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IN its first three months, an “incredible” 1,358 chefs and 136 UK fishing vessels have signed up to Direct Seafood’s Coastal Fish campaign, according to the organisers.
Launched by Direct Seafoods in September this year, the Coastal Fish programme has been designed to give long-term support to the UK’s local fishermen and to create a viable domestic market for all fish species caught by the country’s coastal fleet
While Direct Seafoods have long been major buyers of fish caught in local waters and landed to harbour every morning, Coastal Fish expands the company’s product portfolio through the core strategy of paying a “reasonable, sustainable price” for the entire catch landed by coastal fleets.
The 22 boats that land to the Hastings Fish CIC fish merchants in the South-east of England were the first UK fleet to sign up to the ground-breaking campaign.Paul Joy, Chairman of the Hastings Fishermen’s Protection Society, said: “Coastal Fish is an important tool for ensuring long-term viability of the fishing industry. It helps promote the sustainability of the fisheries that we have in Hastings and that we make the most of our catch.”
Commenting on the many chefs and caterers that are supporting Coastal Fish , Mr Joy said it is very important that the UK strives to make the most of all the species found in its waters, not just the current market favourites.
“Gurnard, dab, flounder and even cuttlefish are becoming more and more popular in this country. Looking back only recently, these fish would have gone to export. But the good news is people are trying things that they weren’t before,” he added.
Coastal Fish say they work on a second, equally important level by actively encouraging restaurants and caterers to adapt the ways that they plan menus and create dishes that allow increased flexibility. It is Direct Seafoods’ "strongly held belief" that getting chefs to focus on variety will lead consumers in the same direction and will help society in general to understand that all species of fish—especially when fresh—are delicious.
Simon Hulstone, Head Chef at The Elephant Restaurant in Torquay, Devon, said that the UK needs to make the most of all its coastal fish species.“This campaign is doing good things for the industry. At the moment we, as a nation, are wasting tonnes of nutrient-rich, healthy fish every day. But that is wrong. It needs to be put into schools, colleges, hospitals etc. and used in the right the way throughout the entire supply chain,” said Simon Hulstone.
“For our part, we have used gurnard, coley and dab and we have not disguised our use of them. We also have our very popular ‘Brixham Sustainable Fish of the Day’, which is a day boat caught, fantastic fresh fish that is promoted at the table by our staff.People need to try these fish and see that they are quality ingredients so we serve them simply and don’t hide any flavours with overpowering sauces. We need to get customers to try something that they haven’t before, so rather than cod, brill, seabass they choose coley, pollack and hake."
The programme has also received the support of the UK seafood authority Seafish.Paul Williams, their Chief Executive said: "There is a lot of focus at the moment on the question of how to create real markets for by-catch and discards. ‘Give it to people to eat’ is the obvious answer but in practice this is not easy to organise and people are often nervous about trying to cook a new species for themselves. The Coastal Fish project is a great initiative that will allow lots of people opportunity to try something new in restaurants. In this environment people can be sure the fish will be perfectly cooked and presented plus of course they will be making a contribution towards solving the discard problem in a way that also supports our fishermen.”
Stephen Oswald, Chief Executive Officer of Direct Seafoods, said: “We believe Coastal Fish is a market changing sustainability programme. As well as providing much greater financial security to UK fishermen by immediately increasing the value of by-catch and therefore reducing the likelihood that it will be discarded, it’s designed to challenge restaurant goers to try lesser-known, currently under-valued local fish.
“In becoming part of the Coastal Fish campaign, restaurants and caterers can be confident that the sourcing decisions they are taking are both ethical and based on sound scientific advice.
”“It is a fact that UK consumer tastes are changing; people are now much more receptive to trying new species. It’s also true that consumers also want to eat conscience-free seafood and will actively seek out restaurants that can offer such an experience.
“By using less-exploited species, and by redirecting customers’ interests towards the variety of local fresh fish and identifying them as ‘Coastal Fish’ on menus, not only are chefs introducing exciting new dishes to their menus; they are also demonstrating to their customers that they have made a number of responsible commitments, including: supporting local fishermen and fishing communities; reducing pressure on premium species; utilising by-catch, and reducing discards and food waste; supporting the sustainable management of UK fisheries and fish stocks; and reducing food miles.”
