Tag: UK Fish Trade

“Without doubt the grant helped increase sales of fresh fish – therefore having an effect on profitability as well as introducing a new type of affordable and delicious locally caught fish into the marketplace for people to enjoy”

Amanda Pender, Director of Island Fish and RRGP recipient

In March 2020, with the sudden closure of overseas markets and the local restaurant trade, the UK’s fishing and seafood industry was thrown into chaos. Knowing the community we work to support was teetering on the brink, we acted swiftly, working with partners Seafarers UK to launch an emergency fund for fishermen, fishmongers and community groups to diversify and collaborate – to survive the financial pressures of lockdown, and to support some of the most vulnerable in their local communities.

Our independent impact assessment is in, and we can now share key achievements of this initiative, as well as lessons learnt. Key findings include increased business resilience, job retentions, and raised profile of local seafood in local communities. Click here to read the executive summary or here for the full evaluation report.

Island Fish used their grant to purchase new equipment:

The Numbers:

• Supported 121 beneficiaries across all 4 devolved regions of the UK
• Enabled businesses to support jobs – 65% of recipients said that grant supported the employment of at least one individual & 57% said the grant allowed their business to keep staff in employment
• Prevented businesses from closing – 28% of recipients said that the grant kept their business running during lockdown
• Developed resilience in the seafood sector – 82% of recipients said that they aim to continue the elements of the business/project established in response to COVID-19

When recipients were asked about the impact that the Rapid Response Grants had, they listed:

• Retention of jobs
• Creation of new employment
• Increased profits
• Heightened links with local communities
• Increased awareness of locally caught seafood

Lessons Learnt:

At a time when applicants were stretched and stressed, our evaluation reveals that recipients really valued the simple application form and rapid pay out of funds. We also identified that the independent help and support provided by the Fishing Animateurs, who guided anyone who asked for help through the application process, was very much valued by recipients. This provides a clear lesson on the importance of facilitators and guidance when aiming to support communities that don’t have always have a strong background in IT and form filling.

As part of our ongoing engagement and quest to better understand and work to support the seafood industry, the programme also revealed key “future needs”, we will use this new understanding of the sector will help to guide our future charitable initiatives.

Future Needs:

• Promotion of British seafood: customers are willing to pay a premium for locally caught products
• Support for existing distribution networks; and improvements to inland transportation
• Improved practical training opportunities to support apprenticeships
• Access to technical and marketing support for small businesses
• Improvements to waste management across the supply chain

2020 saw the launch of our new Discover Seafood site, working to connect the British public with their local fishing industry, seafood and coastal communities. After a successful launch, 2021 marks the next phase in the project, building up the site’s capacity and launching an exciting UK-wide Seafood Relay. To support these next steps Sophie Fontes has just joined our partner on this project, Mindfully Wired Communications, as an intern through our Fisheries Targeted Academic Sponsorship Programme. Here, Sophie talks us through what 2021 means for Discover Seafood and what the internship means for her future career prospects.

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2021 has already gotten off to a flying start, as I’m thrilled to be joining the team at Mindfully Wired in partnership with The Fishmonger’s Company’s Fisheries Charitable Trust.  As part of my new role at Mindfully Wired, I’ll be working on The Fishmongers’ Company’s Discover Seafood project, an exciting interactive online portal helping to connect people with local seafood.

Now more than ever, it’s important to support independent businesses and our local fishing communities, where we can and I’m delighted to be working on a project which provides an exciting new platform for those in the fishing industry, helping them to reach new customers during a challenging time.

The prospect of instigating positive change through creative communications with Mindfully Wired Communications was a huge draw for me. The opportunity to use and build upon my current marketing experience (my background lies in publishing and the travel industry) in order to educate others about local seafood and sustainability sounded like an exciting challenge, with the added bonus of expanding my own knowledge of UK fisheries and marine sustainability. I love cooking and I’m a keen forager, so promoting seasonal and sustainable eating is a subject right up my strasse!

The Discover Seafood site is already a fantastic resource and I look forward to adding to it as much as we can: more local retailers, more stories and more delicious recipes! The most exciting addition in 2021 will be the introduction of the Discover Seafood Relay, which will bring together a diverse range of coastal explorers who are keen to discover local seafood and share stories from the fascinating fishing communities all over the UK. If you have a seafood story please get in touch!

I am only one week into the role but the time is already flying! There is so much work to be done and we’ll be sharing all the goings-on at Discover Seafood over the next few months. In the meantime, if you’re in need for some local fresh fish during lockdown, Discover Seafood has your back: https://discoverseafood.uk/retailers/.

Introducing Discover Seafood, the new interactive portal for all things seafood, designed to help people find, cook and eat local, seasonal catches from across the UK. Having scoured the coast to bring you closer to the seafood on your doorstep, the site allows users to find their local harbour, see which fishmongers are nearby and meet the local fishermen selling fresh fish and shellfish by the quayside.

In 2014, the Fishmongers’ Company’s Fisheries Charitable Trust launched Fish on Friday,a seafood blog celebrating British seafood and those who catch it. Now, six years later, building on the fantastic stories, recipes and diverse seafood community featured on the Fish on Friday website, the Trust has created Discover Seafood. This interactive, UK-wide map connects the public seamlessly to local fishermen, fishmongers, seasonal and sustainable species, ports and other seafood businesses.

Guiding users around the UK’s ports, the site features the fishermen and fishmongers who bring fresh, locally-caught seafood to our plates. Retailers can add their business and provide all the information customers need, right down to updates on what is in stock that day.

