The Beauty of Tuna

Yellow Fin Tuna

There is nothing more striking that a freshly cut piece of yellow fin tuna. With the up and coming import ban of Sri Lanka catch (the ban revolves around poor fishing practices) the Maldives, whom offer some of the finest catch in the world, will find demand for their fare on the increase. The picture below is a true pole caught yellow fin tuna (plastic spade to show size) with a piece removed to show the quality. Vastly different to vacuum pac imports. Be aware chef a lot of Mediterranean Big Eye tuna is now sold as yellow fin by wholesalers.

Mackerel is Back on the Menu

The plight of the mackerel was well documented in January when the advice of the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) changed from ‘Best Choice’ to a ‘Fish to eat occasionally’ throwing previously written sustainable menus into turmoil. This decision was influenced by the actions of the Icelandic and Faroese fishery councils who implemented a substantial increase of catch volume (+23%) well beyond the previous agreed with Norway and the EU. Initial predicted stock volumes and set Total allowable catches were calculated without consideration of this additional fishing effort which when exceeded the Total Allowable Catch by 200,000 tonnes and beyond the safe Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) of the total stock. Although at the time the decision by the MCS was heavily criticised by industry and woefully misreported in the press (on many occasions mackerel were suggested to be endangered) I was in total agreement with the precautionary approach as to continue to promote a stock as sustainable whilst being heavily over fished would have been disastrous long term for the stock status. 

A couple of weeks ago it was announced by the MCS that after lengthy consultation a further re grade of the mackerel rating had taken place and was being implemented with immediate effect. Initial press reports, namely by the Daily Telegraph, and then used by numerous agencies and wholesalers, was yet again misleading. First reporting has suggested Mackerel caught from the UK is the only sustainable option. The concise re grade has set a 2 (still a good choice, although some aspects of its production or management could be improved) for the Cornish hand line fishery, a 3 (based on available information these species should probably not be considered sustainable at this time. Areas requiring improvement in the current production methods may be significant, or there is significant uncertainty associated with its management or stock status) for the remaining fisheries within the EU which includes all of the Scottish and Norwegian pelagic trawl fisheries and a 4 (should not be considered sustainable, and the fish is likely to have significant environmental issues associated with its production. While it may be from a deteriorating fishery, it may be one that has improved from a 5 rating, and positive actions are being taken. However, MCS would not usually recommend choosing this fish) for Icelandic and Faroes caughtstock. 

So the key question is “even though all these fisheries still pull from the same stock how can they now all be rated differently? Unlike the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) whom certify fisheries sustainable by the status of the stock alone the MCS use a number of weighted factors. Although heavily influenced by spawning stock biomass they also consider management, capture methods and ecological effects. Hand line catch methods result in almost zero impact to the environment and yield minute by catch levels thus the Cornish fishery is now considered ‘Best Choice’. The Cornish hand line fishery quota allocation is currently set at 1750 tonnes per year or 0.83% of the UK quota. However, one must be cautious when purchasing hand line mackerel as this premium priced product will now continue to increase in value. A volume of trawled South West mackerel are landed onto Plymouth and Brixham markets each week and there will undoubtedly be increased volumes finding its way into kitchens sold as a premium line caught fish! Unfortunately there are rogue seafood traders who are happy to trade hand to mouth instead of applying honesty and integrity. 

Conversely, the Scottish and Norwegian pelagic trawl fisheries, although not as selective as hand line, have excellent management systems in place which consider by catch, total allowable catches and closed seasons to coincide with spawning periods resulting in it being the ‘Best Alternative’ option. 

Unfortunately the Icelandic and Faroese fisheries have been shown to produce high levels of herring by catch alongside a disregard of previously set stock quotas by other parties within the fishery and a refusal to enter a long-term international management plan. As mentioned their actions may result in the mackerel stocks potentially be over fished by 200,000 tonnes per year.

