Celebrating Sustainable Seafood - 2009 to 2011

Here you can read about this project, which gives us fantastic examples of fish and shell fish sustainability that we use for our Schools Education Programme, Industry and general public training courses.

''Fishing for the Markets' - Wednesday 13th July, a day for restaurant chefs.

Sponsored by defra

This morning is an opportunity for chefs to visit Billingsgate Fish Market and find out about some great alternative fish species that are currently under utilized. Chefs will have a guided market visit followed by breakfast. After an introduction and overview of the ‘Fishing for the Markets’ project participants will get the chance to do some hands on fish preparation and taste some delicious recipes.

Reserve your place using our online course reservation form here

Registration fee is £25

Fishing for the Markets at Billingsgate Market

6:15am Chef Registration
6.30 – 7.30 Tour of the fish market
7.30 – 8.00 Tea/Coffee & Breakfast
8.00 – 8.45 Introduction to the event - Committee Room
9.00 – 10.30 Practical fish preparation class
10.30 – 12.00 Cooking class and Lunch
12.30pm Day close

Reserve your place using our online course reservation form here

What is ‘Fishing for the Markets’ about?

'Fishing for the Markets' is a defra funded research programme. It's
about finding new ways of getting more of the unfamiliar and
less-popular fish caught by English trawlers to market. Many of these
less-popular fish currently caught are thrown back into the sea
(discarded) because few people want to buy and eat them. Around 17% of
the total catch on average, is discarded for this reason. 'Fishing for
the Markets' is helping to identify solutions to getting more of these
fish to market.

fishing for the markets website here

Please contact Billingsgate Seafood School for further
information and reservation on 020 7517 3548 on via email using
info@seafoodtraining.org

 

Thursday 27th January 2011 - Celebration of Sustainable Seafood - Billingsgate School Sustainable Seafood Award 2011.

All presentations now available as pdf files click relevant species name in the agenda below to download the file.

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 all voted for their favourite and selected the Isle of Man Queenies as the winner of the Billingsgate School Sustainable Seafood Award 2011. Read the full report that will be published here shortly.

Download agenda as a pdf document here

Chairman for the event Dr. Paul Williams - Chief Executive Sea Fish Industry Authority

0800 Doors open and welcome

0830 Introduction
0900 Direct Seafoods—Meagre, presented by Laky Zervudachi (Director of Sustainability Direct Seafoods (Bidvest Group));

0930 Marine Conservation Society—Sardines, presented by David Parker (MSC Fisheries Officer);
1000 Welsh Assembly Govt. & South Wales Fisherman’s Assoc.—Spider crab, presented by Daniel Burgess (18 MB file).

1030 Brunch (first three species served)

1130 Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute - Wild Alaska Pacific Cod presented by Andrew Brown (ASMI Regional Marketing Representative;
12.00 Isle of Man Seafood Development Partnership- Isle of Man Queenies presented by Andy Read (Director of Fisheries, Dept of Environment, Food and Agriculture, Isle of Man Government) & Bill Caley (Seafood Development Partnership);

1230 Clean Seas—Yellowtail Kingfish, presented by Jemma McCowan, (Marketing Manager Europe, Clean Seas Tuna Ltd);
1300 UK discards, can we utilise fish currently wasted? Revill Nation presentation by Dr. Andy Revill (Director Revill Nation) and M&J Seafood presented by Mike Berthet (Director Fish and Seafood).

1330 Lunch and voting (last 3 species served)

1430 Panel open forum - All presenters

1515 Billingsgate School Sustainable Seafood Award 2011

1530 Close

Download agenda as a pdf document here

 

Report for Celebrating Sustainable Seafood 27.01.11

The third Celebration for Sustainable Seafood was held at Billingsgate School on Thursday 27th January 2011. The audience was made up of 100+ fishmongers, chefs, seafood buyers, fish merchants, fishermen, seafood industry experts and non governmental organisations such as the Seafood Choices Alliance and the Marine Conservation Society (MCS). It was great to have such diverse audience gathered under one roof and questions sparked by the presentations on the day lead to lively debate across the world of seafood.

This year four out of the six species championed were wild 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 2011. The winner was rewarded for their innovation and future. They provide us with a great example of how wild fisheries can recover and be managed in a sustainable way.

However, it was the farmed meagre from Veta La Palma in Spain that was the first species highlighted and opening the event. This presentation was a double act between Laky Zervudachi from Direct Seafoods and executives from Veta La Palma. Laky explained how Direct Seafoods offered this type of quality product. Veta la Palma manages to produce fish sustainably and promote the conservation of birdlife. Their concept of sustainability+ describes how they have enhanced the natural environment by re-flooding previously drained land and manage to produce 1200 tonnes of fish in a sustainable way.

