At our “Blue Foods: Connecting Catch to Consumers” event on 14 May 2024, the final part of our Blue Food series, we heard from a variety of speakers working along the length of the seafood supply chain to deliver UK seafood to the UK public. During the event, speakers offered strategies to connect the fishing industry to consumers, overcome barriers along the supply chain and promote the value of sustainable UK seafood.
Attendees heard from:
Audun Lem, Deputy Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture, FAO
Victoria Townsend, Retail Director, Ocean Fish and Paul Trebilcock, Head of Sustainability, Ocean Fish and Managing Director of W Stevensons and Sons
Mike Warner, Retail Fishmonger, Wholesale Fish Merchant, Seafood Writer and Consultant, A Passion for Seafood
Sue MacKenzie, Owner & Independent Fishmonger, The Fish Shop, Camberley
Huw Thomas, Secretary of Board, Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) and Lief Hendrikz, Europe, Middle East & Africa Lead, GDST
A full recording of the online event can be found here:
Following the presentations, Parliamentarians and attendees put their questions to the panel. Written summaries of all questions and answers are provided below. Please note that these answers reflect the views of the panellists, rather than the APPG Secretariat or its Members.
QUESTIONS FROM MPS
We’ve discussed waste utilisation and utilisation of fish offcuts, but there are a lot of other fish parts (e.g. bones) that are an even greater source of protein. What work is being done to ensure all of the fish is being utilised? (Sheryll Murray MP)
Victoria Townsend outlined that as part of their operations at Ocean Fish, efforts are made to use and recycle as much of the fish as possible. Trimmings from filleting are used for fish pie, while the frames (bones and skin) are sold and utilised in other industries, for example, for pet food. She noted also that Ocean Fish were experiencing increasing demand for frames, with demand for British fish and high protein species, such as sardines, especially high. She went on to add that, in line with standards for human consumption, traceability was also to the fore in terms of demand for waste products. She acknowledged, however, a tension between landing fish for human consumption and landing it for use in other industries, noting the importance of finding the balance between the two.
From what we’ve heard today, it appears that there is a role for promotion of seafood in the media. Is this the case? (Peter Aldous MP)
Paul Trebilcock agreed with the observation that more could be done to promote British caught and landed fish. He noted the position of Seafish – a public body levied by the industry – as a body with a high-level and positive role to play in the promotion and consumption of domestic caught and landed fish. He suggested that a continuous drumbeat promoting British seafood by Seafish could be built on by businesses at the regional and local levels and brought through to consumers.
Mike Warner echoed the sentiments expressed by Trebilcock and referenced work by agencies at a national level – for example, Seafood Scotland and national bodies elsewhere supporting native, indigenous seafood. He noted there was a gap in this respect at a UK-level and stated that it should not be down to individual sellers to promote British fish to consumers, when a public body exists that could do that.
When it comes to retail, are large retailers stepping up to the plate enough? (Peter Aldous MP)
Victoria Townsend noted the price-driven nature of large retailers; and stated that cost posed the biggest challenge to getting British retailers to buy into British fish. She added that both Brexit and the cost-of-living had posed further challenges. She detailed, for example, that currently the majority of fish supplied by Ocean Fish to large retailers are imported farmed species – pangasius from Vietnam; seabass from Turkey and Greece – and said this was down to price, alongside the familiarity of consumers with these types of species. Highlighting that Ocean Fish has the largest range of British fish on the high street, under the ‘Hook, Line and Sinker’ range with online retailer Ocado, she stated that this was not enough. Emphasising that the retail segment would continue to be driven by price, she also referenced the difference in the opportunity for connection to consumer when it came to this segment of the market, and the limitations in terms of engagement and ‘telling a story’ in the manner that can be done at a consumer-facing level.
Huw Thomas, drawing on his previous role in the retail sector, added to this and outlined the difference between a consumer and a shopper – with the latter having a short window of time in a store to think about what they buy, where it has been sourced, and any differences based on these. He stated that this issue was one that faced many buyers, including retailers themselves who also face reputational risk if deemed to be selling ‘unsustainable’ fish that doesn’t fall under a particular management plan or have sufficient data. He suggested, however, that from the perspective of the GDST the information to tell that story is often there, in terms of traceability. He said that as long as there is a flow of data that retailers can use with confidence to talk about provenance and ensure that is relayed to the customer, this information offers an opportunity to change the dynamic here.
