Western Morning News (Saturday)
Cornish fish ‘sustainable’ – as sales of hake take off
CORNISH fishermen have been given an official seal of approval for running a sustainable and well-managed fishery.
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) said yesterday that the fishery continued to meet their high standards – meaning buyers of Cornish caught fish can enjoy it in the knowledge they are not putting the marine environment at risk.
And one of the major species caught in Cornish waters, hake, is enjoying a major resurgence with UK buyers, thanks in part to its promotion by supermarket Waitrose.
The news comes as fishermen, who traditionally export much of their hake catch to Spain, wait to find out if there is to be a trade deal with the EU when the transition period ends on December 31.
Without a deal fishermen could find exports to Europe come with a significant tariff attached, potentially hitting sales abroad.
But buyers are snapping up the meaty white fish here at home in ever greater numbers, according to the supermarkets, restaurant owners and fish and chip shops.
Award-winning seafood restaurateur and MSC ambassador Mitch Tonks, who champions Cornish hake in his Rockfish restaurant chain across the South West described the fish as “meaty, silky, juicy, versatile and easy to cook.” He went on: “The Spanish love it and in the UK we seem to have followed that. I like paprika and garlic with fish and think this is the perfect combination.”
Craig Maw, of Kingfisher Fish &
Chips in Plympton, said: “In previous summers, we have offered MSC-certified Cornish hake as a special which is really popular. Customers love that it’s not only sustainable but caught so locally. It’s similar to cod but slightly milder and sweeter and personally, I think it makes some of the best fish and chips there is.”
Cornish hake featured in this year’s MSC consumer awareness campaign, ‘What it Takes’ which highlighted the hard work of the fishermen in bringing sustainable seafood from ocean to plate and in the MSC UK’s first Sustainable Seafood Week this past September.
Photography of the fishermen on the harbour and at sea featured on large billboards, at train stations and in shopping centres across the country and as part of an extensive digital marketing and social media campaign.
Cornish fishermen land just under 2,000 tonnes of European hake (Merluccius merluccius) every year into Newlyn, using vessels ranging from under 12 metres to nearly 23 metres long.
In 2015, the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation (CFPO) became the first in the UK to achieve MSC certification for its hake. Under the MSC’s rules, all fisheries must undergo recertification every five years.
Paul Trebilcock, CEO of the Cornish Fish Producers’ Organisation (CFPO) said the hard work and dedication of fishermen was behind the recertification. “Our fishermen are committed to ensuring they meet the high standards for sustainable seafood.”