Catch it if you can

If media hype is to be believed, in 50 years’ time there will only be jellyfish and worms in our oceans to offer as ‘seafood’. How are caterers facing up to this dilemma, and how can they satisfy diners’ demands for sustainably sourced fish? Sheila Eggleston reports

There's a ripple in our oceans that looks like growing into a tsunami as the controversy surrounding the way fish is sourced globally is becoming more publicly aware.

When the film entitled: The End of the Line went on general release earlier in the year it focused on the fragility of our fish stocks, particularly bluefin tuna. It also highlighted the need to put pressure on commercial fisheries to stop over fishing and switch to more sustainable methods of fishing but, just as important, to encourage chefs and restaurateurs to offer more sustainable species. According to M&J Seafood, part of the Brakes Group, this can be done.

The company promotes under utilised species to the foodservice sector, plus approved products of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), the organisation that promotes sustainable fisheries. M&J claims to be the first company to voluntarily ban the sale of bluefin tuna, shark and orange roughy – all of which are on the World Conservation Union's endangered species list.

Mike Berthet, group director fish and seafood at M&J, believes the film brought the matter of over fishing to a wider audience. "It raises the debate on over fishing in certain fisheries and areas of the world and that has to be welcomed. Long may we keep over fishing at the top of the agenda but also that we keep it in perspective.

"Bluefin tuna stocks have been decimated and M&J has a heavily imposed ban on all tuna to allow it to recover. If more suppliers took that stance we would reduce the demand and have a direct effect on the amount of fish coming in."

He is scathing about restaurants still including bluefin tuna on their menus, for example the renowned Japanese restaurant Nobu that adds a footnote on its menu in London saying it is an endangered species.

He says it's "like putting Aberdeen Angus steak on the menu but saying please choose pork". "Restaurants can use another tuna – sashimi grade super frozen yellowfin tuna is an extremely acceptable alternative."

M&J Seafood has been promoting albacore tuna caught off the Cornish coast. It has an exclusive agreement with two Cornish boats to take the majority of their catch for the UK foodservice sector. Last year it supplied about 45 tonnes and this year will be a similar amount. Berthet says albacore offers chefs a responsible alternative to bluefin and a slightly different presentation to yellowfin, but it is a different fish altogether and more suited to cooking rather than raw for sushi. This year M&J decided to put any trim left over into albacore fish cakes.

He says there is a price differential, albacore being slightly more expensive than yellowfin. "But you can give a smaller portion if you want to put it on the menu and then you've budgeted. A clever chef will cook and arrange it on a plate so as not to disappoint the customer – a 6oz-7oz yellowfin steak versus a 5oz-6oz albacore steak."

One nation that takes pride in its policies on sustainability among its marine life is Alaska.

This year it celebrates its 50th anniversary as a state of North America as well as 50 years of successful sustainable fisheries management. Alaska Seafood technical programme director Randy Rice says as long ago as 1959 it was thinking of sustainability. "It wasn't just some rush to get green because of the trend today."

When it became a state, it took over the management of its fisheries, and the constitution mandated that "fish ... be utilised, developed and maintained on the sustained yield principle". It claims to be the only state to have written such conservation language into its constitution, and it says it has systems that take care of every eventuality, from harvest regulations such as 'time and area closures' that allow fishing during certain times or in certain areas and restrictions on boats and equipment, to limiting the number of harvesters in a fishery. Scientists – and there are hundreds of them in Alaska according to Rice – decide how many fish can be harvested. "The allocation can never rise above what the scientists say," he explains, adding that there are many rivers in Alaska and the scientists check all of them, and the science that justifies the harvest level can be defended.

Suppliers using Alaskan seafood in their products include Crown Foods and Lamb Weston.

Crown Foods uses MSC certified wild Alaskan salmon fillet mixed with a sweet potato called Froden in its latest fishcake. The potato is combined with onion and parsley, then coated in Crown's signature Simply Not Fried fresh farmhouse loaf coating. With its naturally sweet flavour profile, it has won over kids, says the company.

Meanwhile new from Lamb Weston are fish fillet bites made with prime pieces of Alaskan pollock covered in a light and crispy batter, which can be offered in any outlet as a finger food starter or as part of a sharing platter.

Tim Shearer, marketing manager for 3G Food Service, says the importance of sourcing sustainable fish and seafood is big news and public concern is rising about depleting stocks and the threat to endangered species.