QUESTIONS FROM OTHER ATTENDEES
What is the FAO's vision on the future role of fisheries in providing seafood security, given that sea space in some nations will increasingly be occupied by offshore wind farms and marine protected areas (MPAs)?
Audun Lem stated that rather than the FAO doesn’t have a position on MPAs, per se. Rather the position of the FAO is that the goal should be to manage 100 per cent of the oceans sustainably through multiple management measures. He highlighted that in order to meet human needs that will inevitably include the development and implementation of marine spatial plans, MPAs, area-based fisheries management measures, aquaculture parks, locally managed marine areas, designated shipping lanes, wind farms, and many other types of management. In light of this, the FAO encourages countries to employ the ecosystem approach to fisheries and aquaculture management in order to promote the sustainable use of marine resources in the context of these other uses. He added that the organisation encourages a holistic view of managing resource use, rather than one whereby different sectors independently manage their own activities in isolation from other users of marine space. Among those users, he said, the FAO highlights the need to protect the livelihoods of those fishers already operating in a proposed MPA, especially small-scale or artisanal fishers.
How important are lines like 'Hook, Line & Sinker' in supporting British fish and bringing the diverse catch we have off our coast to consumers? Could you speak more to the barriers to getting these lines on the shelves?
Victoria Townsend outlined that the idea behind ‘Hook, Line & Sinker’ is creating a brand in fish. She highlighted that – with a range of lines targeting different consumers, at different price-points – there are so many options offered to consumers on supermarket shelves when it comes to other proteins. With fish, on the other hand, these are much more limited. A brand like ‘Hook, Line and Sinker’, with several different lines, brings a value-added seafood product that is British and convenient to the retail sector, and offers seafood options on the supermarket shelf for different consumers.
Concerning barriers, Victoria reiterated price as a key barrier to getting British fish on and off British shelves, offering the differing retail price points between MSC certified Hake caught off the South West coast by British boats and MSC certified Hake from South Africa, as an example. She added that species confidence was also an issue, and noted the quick decision a consumer is making when in the supermarket. That decision needs to be easy – getting the product on the shelf is the first step, the next is getting the correct label. She also outlined the issue of availability, and the reality of fishing which means that it is not possible to have a ‘fresh, in-season’ product available on a shelf every day of the year. The only way to align with this is to buy the fish when it is available and freeze it. Different shopping environments and needs, she reiterated, mean that for different sellers along the seafood supply chain targeting different buyers the story won’t always be the same.
Adding value to the catch and building confidence: Just how important is this for consumers? What strategies here could be better supported, and by who?
Sue MacKenzie emphasised that adding value is hugely important and outlined that, in a context of busy lifestyles, simplicity is key to giving the consumer a reason to select fish. This, she said, applied to both confident consumers confident in cooking a fish from scratch and those less so – for the latter group bringing the added benefit of encouraging them to try different species. She went on to indicate that buy-in from major retailers would help in terms of reaching a wider array of consumers. However, she noted several barriers to this, for example, the difficulties with processing freshly landed fish daily and filtering this through to supermarket shelves, and acknowledged product would need to be frozen at some point in the chain to grapple with variabilities in the catch. She added that complicating this further was the price driven nature of the retail segment, which can be at odds with realising the true value of fish landed in the UK, alongside the fluctuations in availability and price achieved on landings.
Based on your experience, how does demand for local species vary across the UK, and do the challenges/barriers to getting British fish and local species on the plates of consumers translate to different parts of the country?