So where does this leave us as wholesalers, purchasers and chefs? We would all love to have true Cornish hand line mackerel on our menus throughout the year, but in reality this is impossible. When the initial January ratings were announced one of the UK’s largest seafood wholesalers announced its “fresh Mackerel is predominantly sourced from the Cornish hand line fishery or from the ring net fishery off Chesil Beach in Dorset”. If you consider the volume of these fisheries it’s not hard to realise the claim in this statement was simply unachievable. Sadly as chefs drive to hit ever increasing GPs the cost price of Cornish Hand line mackerel may well be moving further out of reach for many. For comparison the wholesale sell price of Scottish mackerel the week of the announcement was around £5.80kg whereas the auction price of Cornish hand line mackerel on Newlyn market hit £6.60kg!! Fortunately the MCS have re classified the vast majority of the mackerel finding its way onto our markets as a yellow 3 rating ‘Best Alternative’ giving license to return them to the menu. 

The unfortunate fall out from this whole fiasco will be convincing diners, who three months ago were being told the species was endangered and should not be eaten. My key piece of advice as always is be sure your supplier is providing you with exactly what you think you are receiving and always advertise it correctly on your menu.

Day Boats and that word 'Sustainable'

Recently I tweeted the following and unsurprisingly it sparked quite a reaction. Generally the responses were from people correcting my error. There was, of course, no error to correct as my statement was 100% correct. 

“@Chelseafish All I keep hearing is "we buy from day boats because it’s sustainable". Well I'm sorry to burst your bubble but that ain't always the case” 

Now before I discuss my statement I would like to make two points very clear so do please read and absorb these as they will clarify my stance on day boat fishing. 

1. I personally believe, after hand collection techniques, the majority of day boats fishing methods are the most ethical forms of fishing undertaken around our coast line. 

2. I personally believe, with the occasional exception, day boat fish are the freshest and most ethically sourced product available on our seafood markets. 

So there we have it, however, neither of these two points I have ever challenged. I continually hear from friends, customers, celebrity chefs and so on that day boat fish are sustainable and in some cases 100% sustainable! Are they really? Who has told you this? Is this just an assumption or can you back this up with fact? So are all day boat fish sustainable irrespective of the species or catch method? 

Allow me to set the scene. 

Off our coast line we have a couple of imaginary lines indicating fishing limits up to 12 nautical miles. Beyond this we have another line at 200 nautical miles from the coast called the exclusive economic zone. Beyond this is almost no man’s land with little to no regulation. Day boats will generally fish within this 12 mile limit due to time restrictions on returning to port or size of the vessel. Additionally boats that spend more time at sea than a day can also fish in certain areas within the 12 mile zone. Beyond the 12 mile zone quotas are bought and sold by EU flagged vessels under the rules of up take of unused quota by home based vessels. Quotas dictate the volume of each species and by catch of certain species a vessel can land over a period of time. Quotas are adjusted yearly with the use of retrospective scientific data, can be increased or decreased, and are not an indication of the sustainability of a stock biomass. In time levels will be found for each species to mirror catch volumes to the maximum sustainable yield – for many species this data is not sufficient to achieve this as yet. So all nice and easy. We know where we should fish, what we are fishing for and how much we are allowed to catch. One snag – Fish don't follow rules!!! 

Let me try and break down this very complex area. For a species biomass to be classed as sustainable it requires statistical data proving its catch volumes do not exceed its maximum sustainable yield. So immediately we have issues. 

1. The level of fishing effort on that stock biomass dictates whether it can sustain healthy levels at that current fishing volumes. Fishing method, therefore, is wholly irrelevant as too many boats fishing one stock biomass that is close too, or exceeding, its maximum sustainable yield is detrimental what ever the technique. 

2. Fish are not willing to stay in open areas or within boundaries. Fish migrate for a number of reasons and some do this across huge distances. 

