Celebrating Sustainable Seafood at Billingsgate School

Celebrating Sustainable Seafood - 2009 to 2011

By celebrating what the Industry is already achieving to build a long term future, we will help promote the consumption of a wider range of responsibily sourced fish species.

Press invitation - Seminar on Sustainable Seafood from Scotland 26.01.10

pdf invitation and further information here

What? A half-day practical seminar on sustainable Scottish seafood, with recipe ideas for Easter
Where? Billingsgate Seafood Training School, Billingsgate Market,
Trafalgar Way, London, E14 5ST
When? 26th January 2010
Time? 0615 for a 0630 visit to the market. If this is too early, join us for breakfast at 0800. We can tell you what you missed! Theseminar ends around 1230 with a seafood lunch.

0630 – 0800 Market Visit
0800 – 0830 Breakfast
0830 – 1000 Sustainable seafood seminar
1000 – 1145 Scottish fish/shellfish preparation and practical session
1145 – 1230 Scottish seafood cookery
1230 Lunch and finish

Our Aim? To discuss what sustainability really means
To introduce sustainable Scottish species
To hone your seafood preparation skills
To inspire future seafood features
To have fun whilst learning!

RSVP to nicki@seafoodscotland.org. Please feel free to contact Nicki with any
queries. Tel 07711 272637. www.seafoodscotland.org

Seminar on Sustainable - Seafood from Scotland
Our half-day seminar at the Billingsgate Seafood School gives you the opportunity to discuss what sustainability really means and how the message can be conveyed to the consumer.
• Sustainability is not just a phrase, but a real and necessary part of Scotland’s fishing
activities.
• Traffic light systems for choosing seafood are often complicated and confuse shoppers
further.
• There are many eco-labels on the shelves but how many denote sustainability?
Our panel includes Seafood Scotland’s Environmental & Technical Manager Jess Sparks, Scottish fishermen and Government officials. They guide you through the minefield that is currently ‘How do I choose my fish?’, while our chefs will inspire you with tasty recipe ideas for Easter, using a variety of different species. A preparation/ filleting demonstration and practical session using fish and shellfish, will enable you to learn essential knife skills, or show off those you already have!
Most of all, we want you to learn about the Scottish seafood industry, to hear about ongoing efforts to demonstrate that important stocks such as haddock and langoustine are sustainable, and to inspire you to include Scottish seafood in your features. We also invite you (at a later date) to join an overnight visit to experience the industry inaction – to see the UK’s largest fish market, go onboard pelagic, whitefish and shellfish vessels, talk to fishermen, and see how and where seafood is prepared for the top retailers.
Scottish Seafood Facts:
• Scotland leads the EU on sustainable fishing practices with its ‘Conservation Credits’
scheme
• Herring, mackerel and West coast langoustine fisheries have achieved the Marine
Stewardship Council (MSC) environmental standard for sustainable fishing, and North
Sea haddock and langoustine fisheries are undergoing certification
• An array of top quality species are landed in Scotland. The most valuable are
langoustine, mackerel, haddock, monkfish, scallops, cod, lobster and brown crab
• Landings into Scotland in 2008 were 396,000 tonnes worth £412+ million
• ALL seafood landed into Scotland is fished legally and is within quota set by the EU.
Quota is set to ensure that stocks are fished sustainably and Scotland holds 74% of
the UK quota for all fish and shellfish
• Scotland accounts for around 40% of all UK fish processing
• All mackerel vessels use jigging machines to sample the size and quality of fish in a
shoal, before deploying their nets. This responsible practice avoids capture of
undersized fish
• Industry and science partnerships have been set up to assist with research into
sustainable fisheries management.
• Industry is working with partners such as WWF and the JNCC (Joint Nature
Conservation Council) to look after fragile marine habitats such as the Darwin Mounds
and cold water corals on the Rockall Bank and close them to fishing
• CCTV cameras have been fitted on several whitefish boats for a trial aimed at monitoring
the catch and verifying discards. Observers are also used on some boats.
• Use of modified selective gear has greatly reduced the occurrence of fish discarding by
Scottish fishermen
• Overfishing is a thing of the past for Scotland’s fishermen, who operate within one of the
most highly regulated and strictly managed fisheries of the world
• Fishermen increasingly see themselves as ‘stewards of the sea’ and it is in their interest
to conserve fishery resources and their livelihoods
• Many vessels have signed up to the Fishing for Litter Scheme which is removing tonnes
of discarded rubbish from the sea each year, and to the Responsible Fishing Scheme,
which ensures they fish safely and responsibly and pay attention to the quality of the
catch
• Fishing can be compared with farming – some areas of the sea and land are used to
produce food, while others are set aside as conservation areas to protect natural
habitats. In the sea these areas also give stocks space to recover
The seminar on 26th January will touch on all of the above and more.