"Recent consumer research indicates that the typical fish consumer is generally older, more affluent and more likely to be educated about different types of fish and seafood. They are also increasingly exposed to a wide variety of species in supermarkets. As a result, they may be more receptive to trying alternatives, especially if they offer a new experience in taste and texture."

He adds that the attributes of lesser known fish should be communicated via menus and specials boards to encourage them to try something new. 3G's range includes sustainable fish such as tilapia and pangasius.

Lyons Seafood also believes that simple, clear communication is key as there is still confusion among consumers when it comes to choosing sustainable seafood. Foodservice director Paul Murray says: "A good supplier will be able to help you by explaining the issues that surround each species and recommend sustainable options for your menu. In turn, you will be able to educate your staff who can then fully inform customers about the fish and seafood on offer in your establishment."

The company claims that over the last five years one of the biggest trends in the market is consumers switching from small cold water prawns to large warm water prawns.

The Authentic Food Company, which has been working with AC Nielsen Pub Track, says it has found that fish and seafood main meals across all cuisines add significant value to each category and is still a popular flavour profile, as well as seen as a healthier menu option when dining out.

It says 11% of the £2bn pub meals market is seafood – including traditional fish and chips – putting it on par with burgers. Marketing manager Carly Windsor says: "Fish, in particular prawns, perform well in the oriental category with 19% of main meals value coming from prawn dishes.

"Seafood calamari is the main seafood dish within the European category, the proliferation of Spanish cuisine and tapas in the UK providing consumers with new products such as paella which includes a number of different fish types.

"Salmon is the fish of choice for UK consumers after traditional fish and chips and is available in many formats from fishcakes to fish pie."

Atlantic Foods, which offers exotic seafood products such as coconut breaded shrimp, says the global consumption of fish has doubled in the last 25 years and is now worth more than £5.4bn a year – mainly due to seafood being considered a healthier, lighter alternative to red meat thanks to its omega 3 fatty acids and lower calorific values. Commercial director Nigel Parkes says seafood offers so much potential for chefs when it comes to innovation.

"The current economic circumstances have seen consumers temporarily turn to comfort food and more traditional dishes. However as a category fish and seafood offers fantastic scope for new product development when you consider the number of different species that are available, and we believe that once we turn the financial corner there will be a huge opportunity for new and exciting fish dishes."

Some companies have already begun looking at their ranges to tweak or innovate. Country Range Group claims it has answered the demand for more first class frozen food by adding battered cod and haddock to its portfolio.
This follows an increase in frozen food sales across the group, with two out of the supplier's 14 independent wholesale members reporting a rise of 23% in the past six months.

M&J Seafood has just added fresh yellowtail amberjack to its list of sustainable products.

With a cleaner flavour, optimal fat content, firmer texture and higher yield, it says the fish is popular in Mediterranean and Japanese cuisine and offers great versatility in dishes.

Meanwhile Young's Seafood has launched what it claims is the UK's first breaded scampi made with MSC certified sustainable langoustine – premium whole Isle of Lewis scampi.

The product is the result of MSC certification for the Stornoway Isle of Lewis langoustine fishery in April this year, and since October has been served in more than 300 Sainsbury's in store cafés.

But it's not just suppliers that take sustainability seriously. Contract caterers such as Aramark are also working closely with their chefs to help raise awareness and promote sustainable fish. Sue Vaughan-Lightfoot, CR implementation manager, says it works closely with its supply partner to ensure no species listed on IUCN's (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) red list of endangered species is used.

"To assist our units, we are working on tools to provide chefs with educational calendars and pocket sized cards. These resources reference endangered fish and provide details of suitable alternatives. We also encourage our teams to attend sustainable workshops run by Good Catch, a collaborative initiative that aims to help people in foodservice navigate the subject of seafood sustainability." A number of Aramark's sites are applying for MSC change of custody certification which uses a product label to reward environmentally responsible fishery practices, she adds.

So with determination and luck, those who forecast just jellyfish and worms on our menus in 50 years' time will hopefully be wrong.

Related Articles:

• 04 Jun 2010 - Lyons Seafoods awarded Grade A* British Retail Consortium certification
• 03 Jun 2010 - Fish for Life wins prestigious award for Young's
• 29 Apr 2010 - Volume sales of prawns soar by 14%
• 13 Apr 2010 - sushinho removes all tuna from its restaurant menu
• 29 Mar 2010 - Alaska Seafood joins forces with Westminster Kingsway College