Point 2 is the key to the argument. Take the stock biomass of Mackerel off Penzance for example. A study clearly showed this stock biomass split into three migrating parties were later to be found: 

A. Throughout the Irish sea, west of Ireland and West of Scotland as far as Shetland 

B. Along the south coast of England and the North Coast of France and in the Bay of Biscay 

C. In the Celtic Sea 

Therefore our line catching mackerel fisherman in Cornwall, whom everybody tells me is sustainable because he catches from a day boat, could as likely be increasing the pressure on the stock that is heavily fished in all the aforementioned migratory areas. It is not his fault that his beloved mackerel are also being targeted by Spanish, French or Scottish pair trawlers, but it is happening and there is nothing he can do about it. Until the complete fishing effort upon a stock is understood no claim by any one part of a fishing fleet on any one part of the migratory root can hail sustainability. The same scenario is relevant to many other migratory species such Cod, Haddock, Hake, Plaice, bass, Pollack, Coley, Sole and so on. 

Love or hate what the MSC do they actually calculate and award fisheries a sustainable status after accessing the complete migratory biomass. Each element of the effort on that biomass needs to submit catch data over a set period to offer any chance of MSC accreditation. This is why there are so few UK accredited fisheries as accreditation is so complex and on many sections of the migratory route the is insufficient data or fleets are unwilling to collate and submit catch data. All other organisations that give sustainable ratings such as the MCS, Mont Aquarium, GoodFish BadFish and Red List use MSC as a basis before giving advice. 

So let me conclude this with some key words 

Freshness (the most important word used when ascertaining fish quality) 

Day boats yield and offer some of the freshest fish available on the market today, fact. 

Line Caught 

Few species are commercially line caught in volumes by day boats. These include Mackerel, Bass and Pollack. To my knowledge there are NO UK line caught red mullet, haddock, flatfish, Dory, cod (in volume) or coley fleets. Do not get hand line or pole and line confused with long –line. 

Day Boat 

Many methods of capture are used by day boats including Line, Pots, Gill net, Trammel nets, Pelagic trawls, Dredge, Purse seine to name the most common. All have some level of by catch and some are substantially more ethical than others. 

Ethical 

In my opinion the best way to describe how your day boat fish is sourced. Day boat fishing methods, in most cases, cause lesser impact on the environment around the target species. 

Sustainable 

The most over and incorrectly used term with regards to any fish or fishery. Fishing method or target species is NOT the indication of sustainability. Total fishing pressure on a migratory stock biomass is. 

I think once everybody understands the complexity of this science they might start applying the word sustainable correctly. It is NOT a sales term to put on your blackboard or for a fishmonger or wholesaler to use to make a sale, its a serious subject. If you are unsure do not use it as all you are doing is potentially misleading the diner.

UK MSC Fisheries

I've just finished collating information for a report on UK MSC fisheries (wetfish only) for a customer and it makes interesting reading. They are determine to use only line caught British MSC accredited fish and will hear no different to this master plan of thiers.

Unfortunately the one snag to this plan is there are a total of only 15 accredited fisheries

1 Dover Sole
1 Coley
1 Cod
1 Haddock
1 Sardine
5 herring
5 Mackerel

One of the mackerel fisheries has an element of their fleet as hand liners (less than 40%) other than that the other 14.5 fisheries are trawled.

Should make for an interesting meeting, wish me luck.

I Bloody Love Brill

I'm always asked 'what is your favourite fish to eat?'. Well that's always a tough one as halibut, wild sea trout and wild gilt head bream are always strong favourites, however, brill always tickles my taste buds. Brill is a fabulous fish to look at, to talk about, to work with, to cook with and of course to eat. My very favourite brill recipe involves cooking with red wine *eye lids raised*. Yes I know its not 'correct' to cook white fish in rouge but a robust red adds colour and richness and really does work.

Fillets of Brill in Red Wine

My good friends at Newlyn Fish Company were kind enough to send me a fantastic 900grm brill, a good size for two, and after much hacking I managed to get two acceptable fillets from the fish (scaled first).

Ingredients (serves 2) Preheat oven at 180c/gas mark 4

2 Fillets of brill
100ml Fish stock
100ml Red Wine
75grm Butter
60grm sliced Shallots
salt and pepper

For this you need a nice big flame-proof dish in which the fillets will not overlap. Grease the dish with butter, lay in the shallots, season the fillets well and lay them on the shallots. You can either have the fillets skinned or have the skin scaled depending on if you are partial to skin or not. Pour in the red wine and fish stock, cover and bring to just below boiling point.