Future Dates for Spring and Autumn 2010 to be announced

South East Seafood - Focus on Sustainable Fisheries, Wednesday 4th November
Food Service Sector Event, Billingsgate Fish Market, London

Event sold out - Download the presentation given by Henriette Reinders, MD Soth East Food Group Partnership here

We all know that seafood is good for your whole body – from head to toe, so let’s eat more of it

1. Are you involved in supplying food to customers in the food service and/or public sector?
2. Is it time you re-thought your menus to reflect more local and sustainably sourced items?
3. Would you like to extend your fish offer but don’t know where to start?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then this event is for you.
The day will begin at 6.00am with a full, tutored tour of Billingsgate fish market. This will be followed with breakfast, and a programme of speakers and discussions. The event will be rounded up by the all important fish preparation and cookery demonstrations. The specific aim of these will be to give ideas and inspiration on how to use sustainable species from the South East. Including how to specify fish, where to buy it, what it tastes like, and how to cook and serve to ensure popularity with customers, while, at the same time, remaining affordable to you.

There will be an overall focus on what particular considerations must be made by the food service and/or public sector, when working with fish, particularly fish from the South East coast.
Proposed end time: circa 11.00am, finishing with an early lunch.
Cost: Event will cost £30.00 per delegate + VAT, which will include the tour, all refreshments, breakfast and lunch.

It is expected that this event will be oversubscribed, so please register, on-line using the following link:
www.southeastenglandfoodanddrink.co.uk/Billingsgate
and send a cheque for £34.50/person, made payable to South East Food Group Partnership Ltd, to:
Unit 21, Broadmarsh Business Centre
Harts Farm Way
Havant PO9 1HS
by 31st October, to cover costs. If you are not able to attend please provide at least 48 hours’ notice, before the event and cheques will be returned to you. Without 48 hours’ notice, no refund can be given. A full programme will be available on-line nearer to the date.

For more details regarding the actual Billingsgate market, which we will be touring:
http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/corporation/LGNL_Services/Business/Markets/Billingsgate+Market

Wednesday 23rd September - Celebration of Sustainable Seafood - Billingsgate School Sustainable Seafood Award 2009

This day offered commercial seafood buyers, chefs and journalists access to key players in the seafood world. They listened to them champion one specie and were able to ask questions on current sustainable seafood sourcing. Attendees voted for their favourite and selected the winner of the Billingsgate School Sustainable Seafood Award 2009. Click on the links within the schedule below to find out more about participating organisations and the species names for the presentations used during the event.

2008 Winner Mike Berthet from M&J Seafood presents the Billingsgate School Sustainable Seafood Award for 2009 to Tony Smith of Dragon Feeds for their sea water farmed rainbow trout.

0800 Doors open and welcome

0830 Introduction from 2008 winners M&J Seafood

0900 Feng Sushi and South West Fisherman's Hand line Association - Mackerel

0930 Birdseye - Alaska Pollock

1000 Colchester Oyster Fishery - Oysters

1030 Brunch (first three species served)

1130 South East Food Group Partnership - Dover Sole

1200 Seafood Scotland - Haddock

1230 Dragon Feeds - Saltwater Rainbow Trout (video footage via dragon feeds website)

1300 Gigha Halibut - Halibut

1330 Lunch and voting (last four species served)

1430 Panel open forum - All presenters

1515 Billingsgate School Sustainable Seafood Award 2009

1530 Close

Download programme for 23.09.09 here

Innovation in fish farming wins Billingsgate Sustainability Award 2009

The second Celebration for Sustainable Seafood was held at Billingsgate School on Wednesday 23rd September. The audience was made up of 90 fishmongers, chefs, seafood buyers, fish merchants, fishermen, seafood industry experts and non governmental organisations such as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and the Marine Conservation Society (MCS). It is not often that such a diverse audience gathers under one roof and questions sparked by the presentations on the day lead to lively debate across the world of seafood.

