British Fisheries Minister Huw Irranca-Davies on Thursday backed a campaign to prevent illegal fishing in the North Atlantic, Barents Sea and worldwide, calling on consumers to eat only legally caught fish from their local chippies.
“Fish and chips are a staple of the British diet, and nowadays more and more people want to know where their cod or haddock comes from and that it’s caught sustainably,” said Irranca-Davies.
“Fisheries all over the world are under increasing strain from over-exploitation and illegal fishing, so it’s up to all of us — the seafood industry, retailers and consumers — to help to protect and sustainably manage our seas and fish stocks, particularly vulnerable species, while allowing our fishermen and the businesses they supply to make a living and plan for the future,” he added.
As part of its campaign, the Frozen at Sea Fillets Association (FASFA) urges consumers to look for its “Ocean Wild” label when buying fish and chips to ensure the product is from a legal, sustainable fishery. According to FASFA, 90 percent of the cod and haddock used at British chippies is from the North Atlantic and Barents Sea.
FASFA represents trawler owners from the United Kingdom, Norway, Iceland, Faeroe Islands, Russia and Greenland and the British distributors that sell their frozen-at-sea fish fillets.
“I’m delighted Huw Irranca-Davies has backed the campaign to encourage more people to question where their fish dinners come from,” said FASFA Chairman Tim Cartwright-Taylor. “If the British public want to continue to see cod and haddock on the menu, they have to play their part in policing fish stocks. Anyone can do this by simply buying their dinner form a local chippy that sources its fish from accredited, well managed and sustainable seas like the Barents Sea.”