Once the liquid has reached just below boiling point remove from stove and place into the top of the pre heated oven for 6-8 minutes until the brill is just cooked.

Remove the fillets and shallots gently onto warmed plates and return the flame proof dish to the hob and boil the remaining liquid rapidly until reduced by half. Whisk in a few small pieces of diced butter until you have a smooth shiny sauce. Split all evenly and maybe serve with some Jersey royals and seasonal veg.

Ok my presentation is much but taste wise its a beautiful dish and well worth a try.

Wild Mediterranean Prawns - Rosso, Rosa & Mazzancolle

Langoustines aside I believe only two types of wild prawns have passed my Northern Hemisphere lips. These are the good old cooked and peeled North Atlantic prawn and the small Dorset or Cornish shrimp. I was lucky to try a few whilst in Australia, however, even a number on sale there, branded as wild caught, were actually farmed. Farmed prawns vary drastically in flavour and texture. Huge numbers are imported from Asia as farmed frozen products and in reality the cheaper they are the worst they are. The very cheap black tiger prawns are normally tasteless, generally powdery in texture and more often than not have glaze levels equal or just below the net weight of the product; not great value, but they have their place. There are a number of refreshed products one sees on a fishmonger’s slab which mostly derive from Ecuador. These are of a higher quality than the generic farmed frozen product and commonly offer much more flavour. I regularly see these, especially the larger black stripped variety, labelled as wild Madagascan prawns which they certainly are not. In reality wild caught prawns are difficult to come by in the UK as we just don’t have any off our shores. With regards to raw products 'fresh versus frozen or refreshed' be assured there are none. Prawns suffer from black spotting (melanisation) on the shell which occurs almost immediately after the prawn dies so freezing is an essential option. Be aware black spot is harmless and only affects the appearance of the prawns. Over the past few months many customers at Southbank Fish have been asking me to supply them Sicilian Red Prawns. It has taken a while to source a quality product but finally we have achieved that goal. And not only did those famous Red prawns appear, but also some small pink ones and larger stripy versions – all wild, all beautiful and all needed tasting.

Red Prawn Gambero Rosso (Aristaeomorpha foliacea) 

Pink Prawn Gambero Rosa (Parapenaeus longirostris) 

Striped Prawn Mazzancolle (Penaeus Kerathurus) 

All Three species are wild caught in the Mediterranean within F.A.O Fishing Area 37. The Mazzancolle are caught very specifically from F.A.O 37.1 which stretches from Gibraltar to Sicily. This catchment area explains the love of these prawns by the Spanish who know them as El Camaron. The reds and pinks are sourced throughout F.A.O 37.1/37.2/37.3 MEDITERRANEAN SEA (Major Fishing Area 37) 

For initial tasting I poached all the prawns in unsalted water. My theory was to try each prawn for its natural taste alone.

Red Prawn Gambero Rosso (Aristaeomorpha foliacea)

As expected the Gambero Rosso were just spectacular. The colour is so striking they seem somewhat unreal. We are all used to a green prawn which when cooked turns a shade of pink but these prawns start a deep red and hardly change colour after cooking. I poached them for just over 1 minute and allowed them to cool naturally and wow a super sweet prawn with or without the shell. The texture was fabulous, the colour was amazing and the taste was historic. Of course these come at a price but when there are so many cheap farmed products around they really stand out in the crowd.

DSTRKT Chefs (Rupert Street, Soho) Sicilian red prawns, truffled polenta, salsa fresca

So where can one currently sample these prawns? Well let me throw a few names of those I supply with Gambero Rosso and one might just take your fancy.