This year three out of the seven species championed were farmed species and it was these species that caught the imagination of the audience when they voted for their winner of the Billingsgate School Sustainable Seafood Award 2009. The winner was rewarded for their innovation and future potential for real growth in farmed fish production, a sector that the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations estimate will deliver 50% of the fish we eat by 2010. Dragon Feeds has developed a ground breaking technique of creating a fish diet without the use of fish protein and opening the doors to see a future increase in the farmed fish produced as there is a limit to the amount of fish meal available from wild fisheries.

However, it was MSC certified line caught Atlantic mackerel that was the first species highlighted and opening the event. This presentation was a double act between hand line fisherman David Muirhead of the South West Handline Fisherman’s Association (SWHFA) and Silla Bjerrum of Feng Sushi who not only described how the fish was caught but also how to prepare the fish as Mackerel Donburi. This lightly marinated mackerel dish was served on a bed of herbed sushi rice. David demonstrated the fishing methods and fishing gear used to catch the mackerel, showing this fishing method to be highly selective and having minimal negative impact both on the marine environment and non target species. Silla described how important it was for the best sashimi that the product was in prime condition, another benefit of fish taken from small boats that land their fish on a daily basis. The presentation also showed how to clean and marinate the fish as it is prepared in her restaurants.

The second presentation was from Peter Hajipieris, the Director of Sustainability and External Affairs for Birds Eye, the number 1 frozen food company in Europe. Peter put forward the MSC Alaska Pollock as a worthy winner and explained how Birds Eye had successfully marketed sustainable fisheries. They had achieved this by launching Omega 3 fish fingers, the biggest branded food launch in the sustainability arena during the last 10 years. This successful launch convinced the UK consumer to eat pollock, a species that had previously mainly been used for lower value products such as surimi. Peter argued that this action had relieved pressure on cod (now cod stocks appeared to be recovering) and stressed that as fisheries are dynamic Birds Eye will keeps a close eye on their status. The products that were put forward for tasting were the Omega 3 fish fingers and the new Simply Alaska Pollock range.

The last presentation before the brunch service was from Ian Clements from the Colchester Oyster Fishery who have been producing and sourcing oysters since 1966. The business focuses on working with the local community and owns oyster beds in the Pyfleet Creek. The business sells 30,000 Rock Oysters and 15,000 Native Oysters. Ian described how the local fishermen were involved in the Seafish Responsible Fishing Scheme and that the fishery was at the early stages of entering into MSC assessment and potential certification. The presentation went on to tell that the oyster had come full circle and been on an interesting journey, from being considered by Queen Victoria as a dirty food, fit only for the poor to being mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare, to coming back to popularity, equal to that of Roman times. Accepted as a delicacy and consumed the world over, the oyster now has pride of place in British cuisine.

A surperb brunch was then served to the guests who took the opportunity to enjoy Mackerel Donburi, fish finger sandwiches and Simply Alaska Pollock loins served in garden herb butter sauce together with rock oysters served plain and just opened

After brunch Henriette Reinders from the South East Food Group Partnership promoted MSC Hastings Dover Sole. Henriette introduced South East Seafood as an organisation which has been established to promote South East Seafood to consumers. During the presentation Henriette promoted the excellent eating quality of the Dover Sole, which makes the fish so highly regarded as a restaurant fish which is easy to cook low in fat and high in protein. The presentation later described the Hastings fishery focusing on the sustainable nature of the fishery with small boats (under 10m) being launched off the shingle beach. All methods of fishing for Dover Sole including trawling, trammel and gill netting are now covered my the MSC certification.

Jess Sparks of Seafood Scotland then took the opportunity to champion Scottish Haddock with the support from John Buchan, skipper of the Ocean Venture, famous from the BBC Trawlerman series. Jess described haddock as the most valuable white fish fishery to Scotland having a value of £34 million annually. A recent ICES assessment reported that North Sea haddock was inside safe biological limits and at full reproductive capacity and being fished sustainably. The presentation went on to discuss what Seafood Scotland was doing to support this fishery, this included championing the Seafish Responsible Fishing Scheme, The Fishing for Litter Campaign, The Scottish Conservation Credits Scheme for haddock, on board observation programmes, CCTV and working towards MSC accreditation.

