Following on the heels of its #FishToYourDoor campaign connecting households in the U.K. county of Cornwall with fresh fish – thereby keeping local fishermen going to sea and earning during the coronavirus crisis – the promotional platform Seafood Cornwall has launched #NHSFishFridays as a thank-you to the region's National Health Service workers.
Running for three consecutive Fridays starting on 15 May, the new scheme has secured NHS staff discounts ranging from 25 to 50 percent off of seasonal fish and shellfish available from fisheries around the Cornish coast courtesy of six merchants. Affiliated merchants are also offering free delivery.
“Our NHS workers have been working day and night to care for everyone’s loved ones. We wanted to do our bit to show our appreciation so we’re saying thank you in the best way we know how, through the delivery of fresh Cornish fish,” Louis Smart, from South Coast Fisheries, one of the merchants involved in the scheme, said.
Meanwhile, the #FishToYourDoor campaign has brought more than 3,500 new customers to affiliated fish merchants. Since launching in March and promoting fishers selling direct from their boats, it has added to its list of sellers and has also increased delivery capacity.
Seafood Cornwall is led by the Cornish Fish Producers’ Organisation, which was established in 1975 by local fishermen in Cornwall.
Because the majority of fish they catch is usually destined for export, the English fishing fleet has been hit hard by the closure of traditional export markets and the reduction in demand from the hospitality sector.
Last month, the U.K. government announced that 1,000 fishing and aquaculture businesses in England could receive direct cash grants through a fisheries support scheme totalling GBP 9 million (USD 11.1 million, EUR 10.2 million). A further GBP 1 million (USD 1.2 million, EUR 1.1 million) was made available to support projects to assist fishermen to sell their catch in their local communities, with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) saying it would not only support the catching sector but also local communities that depend on the industry.
Photo courtesy of Jason Holland
