Sustainable Seafood

If media hype is to be believed, in 50 years’ time there will only be jellyfish
and worms in our oceans to offer as ‘seafood’, so how are caterers facing up
to this dilemma, and how can they satisfy diners’ demands for sustainable
sourced fish?

It is now common knowledge that bluefin tuna stocks have been decimated
and there had to be a heavily imposed ban on all tuna to allow it to recover.
At the end of the day, however, the biggest effect on fish stocks won’t be
global bans but a change in the mind set of restaurateurs, suppliers and
consumers. If everybody took a stance we could reduce the demand on
certain fish species and have a direct effect on the amount of fish becoming
endangered.

A good example of this is albacore. Albacore offers chefs a responsible
alternative to bluefin and a slightly different presentation to yellowfin, but it
is a different fish altogether, more suited to cooking rather than raw for
sushi, but stocks of this are plentiful. There is a price differential, albacore
being slightly more expensive than yellowfin, and therein lies the problem.
One nation that takes pride in its policies on sustainability among its marine
life is Alaska. When it became a state, it took over the management of its
fisheries, and the constitution mandated that “fish ... be utilised, developed
and maintained on the sustained yield principle”. It claims to be the only
state to have written such conservation language into its constitution, and it
says it has systems that take care of every eventuality, from harvest
regulations such as ‘time and area closures’ that allow fishing during certain
times or in certain areas and restrictions on boats and equipment, to limiting
the number of harvesters in a fishery. Scientists decide how many fish can
be harvested. The allocation can never rise above what the scientists say,

Alaskas approach is important as sourcing sustainable fish is big news with
public concern rising about depleting stocks and the threat to endangered
species. Recent consumer research indicates that the typical fish consumer
is generally older, more affluent and more likely to be educated about
different types of fish and seafood. They are also increasingly exposed to a
wide variety of species in supermarkets. As a result, they may be more
receptive to trying alternatives, especially if they offer a new experience in
taste and texture.

So what is holding restaurants back? The attributes of lesser known fish
should be communicated via menus and specials boards to encourage them
to try something new and chefs should raise awareness and promote
sustainable fish, there is no reason for them not to reference endangered
species and provide details of sustainable alternatives. After all, as a food
category fish and seafood offers fantastic scope for new product
development when you consider the number of different species that are
available, and there will be a huge opportunity for new and exciting fish
dishes.

A concern of chefs is the trend in the economic climate for consumers
turning to comfort food and more traditional dishes. This, however, is a
smokescreen. Are consumers really bothered about switching from small cold
water prawns to large warm water prawns? Are they particularly off put when
a menu board reads ‘fish and chips’ instead of ‘cod and chips’?

The answer is probably no!

Some companies have already begun looking at their ranges to tweak or
innovate. M&J Seafood has just added fresh yellowtail amberjack to its list of
sustainable products. With a cleaner flavour, optimal fat content, firmer
texture and higher yield, it says the fish is popular in Mediterranean and
Japanese cuisine and offers great versatility in dishes. Meanwhile Young’s
Seafood has launched what it claims is the UK’s first breaded scampi made
with MSC certified sustainable langoustine – premium whole Isle of Lewis
scampi. The product is the result of MSC certification for the Stornoway Isle
of Lewis has been served in more than 300 Sainsbury’s in store cafés.

So with determination and luck, those who forecast just jellyfish and worms on our menus in 50 years’ time can hopefully be proved wrong.