Dragon Feeds then took the stage, both Tony Smith, CEO and Cliff Gapper, Project Manager spoke enthusiastically about the innovative approach Dragon Feeds has taken towards sustainable aquaculture feeds and their salt water rainbow trout grown using this diet. Over the past three years Dragon Feeds has developed this viable alternative to fishmeal. A method of binding the appropriate amino acid to the protein has been introduced and as a result fish and invertebrates are able to more efficiently digest the required amounts of amino acid. This results in superior growth, less waste and less water pollution. Also, the introduction of farmed polychaetes into the feed has acted as a significant attractant, thus making the feed more palatable to fish and invertebrates. The second part of the presentation was a video presentation and the audience of 90 plus was totally enthralled as they were shown the process of producing and then using the feed.

The final presentation of the day was by Gigha halibut. The company is based on the Island of Gigha, where they specialise in the artisan production of sustainable Scottish Atlantic halibut. Over a period of three years they have grown their own premium halibut which is used in dishes at leading restaurants and culinary establishments across the world. All Gigha halibut are fed with a certified organic diet using 100% fish trimmings as a source of protein and organic vegetable products as a source of carbohydrate. At Gigha Halibut they produce less than 200 tonnes of fish each year – that might sound a lot, but in the fishing industry it’s a drop in the ocean. What this means is that they can keep track of standards, and ensure the welfare of the individual fish in their care and maintain the artisanal approach to food production.

Lunch was then served consisting of the last four species, including smoked salt water rainbow trout, grilled dover sole and baked haddock and halibut in a mushroom crust. Following lunch voting took place and the audience clearly had their favourite. Dragon Feeds had won the Billingsgate School Sustainable Seafood Award for 2009, which was presented by 2008 winner Mike Berthet of M&J Seafood.

After presenting the trophy to Dragon Feeds Mike Berthet, last year's winner, commented; "Dragon Feeds won by a clear margin in the end, it was a very passionate pitch by Tony and it clearly struck a chord with the audience. I am very pleased Dragon Feeds won as it is a real step forward for the industry, which has been crying out for a sustainable fish feed. It has been a fantastic day for everyone involved and a real privilege to be able to share this level of knowledge and insight on so many different species of fish. I just wish the government would contribute more and play their part."

Launch of the Good Catch Manual - September 2008

A highlight for September 2008 has been the launch of the ‘Good Catch' sustainability initiative here at the Market. This project has been put together by the Seafood Choices Alliance, Marine Conservation Society, Marine Stewardship Council and Sustain which is aimed at chefs and restaurateurs. ‘Good Catch' brings together key seafood sustainability information in one easy-to-use resource (order your copy of the excellent manual at www.goodcatch.org.uk ). Over 60 chefs and restaurateurs enjoyed the workshops and showed a clear demand from potential Billingsgate customers for responsibly sourced seafood.

order your copy of the excellent manual at www.goodcatch.org.uk

Celebrating Sustainable Seafood - Billingsgate School's Sustainable fish and shellfish award 2008

Download the presentations here and find out more about fabulous sustainable seafood: langoustine, sea bass, brown crab, Alaskan salmon, mussels, gurnard, coley.

Winner of the 2008 award Mike Berthet of M&J Seafood accepting the award from Chris Leftwich.

This well attended day offered more than 100 members of the Seafood Industry, chefs and journalists access to key players in the seafood world. Attendees listened to the speakers champion one specie each and were able to ask questions on current sustainable seafood sourcing. The audience all voted for their favourite and nominated Mike Berthet of M&J Seafood, presenting gurnard as the winner Billingsgate School Sustainable Seafood Award 2008. The focus of Mike's presentation was that the Industry should be actively promoting lesser known species like the gurnard; the aim to widen the variety of fish eaten and not wasted. A powerful punch in Mike's presentation was when an M&J fishmonger came and prepared a gurnard in front of the audience, showing it is easy when you know how!

While Mike took away the glassware he was the first to acknowledge that all the species put forward on the day were all winners and each told a story worth celebrating. The species championed by the speakers on the day included: langoustine, sea bass, brown crab, Alaskan salmon, mussels, gurnard and coley.

