish like Gurnard, Coley or Pollack. It’s not the first time in the last year that I’ve read about or watched programmes about celebrity chefs telling us all to try new, sustainable fish: Rick Stein loves Gurnard, Gordon Ramsey eats Pollack, Jamie Oliver keeps telling us to make sure our fish is sustainable, so surely, Joe Bloggs must be getting the idea?

I went on holiday to England and Wales this summer and I thought that I would test whether your average Chip shops are selling anything other than Cod or Haddock. France doesn’t really do Fish and Chips so I had two  good excuses to treat myself on holiday! I visited three different Fish and Chip shops and was disappointed with what I found.  Mumbles, Gower – only Cod – plus, if the portions were half the size that would help Cod stocks – neither Rich nor I could eat our whole portions. Next, Seahouses in Northumberland in a Chip shop endorsed by the Hairy Bikers – just Cod – sensible portion sizes though. Lastly, the famous Magpie Café Fish and Chip shop in Whitby, I was sure that they would offer something different. They did – Cod and Haddock! If you go to the actual restaurant menu, there is a broader selection, but still no Pollack, Gurnard or Coley. There is obviously some work to do yet on getting different fish into the Chip shops in Britain – or the three that I visited anyway!

To find out more about declining fish stocks and sustainable fish, visit fishonline, the Marine Conservation Society’s website and if you’re thinking of going out to buy some fish for tea, check out their fish to eat and fish to avoid sites.

You can also look out for the Marine Stewardship Council’s label on any fish that you buy – this gurantees that it has come from a certified sustainable fishery. Here’s a video about the Marine Stewardship Council’s efforts:

Pollack is widely available in France so In my next blog post, I’ll share the recipe for a delicious Pollack dish that I made last night – you can see the photos on my flickr site to whet your appetites.