Having enabled users to find where to buy their seafood and knowing exactly what to ask for to make sure they are eating the most sustainable seafood on offer, Discover Seafood also provides countless recipes and guides to make sure people know exactly how to cook and prepare the delicious produce.

As well as an abundance of information about the diverse seafood you can find across the UK coast, the map also includes a huge selection of stories straight from the seafood community. The story archive is a treasure trove of tales, touching on heritage, seafood guides, personal accounts from fishermen and more. Meet the folk who catch and cook your seafood and be inspired to try something new.

Each year Crisis help to feed London’s homeless people throughout the festive period. In 2019 the Fishmongers’ Company’s Fisheries Charitable Trust is pleased to once again donate fish to provide tasty and nutritious meals for those who find themselves without a home.

In 2018 Crisis were able to serve 35,957 meals to London’s homeless, enabled in part by the fish mix donated by the Fishmongers’ Company. Each year Crisis bring warmth, companionship and vital services to homeless people.

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November 29 saw the launch on a brand-new programme ‘Fish in School Hero’ to ensure that every child gets a chance to prepare, cook and eat fish before they leave school. The programme aims to train over 400 secondary food teachers to be confident in preparing and cooking fish with students in their classrooms. Teachers will be supported by local Heroes: fishmongers, fish-loving chefs and fish suppliers, as well as other Heroes who will be coming into schools to talk first-hand about their role in bringing seafood from the sea to the plate, highlighting careers and opportunities in the fish industry.

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Supported by the Fishmongers’ Company’s Fisheries Charitable Trust, Fish in School Hero is managed by the Food Teachers Centre and their volunteer team throughout the UK. Launching in East Coast schools, in 2020 and 2021 the programme will be extended throughout the UK, reaching over 60,000 pupils in three years. Louise Davies of the Food Teachers Centre highlighted just why this programme is needed:

“Our Food Teachers absolutely appreciate the support from the Fishmongers’ Company to make this dream a reality. Teachers struggle to learn fish filleting and cooking skills and need a cheap source of fish to allow cooking to happen in their classrooms. The programme will be a game changer for young people. A survey earlier in the year showed that 52% pupils rarely or never cooked fish in school. We are going to improve that dramatically. Teachers can’t wait to get started”.

The launch at Bingley Grammar School, West Yorkshire saw Year 9 and 10 Food & Nutrition and Hospitality & Catering students get hands on with fish and learn from Emma McKeating, Master Fishmonger Standard certified Advanced Fishmonger. For many students this was the first time they had touched, let alone cooked, fish.

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The Fishmongers’ Company’s Fisheries Programme Manager, Dr Eleanor Adamson, explained how important it is that young people build their confidence in handling seafood:

“Young people in the UK are eating less and less fish, missing out on the health benefits of seafood, and unaware of sustainable British food choices that are available on their doorstep. We are excited at the chance to work with the Food Teachers Centre to bring seafood straight into classrooms, and showcase the best of UK food choices”

The Fishmongers’ Company plays a central role in convening around fisheries issues, forming an impartial, evidence-based and collaborative platform. One key element of this is our support for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fisheries. By providing funding for and working together with Mindfully Wired Communications, who provide the secretariat for the APPG, we help to create a forum in which politicians can come together to learn about and discuss issues in the fisheries sector.  

Co-chaired by Sheryll-Murray MP (Conservative) and Melanie Onn MP (Labour) the APPG is a truly cross-party, collaborative initiative. Utilising funding from the Fishmongers’ Company, Mindfully Wired have supported the APPG to build a platform for industry figures to interact with parliamentarians and share their experience and expertise. These discussions are then converted into easy to understand, policy-focused briefings which create a go-to-resource for MPs and peers to support informed decision making within both houses.  

The seminars cover a wide range of topics within the fisheries sector and have already discussed recruitment, careers on land and sea, and marketing and certification. By bringing in industry figures from a wide range of positions, locations and sectors the APPG is able to bring the full range of perspectives on some of the most pressing issues facing fishing and the seafood trade today. You can find out about the upcoming seminars here. 

To ensure that these seminars are accessible to the full diversity of stakeholders involved in the fishing industry, the APPG utilises its funding to provide bursaries for fishermen and representatives of small businesses travelling from remote or far-away locations. 

The Fishmongers’ Company welcomed leaders in seafood sustainability this week as the Marine Stewardship Council showcased the best in class in seafood sustainability at their Sustainable Seafood Forum and MSC UK Awards. Held at Fishmongers’ Hall and sponsored by the Fishmongers’ Company the awards recognised fisheries, retailers and brands at the forefront of sustainability in the seafood industry. 

Part of our commitment to support a sustainable, prosperous seafood industry, the forum and awards were opened by Alison Freeman, one of the Company’s Fisheries Programme Managers, who outlined our diverse work in supporting sustainable fisheries across the UK. This was followed by the Sustainable Seafood Forum made up of a diverse panel of industry experts, fishermen and academics including: Michel Kaiser- Herriot Watt University, Robert Clark- Southern Inshore Fisheries & Conservation Association,  Mike Park- Scottish White Fish Producers Association and Aoife Martin- Seafish. The panel outlined the success of the MSC so far and discussed the challenges and opportunities in sustainable seafood.   

The afternoon concluded with the newly expanded awards ceremony that recognised the achievements of the MSC’s partners, from fisheries to fish counters and universities in promoting sustainable seafood and increasing its presence in the seafood market. A full list of the winners can be seen here.

The forum and awards provided another opportunity for the Company to promote and develop a sustainable seafood industry that supports both a healthy marine environment and prosperous coastal communities and fishing industry.