DSTRKT 9 Rupert Street, W1D 6DG London  Website
Aurelia 13-14 Cork Street, Mayfair, London W1S 3NS Website
Menulla 10 Charlotte Street, London W1T 2LT Website
The Table 83 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0HX Website
Duck Soup 41 Dean Street, London, W1D 4PY Website
Chelsea Fishmonger 10 Cale Street, London SW3 3QU Website

Pink Prawn Gambero Rosa (Parapenaeus longirostris)

The small Gambero Rosa were very different to the Rosso. Visually they were not as striking, however they were a very nice looking soft pink in colour. Quality wise, once defrosted, they were not quite as good as the Rosso but this is common with smaller prawns and sizes of green refreshed prawns 60/80 or smaller always suffer with softness and detached heads. As with the Rosso I poached them but this time for just under 1 minute. As a poached product in plain water they were nice but not amazing. A good pinch of salt would certainly aid the flavour. But wait - when fried in a small amount of hot olive oil and eaten shell on everything changed. A wonderful taste with the added crunch of a crisp shell and suddenly a very different conclusion; I could eat these all day. Additionally the Rosso were fabulous fried.

Rosso & Rosa lightly fried in extra virgin olive oil

Striped Prawn Mazzancolle (Penaeus Kerathurus)

I recently had a twitter conversation with a fishmonger about these prawns whom said that a Spanish customer of his was adamant they are the best prawn caught in the Mediterranean. He could well be right. Simply poached for 3 minutes they were stunning. Great looking prawns, meaty, juicy and so flavoursome. Being slightly bigger than the other two prawns they cope with the freezing process slightly better. The product also has a light ice glaze which protects the product when frozen. You may have noticed from the photo of the Rosa that they looked a little dry when raw. This is a result of freezing with no glaze.

So which was the best? A very hard one to be honest as they are all unique. Sitting in a restaurant I would like to have the Rosso placed in front of me. A simple but visually fantastic dish can be produced with these prawns and if a chef is attempting to turn the heads of his diners the Rosso is a no brainer. They also taste amazing so maybe they come out on top, but I can't help but consider the Mazzancolle which were incredible. Sadly the Rosa seem to dry a little as a result of the freezing process.

Southbank Fresh Fish
020 7639 6000

Talking Fish & Hastings Day Boat Turbot

I’m obsessed with accuracy and attention to detail which on many occasions looses me the chance of a sale or the winning of a restaurant’s contract. You may be thinking this is a strange statement but businesses solely look for the cheapest price and will accept what they are told if they get it. By trade I am not a salesman, I’m a fisheries scientist, and being fact driven is how I have evolved. Some might suggest I am now in the wrong position (as a salesman), however I am meeting more and more chefs and restaurateurs whom really want to learn about their seafood. They are putting a much higher value on the service of factually correct and educational information. No longer is a box with fish delivered at a cheap price enough – the business model has evolved and places are opening up for people like myself with an honest passion and knowledge for fish and seafood. Us as consumers rely upon the menu writer, the front of house/waiting staff or the chef to serve us high quality food coupled with information about the meal itself and its noticeable fish and seafood finds itself at the very top of the agenda.

Recently I have been lucky enough to see some particularly special fish caught by small English South Coast day boats. I do hear this phrase ‘Day Boat’ used nearly as often as ‘Sustainable’ and like the latter it can be used in the wrong context. I guess it is easy to write either of these two statements if it is the information that has been passed on. In reality Day boat fish are commonly stunning in quality and sometimes have a price to match. This week our depot has been receiving fabulous fish out of Hastings with Brill, Plaice and MSC Dovers to name a few. However, the most remarkable fish on show were the Turbot. The nature of a Turbot, being a benthic inhabitant, means it is commonly captured by more aggressive bottom beam trawl methods; additionally they can be captured by mid water pelagic otters trawls. Neither methods are associated with day boats so when such a beast as the 8.2kg fish pictured below arrived the quality, compared to many beamer caught turbot, was so remarkable I had to share it with you all.

It's Not Just Cod, Its Skrei Cod

I’ve seen some good looking fish in my time but today I saw something very special. Now you may roll your eyes if tell you it was cod “what’s special about that? everyone has seen a cod?”. And how true that is, everyone has seen a cod, especially me, however this is any old cod, this is a Norwegian delicacy cod, this is ‘Skrei’.

