Sustainable fishing has little impact on Scottish consumers

A new report by Waitrose and the Marine Conservation Society revealed that sustainable fishing concerns are still having little influence on Scottish shopping habits.

According to the report some of the most plentiful and ethical fish available in our oceans have yet to win favour among Scottish consumers. It shows that despite the plethora of fish available within UK waters, the Scottish consumers are still sticking to a tried-and-tested palate of seafood, rather than casting their nets more broadly.

In a survey nearly three quarters of the respondents named juts four different species as their favourite fish namely haddock, prawns, salmon and tuna. It is revealed that only 7 percent of Scots named cod, the favourite fish of other UK consumers. Scottish shellfish was shown to be one of the country’s untapped food resources. The research showed that mussels, oysters and langoustine still rarely make it on to shopping lists. It is told that only 3 percent of respondents had cooked with oysters, 9 percent had cooked langoustines, and 20 percent had cooked mussels, despite the abundance of these species in Scottish waters.

It is found that the vast majority of Scottish consumers had a good knowledge of the meaning of ‘sustainable fishing’: more than three quarters are aware that sustainable fishing means sourcing fish from well managed fisheries, which is caught using methods that minimise impact on the marine environment. Encouragingly Coley, which is plentiful and sourced from sustainable fisheries, is fast capturing the public attention.

Jeremy Langley, Waitrose’s specialist fish buyer, told that this research shows that knowing what is sustainable and what’s not is still an absolute minefield for UK consumers. Sam Wilding, The Marine Conservation Society’s Fisheries Officer, informed that whilst it is clear that the majority of consumers are aware of the need to source sustainable seafood, many continue to unknowingly buy seafood from over fished unsustainable sources.

Source: Pagoda PR/Waitrose"

WorldFishingToday d. 11-09-2008