Comment
Campaigners should focus on the problem not the press
Dr Martin Jaffa
IFIRST became aware of Fish Farmer magazine in 1978 while working for Unilever Research at their fish cultivation unit near Aberdeen, in a summer job when a student. If I remember correctly, Fish Farmer was then an offshoot of Farmers Weekly and the first one I saw was part of Volume 1. The last issue of 2019 was Volume 42. Fish Farmer magazine has been pretty much a constant throughout most of my career in the fish farming industry, despite much change elsewhere.
While Fish Farmer has endured, other magazines and newspapers have disappeared. I suspect this, in part, was due to the arrival of the internet, but also because there has been so much consolidation in the UK aquaculture industry.
Many reading this may not remember other publications, such as
Fish Farming International and Scottish Fish Farmer, or that web based IntraFish was once sent out by fax. Some may not even know what a fax is.
My first appearance in print was in September 1982 (Volume 5 No 7) with a two-page article explaining why carp could be a profitable venture within the wider agricultural sector. This holds as true today as it did then, as the demand for live table fish from the ethnic community remains undiminished.
Although I wrote a number of articles for Fish Farmer, my first regular column was in Scottish Fish Farmer. With my changing interests, this column took a wider look at what happened to the fish once they had been harvested.
Unfortunately, while this may seem an uncontentious subject, my views at the time upset those working in the Scottish Salmon Growers Association.
I remember clearly what I wrote: ‘Perhaps the salmon industry should start to produce the salmon the market wants rather than those that the producers think that the market wants.’
At the time, the emphasis was on the production of whole fish, yet research had shown consumers preferred to buy fillets and steaks.
The SSGA approached the editor and suggested that if he didn’t remove my column, he might find it difficult to obtain any future advertising. Thus ended my short newspaper career, but out of its ashes new opportunities arose.
It was suggested to me that if I kept quiet for a year, my views would be long forgotten; however, they weren’t, so in January 2000 I thought I would try to circulate a views-letter. reLAKSation is now 20 years old and has outlasted those who tried to stifle open comment.
A visit to any retailer shows that the focus on
“Most of the attacks come from those connected to sports shing” fi
all fresh salmon is now the fillet. Whole fish have almost disappeared from the fish counter, except at Christmas.
A few years ago, Fish Farmer’s editor asked if I would like to write something for the magazine and I accepted. I hope my views have remained of interest as we enter another new decade.
As I mentioned, Fish Farmer magazine remains a constant and a welcome one at that. However, even this constancy has been forced to adapt. Many years ago, Fish Farmer was one of the main sources of news about the industry. In fact, there was very little other way to find out what was happening.
It seems rather mad now that subscribers had to wait two months (in the days before the magazine became monthly) for news to appear, especially in this day and age when news is almost instant.
Consequently, Fish Farmer has evolved into producing more in-depth analysis and comment, which is something that the internet often lacks. However, such analysis and comment can come at a price.
Those with a negative attitude to fish farming are quick to spread their negativity across social media. Fortunately, their comments do seem to be restricted to a small audience of similar minded people, rather than reaching a wider public audience.
As I write this piece, one of the more vocal critics has published an attack on this magazine’s editor. It is typical of those opposed to fish farming that they prefer to make personal attacks on those who promote the industry, rather than actually address any issues of concern.
Most of the attacks come from those connected to sports fishing for they blame salmon farming on the decline of wild stocks. They fail to appreciate that killing over 5.9 million adult breeding fish for sport will eventually also have an impact on how many fish are left in Scottish rivers. For them, it is easier to blame others than accept that they are a major part of the problem.
Those working in the industry know and understand that the analysis and comments provided about fish farming in this magazine have real substance and are not just some attempt on spin.
This is why Fish Farmer magazine has been such a success over many years. I am pleased to have been able to play a small part in the magazine’s success and I know that the future of Fish Farmer will be a reflection of the success of fish farming, and aquaculture in general, across the UK and beyond.