What first catches the eye about a Skrei cod is its colour. A very very dark top skin, glistening in the artificial light as the ice melts and runs down the flank. 

Then the striking deep green of the body becomes apparent – just hypnotic. A prod and a poke and suspicions are confirmed; the flesh is as firm as when it left the sea on the end of a Norwegian fisherman’s line. 

As the blocksman removes the fillets for a yield test of the first batch the beautiful large white flaked flesh was exposed. This was turning into fish porn!

So what is Skrei cod?

Well as you may have already gathered it’s a Norwegian line caught cod which is targeted only by small day boat fisheries. Due to the immense volume and the short term migration Skrei is there only for taking between January and March. For me the importance of this product is that it is one of the few Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) accredited species that arrive at market in exceptional condition and competitively priced. Condition is so important to the fisherman that only fish without skin blemishes can be packed and sent as Skrei (Unfortunately since the supermarkets have jumped on the ‘Brand mark’ bandwagon they have forced the price of many of our local sustainably caught species which then usually arrive to the counters in less than perfect condition). Additionally Skrei is supported by the World Wildlife Fund and remember when buying true Skrei will have the tag attached to the forward dorsal fin or the fillet should come with this reference.

There are a few articles on the internet explaining the Skrei phenomenon in more detail with this being probably the best

Skrei, the Norwegian miracle

Additionally if you can lay your hands on a copy of January’s edition of ‘Restaurant’ magazine there is a superb article on page 42.

I couldn't help but put a picture of my hair net on :-)

Sydney Fish Market

I'm happy to admit that i am a fully fledged fish geek. Whether i be on holiday, working or just passing through i feel compelled to stop and look at the fish on sale. I do look at quality as i love testing my ability to  pick fresh from old and i love looking at artistic displays, but in reality the fisheries scientist in me is always looking for species i have not seen before as that is what's really exciting. Imagine my excitement when all of a sudden i was in reaching distance of two of the worlds most prestigious fish markets, Tokyo & Sydney. Due to the earthquakes in Japan i have had to put off my trip to Tokyo, but i have finally managed to make the Sydney fish market. 

The Brisbane and Melbourne fish markets were very poor in my opinion, although not as bad as Billingsgate but then again where is? But Sydney certainly has the wow factor. Like all other fish markets the car park is the hustle bustle of traders and public fighting each other for the quickest routes and the best views. The place itself is just a concrete building with 10 or so independent shops around the car park. Romantic it is not, historical looking it is not, a site offering the most wonderful sea food - it is.

The area that sets the Australian seafood market apart from the rest is their offer of cooked crustaceans. Whether it be Western Australian or New South Wales rock lobsters, Moreton bay bugs, mud crabs or the extensive range of prawns, one is just drawn to the colours and patterns of the displays created on the slabs. In Australia the demand for cooked seafood at Christmas is astronomical. However, there is a continued demand throughout the rest of the year which does allow shops and supermarkets to have a good offer day in day out.

The wonderful colours can be seen in the pictures above and below which make for spectacular displays.

Throw a prawn on the bar-b they say. Well I'm not sure how accurate that is as the majority sold are already cooked. There are some wonderful flavored prawns out here especially the Queensland banana prawn and some of the jumbo South Australian Tigers. And what makes them so great in a display is the subtle variance in colours from bright red, through the orange shades onto a dull pink. When set out on a slab it is quite hypnotic.

Very few crustaceans seemed to be sold alive or even raw. I am not sure why this is as the majority of Aussies know exactly how to prepare and cook them. Maybe it is a lazy option? Anyhow the rock lobster is a most beautiful creature and i managed to find a few lives ones at the market.

One thing that is very different in this area of the world is the way oysters are sold. Imagine how Pierre would frown if he saw opened oysters on a tray at his local Brittany fish market. I had never seen this concept before and i guess its a great way to move volume. I can confirm, however, that shucked and eaten  immediately far supersedes previously opened on both taste and texture. I do love the way they are displayed like this.