Sue MacKenzie stated that, based on discussions with other fishmongers around the UK, demand does vary; depending on the location and demographic of the customers. As a generic example, she said, the more well known species enjoyed historically in Peterhead (lemon sole and haddock) has differed from those in the South East (cod and plaice). With more people trying different species, this is much less obvious today. She went on to state that, over the past decade, she had witnessed more people wanting to know more about where their food comes from and to support ‘British’ – whether in farming or the fishing industry, though she noted that other consumers are price driven and looking for a great value high protein meal, which may mean that in some cases provenance isn’t as important. That said, she highlighted that fishmongers around the coast do see demand for locally landed fish all year round from local residents, with demand especially high from visitors during holiday season. She also spotlighted that fishmongers far from the coast like hers and many others in cities such as London are increasingly being sought out by customers looking for somewhere they can buy ‘locally’ caught fish with British provenance
Could you speak about the evidence and auditing processes entailed in different sustainability labels and trademarks? For example, is there any evidence or auditing of the trademark ‘Responsibly caught and British’?
Victoria Townsend outlined that only products that are landed in the South West, can be traced back to the boat, and are operating as part of a well-managed fishery are labelled with the ‘Responsibly caught and British’ trademark. She added that with this understanding of where a product has come from, alongside the management efforts and sustainability measures in place within the fishery in which it was caught, it was possible to state this with confidence. She offered the example of a non-certified species being landed by a vessel from a responsibly managed mixed fishery also landing certified species – highlighting the importance of going beyond a species-by-species approach, and instead applying a holistic approach to the fishery and the species landed within that fishery.
Sue MacKenzie added that, as far she was aware, fish imported but packed in the UK for major UK retailers is not labelled as British either. She noted, however, that supply chains could be made more transparent for consumers, alongside their corresponding food miles. She offered Alaskan Salmon processed in China and imported to the UK for packing as an example.
Speakers spoke about wanting to broaden out sustainability definitions for seafood products, could you talk more about this and address fears of greenwashing?
Building on the previous answer, Victoria Townsend emphasised the importance of looking at the whole story of the fish in determining its responsible sourcing and its sustainability, and detailed the broader fishery considerations required (referenced above), alongside the wider ecosystem interactions and interdependencies entailed in capturing that. She said that broadening the sustainability definition, or rather refining the definition of responsible, means acknowledging that that story goes beyond a single species, stock or fish which may fall outside of certification processes for an array of reasons unrelated to sustainability – from a lack of data to falling outside of a quota system and so on.
Is fisheries management policy driving UK fisheries to narrow opportunities rather than sustainable polyvalency (i.e. fishers being able to land a range of species)? For example, in Yorkshire and other areas the majority of small boats target lobster or crab, partly on account of administrative barriers to targeting other species.
Paul Trebilcock agreed that at times fisheries regulation had unintentionally restricted diversity. As an example, he outlined how ongoing whitefish quota restrictions meant fishermen choose the option to target shellfish. He cited also the example of this year’s large cut in pollack quota, which would see inshore fishers that had been catching the species now looking to others – likely shellfish and seabass, which would result in an increase in effort on those species. He noted that the South West had been lucky in this respect and still had a diverse fleet from handliners to beamers, remaining viable. He noted also, however, that this was not true of other parts of the country, where fishers had been forced into single species fisheries, with the added issue that when something happens in that fishery it becomes a real issue for the entire community. On a positive note, he said that with the Fisheries Act and the Fisheries Management Plans there was an opportunity, if developed properly, to protect and reintroduce diversity back into not only inshore but offshore fisheries as well.
What role do digital marketplace technologies have to play in telling this story, and are there any trials or plans for trials on these in the UK (e.g. ABALOBI)?
Huw Thomas stated that there was work underway by people looking to develop apps in the UK, and via the GDST. He noted, however, that one of the challenges with the current data flow is that fish gets accumulated and aggregated, and goes to third parties for distribution. On account of this, often it is only when the fish reaches the consumer that the request goes back and it is a challenge at that stage to get that information. The opportunity with an app like, for example, ABALOBI, is that at every event there is a digital footprint of information that moves forward through the value chain and can be made available to anyone who needs it. He qualified that transparency doesn’t mean that everybody should see it, but means there is an opportunity to interrogate that information and share it when it is needed. The opportunity is to change the way that data is captured and collected both in the UK and globally, so that it is captured from the first event that happens – whether that’s a hook or line, it’s digitised and passed through.