12th April 2013
Autumn 2009 - Catch it if you can
As more consumers become aware of endangered species of fish, the need to offer sustainably sourced products to satisfy them is becoming more necessary.
The public was recently given a warts and all showing of how the future of fish will be in less than 50 years’ time when the film entitled: The End of the Line went on general release. Focusing on the fragility of our fish stocks, and in particular bluefin tuna, it 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 subscribes to responsible sourcing and supplies fish and seafood from sustainable fisheries across the globe, and it goes to great lengths to promote under utilised species to the foodservice sector. It claims to be the first company to voluntarily place a ban on the sale of bluefin tuna, shark and orange roughy – all of which are on the World Conservation Union’s endangered species list.
The company also offers approved products of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), the organisation that promotes sustainable fisheries by flagging up eco friendly products and their environmental standards.
Mike Berthet, group director fish and seafood at M&J Seafood, says he has been promoting sustainability since 1988, and the company was on the founding steering committee of the MSC.
He believes the film has 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. The Mediterranean fisheries are out of control.”
Berthet says the film is emotive and concentrates on bluefin and the West African fishery problem where some nations have traded their fishing rights to other countries and, having traded them away, have no control over it whatsoever, and that what has happened is the indigent fisherman in his single dug out canoe is finding no fish.
He is scathing about restaurants still including bluefin tuna on their menus, for example the renowned Japanese restaurant Nobu that adds a footnote on their menu in London that it is an endangered species. He says that it’s “like putting Aberdeen Angus steak on the menu but saying please choose pork”. “An American chef once said a chef is the gatekeeper and decides what goes on the menu.
Well if the chef is the gatekeeper then I’m the locksmith,” adding that if he can make it unavailable then others can. “Restaurants can use another tuna – sashimi grade super frozen yellowfin tuna is an extremely acceptable alternative.”
M&J Seafood is also promoting another species of tuna. Its albacore tuna is 100% British. It has an exclusive agreement with two Cornish boats – the Charisma and Nova Spero, to take the majority of their catch of British albacore tuna from the south west Cornish coast for the UK foodservice sector. The Cornish fishery has a limited season – starting the end of June and continuing through to early September – fishing with 100 metre long lines.
“Last year it supplied about 45 tonnes. This year it will be a similar amount,” says Berthet. “Compared to the fishermen fishing for Cornish albacore, fishermen fishing for bluefin tuna have a net that is 20 miles long and 200 metres deep scooping up everything in the sea. We have 10-14 lines from the back of the boat with 12 hooks on each line.
“This is also the first time for locally caught tuna by British boats – what can be better than that.”
He says albacore offers chefs a responsible alternative to bluefin and a slightly different presentation to yellowfin, but that it is a different fish altogether, and more suited to cooking rather than raw for sushi. “We supply sushi restaurants with the super frozen yellowfin within four hours of being caught,” he explains.
Sometimes referred to as white tuna because of its lighter colour, albacore has a meaty taste and texture, and 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.” This year he says M&J has decided to put any trim left over into albacore fish cakes.
At the Seafood Awards in May this year, M&J Seafood was awarded the Sustainable Future Award which recognised its commitment to responsible sourcing, sustainability and the environment, and Berthet was delighted. “What I’m also really pleased about is that foodservice is beginning to be recognised as a force to be reckoned with. A few years ago it used to be retail, retail, retail. We are helping to put foodservice right up their with the big boys. When you consider that one of the other names up for the award was Waitrose, we are serious contenders. That can only be welcomed.”
• For information about Cornish albacore tuna and sustainable sourcing visit www.sustainableseafood.co.uk
According to M&J Seafood, part of the Brakes Group, this can be done. The company subscribes to responsible sourcing and supplies fish and seafood from sustainable fisheries across the globe, and it goes to great lengths to promote under utilised species to the foodservice sector. It claims to be the first company to voluntarily place a ban on the sale of bluefin tuna, shark and orange roughy – all of which are on the World Conservation Union’s endangered species list.
The company also offers approved products of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), the organisation that promotes sustainable fisheries by flagging up eco friendly products and their environmental standards.
Mike Berthet, group director fish and seafood at M&J Seafood, says he has been promoting sustainability since 1988, and the company was on the founding steering committee of the MSC.
He believes the film has 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. The Mediterranean fisheries are out of control.”
Berthet says the film is emotive and concentrates on bluefin and the West African fishery problem where some nations have traded their fishing rights to other countries and, having traded them away, have no control over it whatsoever, and that what has happened is the indigent fisherman in his single dug out canoe is finding no fish.
He is scathing about restaurants still including bluefin tuna on their menus, for example the renowned Japanese restaurant Nobu that adds a footnote on their menu in London that it is an endangered species. He says that it’s “like putting Aberdeen Angus steak on the menu but saying please choose pork”. “An American chef once said a chef is the gatekeeper and decides what goes on the menu.
Well if the chef is the gatekeeper then I’m the locksmith,” adding that if he can make it unavailable then others can. “Restaurants can use another tuna – sashimi grade super frozen yellowfin tuna is an extremely acceptable alternative.”
M&J Seafood is also promoting another species of tuna. Its albacore tuna is 100% British. It has an exclusive agreement with two Cornish boats – the Charisma and Nova Spero, to take the majority of their catch of British albacore tuna from the south west Cornish coast for the UK foodservice sector. The Cornish fishery has a limited season – starting the end of June and continuing through to early September – fishing with 100 metre long lines.
“Last year it supplied about 45 tonnes. This year it will be a similar amount,” says Berthet. “Compared to the fishermen fishing for Cornish albacore, fishermen fishing for bluefin tuna have a net that is 20 miles long and 200 metres deep scooping up everything in the sea. We have 10-14 lines from the back of the boat with 12 hooks on each line.
“This is also the first time for locally caught tuna by British boats – what can be better than that.”
He says albacore offers chefs a responsible alternative to bluefin and a slightly different presentation to yellowfin, but that it is a different fish altogether, and more suited to cooking rather than raw for sushi. “We supply sushi restaurants with the super frozen yellowfin within four hours of being caught,” he explains.
Sometimes referred to as white tuna because of its lighter colour, albacore has a meaty taste and texture, and 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.” This year he says M&J has decided to put any trim left over into albacore fish cakes.
At the Seafood Awards in May this year, M&J Seafood was awarded the Sustainable Future Award which recognised its commitment to responsible sourcing, sustainability and the environment, and Berthet was delighted. “What I’m also really pleased about is that foodservice is beginning to be recognised as a force to be reckoned with. A few years ago it used to be retail, retail, retail. We are helping to put foodservice right up their with the big boys. When you consider that one of the other names up for the award was Waitrose, we are serious contenders. That can only be welcomed.”
• For information about Cornish albacore tuna and sustainable sourcing visit www.sustainableseafood.co.uk