Until visiting Sydney i hadn't seen any eye catching seafood displays in Australia (the best have been created by me 9if i do say so myself) when involved in store openings and workshops at a well known supermarket). The displays in Queensland seem very regimental in their style and I'm guessing they are attempting to use quality as the selling point. NSW has a very different approach, a more loving and caring approach displays  are set out with pride.

The fish at the market was beautifully fresh. It was difficult to find examples of old fish on display. Of course this is how it should be. They are professionals, they understand how to look after fish to prolong its shelf life and would have a great understanding of potential sales versus ordering patterns. Only when one fully understands this within their own seafood business can they truly offer a display with few blemishes. These guys have nailed it!

 

On the visit i had a secondary agenda. I was in the process of producing some specialist seafood workshops for a number of supermarket stores and decided they needed to see photos of high quality product. I love the photograph above. When you look closely the two different quality products can be seen intermingled to disguise the older ones. A common trick :-)

 

Some examples of sashimi cuts of salmon, tuna and octopus.

Sydney fish market is a wonderful place and a mecca for any fish loving foodie. A must visit.
http://www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au/

The Fish Fight has Only Just Begun

So its taken a couple of celebrity chefs and an evening slot on C4 to achieve something Charles Clover’s End of the Line failed to do – ‘Gain support’ I am unsure as to whether Hugh’s fish fight campaign will change the ways of those select unscrupulous fisherman that continue to discard everything they catch until their bow is full of prime sized species; I am unsure as to whether the EU will take on board the significance and act on half a million signatures over the best available scientific advice that they already use; I am unsure that the biggest and most destructive of fish catching nations will be deterred from targeting endangered species on a call from a man that lives in a River Cottage. However, what I am sure of is that the tide is turning. Supermarkets have responded immediately to a call of change from their clientele and independents are offering more diverse species otherwise thought inedible. We can only all hope that if the demand drops from the end user followed by the retail sector then the fishermen will target alternative species. Of course whilst Europe still pays a premium the species will continue to be a target, but one small step at a time. Many said the management programs for North Sea and Eastern Canadian Cod stocks were too little too late. This has shown not to be the case and with time and careful management species will recover, its what they do best.

So what can we do?

Well keep this bandwagon running. Be the one that reads the correct material and I don’t mean newspaper articles, but books or websites from genuine sources. Take time to understand why you are changing your eating habits and don’t just do it because Hugh told you too. The fish and fisheries world is very complex but also fascinating. The more you understand the better you will feel when you choose your dinner. Don’t expect good advice from a supermarket as it will generally be littered with inaccuracies and don’t walk into an independent fishmonger expecting a) him to know absolutely everything and b) him to be absolutely honest. Unfortunately there are people out there, like in any business, who will say exactly what you want to hear. Become friends with your fishmonger it’s the best way.

So to help you understand the complexities of this subject I have listed some extra reading below. Many are anti fishing so will give extreme views and apply exaggerated scare mongering but that is the only method that drums the message across. If you find more useful sites please don’t hesitate to post them in the comments.

Happy reading and remember to make the ethical choice :-)

Hugh’s Fish Fight Homepage – have you signed up?

http://www.fishfight.net/

MCS – MARINE Conservation Society Homepage

http://www.mcsuk.org/ 

Buying Guide – direct link to the FISHONLINE ethical buying chart

http://www.fishonline.org/buying_eating/seafood.php 

FISHONLINE - identify which fish are from well managed sources

http://www.fishonline.org/ 

Seasons Guide – You know what to eat but do you know when?

http://www.wellseasoned.co.uk/media/09/309-seas.chart.fish.1.2e.pdf 

Good Catch - designed to help you make responsible decisions about which seafood to put on your menu
http://www.goodcatch.org.uk/be-informed/good-catch-essentials/

Red List –  The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

http://www.iucnredlist.org/initiatives/europe

Line caught – Website dedicated to the line catch Cornish industry

http://www.linecaught.org.uk/ 

The End of The line Homepage

http://endoftheline.com/ 

Fish2Fork – Follow up to The End of The Line pinpointing fish selling practices of top restaurants 

http://www.fish2fork.com/blog/