Launched by Direct Seafoods in September this year, the Coastal Fish programme has been designed to give long-term support to the UK’s local fishermen and to create a viable domestic market for all fish species caught by the country’s coastal fleet
While Direct Seafoods have long been major buyers of fish caught in local waters and landed to harbour every morning, Coastal Fish expands the company’s product portfolio through the core strategy of paying a “reasonable, sustainable price” for the entire catch landed by coastal fleets.
The 22 boats that land to the Hastings Fish CIC fish merchants in the South-east of England were the first UK fleet to sign up to the ground-breaking campaign.Paul Joy, Chairman of the Hastings Fishermen’s Protection Society, said: “Coastal Fish is an important tool for ensuring long-term viability of the fishing industry. It helps promote the sustainability of the fisheries that we have in Hastings and that we make the most of our catch.”
Commenting on the many chefs and caterers that are supporting Coastal Fish , Mr Joy said it is very important that the UK strives to make the most of all the species found in its waters, not just the current market favourites.
“Gurnard, dab, flounder and even cuttlefish are becoming more and more popular in this country. Looking back only recently, these fish would have gone to export. But the good news is people are trying things that they weren’t before,” he added.
Coastal Fish say they work on a second, equally important level by actively encouraging restaurants and caterers to adapt the ways that they plan menus and create dishes that allow increased flexibility. It is Direct Seafoods’ "strongly held belief" that getting chefs to focus on variety will lead consumers in the same direction and will help society in general to understand that all species of fish—especially when fresh—are delicious.
Simon Hulstone, Head Chef at The Elephant Restaurant in Torquay, Devon, said that the UK needs to make the most of all its coastal fish species.“This campaign is doing good things for the industry. At the moment we, as a nation, are wasting tonnes of nutrient-rich, healthy fish every day. But that is wrong. It needs to be put into schools, colleges, hospitals etc. and used in the right the way throughout the entire supply chain,” said Simon Hulstone.
“For our part, we have used gurnard, coley and dab and we have not disguised our use of them. We also have our very popular ‘Brixham Sustainable Fish of the Day’, which is a day boat caught, fantastic fresh fish that is promoted at the table by our staff.People need to try these fish and see that they are quality ingredients so we serve them simply and don’t hide any flavours with overpowering sauces. We need to get customers to try something that they haven’t before, so rather than cod, brill, seabass they choose coley, pollack and hake."
The programme has also received the support of the UK seafood authority Seafish.Paul Williams, their Chief Executive said: "There is a lot of focus at the moment on the question of how to create real markets for by-catch and discards. ‘Give it to people to eat’ is the obvious answer but in practice this is not easy to organise and people are often nervous about trying to cook a new species for themselves. The Coastal Fish project is a great initiative that will allow lots of people opportunity to try something new in restaurants. In this environment people can be sure the fish will be perfectly cooked and presented plus of course they will be making a contribution towards solving the discard problem in a way that also supports our fishermen.”
Stephen Oswald, Chief Executive Officer of Direct Seafoods, said: “We believe Coastal Fish is a market changing sustainability programme. As well as providing much greater financial security to UK fishermen by immediately increasing the value of by-catch and therefore reducing the likelihood that it will be discarded, it’s designed to challenge restaurant goers to try lesser-known, currently under-valued local fish.
“In becoming part of the Coastal Fish campaign, restaurants and caterers can be confident that the sourcing decisions they are taking are both ethical and based on sound scientific advice.
”“It is a fact that UK consumer tastes are changing; people are now much more receptive to trying new species. It’s also true that consumers also want to eat conscience-free seafood and will actively seek out restaurants that can offer such an experience.
“By using less-exploited species, and by redirecting customers’ interests towards the variety of local fresh fish and identifying them as ‘Coastal Fish’ on menus, not only are chefs introducing exciting new dishes to their menus; they are also demonstrating to their customers that they have made a number of responsible commitments, including: supporting local fishermen and fishing communities; reducing pressure on premium species; utilising by-catch, and reducing discards and food waste; supporting the sustainable management of UK fisheries and fish stocks; and reducing food miles.”