The day was kicked off and chaired by Chris Leftwich, Chief Inspector of Fishmongers' Company, who spoke generally about sustainability and what it may mean to different groups such as the public, fishermen, buyers, NGOs and scientists. Libby Woodhatch of Seafood Scotland came with two fishermen from Scotland in tow enthusiastically proposed langoustine, her presentation full of facts and accurate assessments. Langoustine stocks were reported as healthy, sustainable and well managed, with their value of £89m making them Scotland’s most economically important seafood. Laura Stewart of the Marine Stewardship Council chose a wonderful species and newly certified inter-tidal NESFC sea bass fishery to celebrate. This presentation illustrated how far the MSC has come in a short period with 26 fisheries currently certified and 63 in assessment. Dr. Tom Pickerell of SAGB, picked up pot caught brown crab to promote, focusing on stock size, ecosystem and global sustainability. Tom’s presentation showed that brown crab scored well against all three of these criteria. Over brunch all these three species were served cooked to perfection by the Billingsgate team. The recipes included: cooked langoustine in the shell with lemon mayonnaise dip, crab crostini, roast sea bass with rosemary, lemon and extra virgin olive oil.

Lucy Pelham Burn of New England Seafood put the spotlight on the Alaskan Salmon as a sustainable fishery and talked about fishing methods and the main species harvested. This is one of Alaska's most important industries, underpinning a traditional subsistence lifestyle in remote, rural areas. The fishery handles huge numbers of fish in a very short season. In 2004 the average annual commercial harvest was circa 157 million fish (742m lbs). Melanie Siggs of Seafood Choices Alliance chose the only farmed specie, mussels. Her amusing and focused presentation showed mussels to be the ultimate in sustainable seafood. Mussels need no external feed, they can form part of a healthy ecosystem and little or no management intervention required. Mike Mitchell from Young's rallied support for his unsung hero of the whitefish category, the coley. The latest scientific advice shows coley stocks are healthy with a 135,900 tonne EU/ Norway TAC for 2008. Mike's passion for fish and considerable breadth of knowledge across the Industry added enormous value to the day. The Billingsgate and M&J team produced a fabulous mouth watering lunch of the last four species, before the voting commenced. This included lime and mustard crusted wild Alaskan salmon, moules mariniere, coley, tomato, basil and parmesan tray bake, M&J chef's cooked roast gurnard with potato rosti.

Left to right: Tom Pickerell, Laura Stewart, Lucy Pelham Burn, Mike Berthet, Libby Woodhatch, Mike Mitchell, Melanie Siggs.

With an increased demand for sustainably sourced seafood, now is a great time to celebrate the significant work that is underway to ensure seafood is widely enjoyed and harvested with the future in mind. By promoting specific species, fishing methods and fish stocks, our aim was to raise awareness of the diversity of responsibly sourced seafood available.

Listed below is a programme of the day with organisations and speakers. To find out more about the organisations taking part in the day please click their names within the outline below. To download their presentations in an Acrobat format please click the species names.

Under a Charter of James I officials of the Company still examine all fish coming into Billingsgate Market and inspect the quality of the product sold. Fishmongers Company are one of the key founding partners of Billingsgate Seafood Training School.

Seafood Scotland is a trade organisation set up in 1999 by the main representatives of the Scottish seafood industry, to market, promote and develop responsibly caught Scottish seafood in order to maximise the value return to industry.

The MSC is an independent, global, non-profit organisation whose role is to recognise, via a certification programme, well-managed fisheries and to harness consumer preference for seafood products bearing the MSC label of approval.

The SAGB is the Shellfish industry’s trade body and their main aim is to assist and promote the development of the Industry in the United Kingdom. Shellfish farmers, groups of fishermen, commercial traders and companies, the Seafish Industry Authority and many of the Sea Fisheries Committees are members.

New England Seafood is a major supplier of fresh and frozen premium sustainable fish and seafood in the UK and one of the largest importers of fresh tuna. Our customers are: the UK’s leading supermarkets including Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose; as well as smaller retail outlets; restaurant chains; food service markets and wholesale sectors nationwide.

Seafood Choices Alliance is an international association for the issue of ocean-friendly seafood. Founded in the United States in 2001, the Alliance helps the seafood industry – from fishermen and fish farmers to distributors, wholesalers, retailers and restaurants – to make the seafood marketplace environmentally and economically sustainable.

Established in 1978 by Marion and Jeff Archer, M&J Seafood grew organically to become the UK's largest independent seafood supplier by the 1990s, and is now a member of Europe's largest foodservice business, the Brakes Group.

For over 200 years, the Young's name has been associated with great seafood. Now that heritage is combined with our global sourcing, technical, marketing and chef skills, confirming Young’s as a world class independent food company and fish specialist.