The second presentation was from David Parker, Fisheries Officer for the Marine Conservation Society. David proposed the sardine as a champion specie fit for the Billingsgate School Sustainable Seafood Award. David said sardines are a tasty and a versatile fish for cuisine. They are a great sustainable option in terms of biology, capture method and supply. There are many health benefits to be gained from regular consumption of the fish. Size wise, David suggested we should choose pilchard which is the larger fish which has had time to breed and produce the next generation.

The last presentation before the brunch service was from Daniel Burgess from the Welsh Assembly Government who presented the spider crab from welsh waters. Daniel spoke of the Ministerial desire to raise the profile of welsh seafood and improve the share of the domestic market. Much of the spider crab catch is currently used as pot bait for the whelk fishery which is mainly an export market to far eastern markets. The challenges faced include a lack of public awareness, majority of catch currently exported, there currently a limited markets in Wales and a lack of infrastructure to handle and process spider crabs.

A surperb brunch was then served to the guests who took the opportunity to enjoy baked and ceviche style meagre (which is also known as Stone Bass), grilled sardines with a salsa and spider crab meat served on croustini.

After brunch Andrew Brown from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute promoted Alaska Pacific cod. Andrew put forward a compelling argument for Alaska cod. He said, “Alaska cod is sustainable and was MSC certified, strictly managed by ADFG/NMFS/NPFMC. The fish was of high quality, firm flesh, having a great visual appearance, but most importantly, it tastes great! Try some today!”

Andy Read, the Director of Fisheries, Dept of Environment, Food and Agriculture, Isle of Man Government, then took the stage to highlight the work carried out by the Isle of Man Seafood Development Partnership with the Isle of Man Queenies. Whilst Andy was delivering his presentation, chef Alastair Hamilton used a video camera and portable stove to cook up Queenies for attendees to taste. Andy put forward 10 reasons why Queenies should be chosen. He said; “we have sound, real time, management measures in place; there is a minimum 2 month spawning and settlement closed season; the stock is monitored twice a year- abundance is rising; there are no discards, and undersized queenies survive when returned to the sea; we have a large Minimum Landing Size- every queenie has spawned several times before it is landed; there is no measurable seabed impact from the light trawls used to harvest them; certain queenie beds protected from any form of fishing at all; we have a very low carbon footprint and low food miles; we maximise meat yields- queenies are only harvested when muscle and roe are at their largest; lastly they taste delicious!”

Cleanseas was the next business to present to the audience and chose Yellowtail Kingish as their sustainable specie. The company now exports to 25 countries, with fish featured on the menu of many world-renowned restaurants. Their broad portfolio of whole and fillet formats are both fresh and frozen. Jemma McCowan from Cleanseas said, “the yellowtail freezes impressively retaining texture, colour and sushi-quality. This success is based on superior quality, remarkable versatility, and a consistent year-round supply. We were the first fishing company in the southern hemisphere to be environmentally certified ISO 14001, and our current sustainability accreditation is Friend of the Sea.In 2010, Clean Seas replaced 2/3 of the fish meal used with fish meal derived from trimmings of fish used for human consumption resulting in a projected reduction of fish meal in feeds to 10%.”

The final presentation of the day was outside the ‘award competition’, but followed on from an event at Billingsgate before Christmas discussing discarded fish. Presented by by Dr. Andy Revill (Director Revill Nation) and M&J Seafood presented by Mike Berthet (Director Fish and Seafood), the presentation asked, can we utilise fish currently wasted?

Dr. Andy Revill used his science and research knowledge to explain about the ‘Fishing for Markets’ projects which focused on the 17% of discarded fish that are due to weak markets. Examples of these fish include, small gurnard, dabs, pouting, poor cod, cuttlefish and dragonets. Mike Berthet discussed the opportunities and challenges required to strengthen demand for these species. He spoke of M&J Seafood’s commitment to make this happen and that it would have to be the food service sector that would have to take a lead on this to encourage the catering trade to embrace these under utilised fish.

Lunch was then served consisting of the three four species, including delicious baked Alaska cod, wonderful pan fried and grilled Queenies and a fantastic Feng sushi recipe for the yellowtail kingfish. Following lunch voting took place and the audience clearly had their favourite. Isle of Man Seafood Development Partnership and the Isle of Man Queenies had won the Billingsgate School Sustainable Seafood Award for 2011, which was presented by Chairman, Dr. Paul Williams, Chief Executive of the Sea Fish Industry Authority.

Previous events delivered as part of our Celebration of Sustainable Seafood Project

Discards Action group - practical session: 'Making the most of the catch': at 10.00, Billingsgate Seafood School, on 14 December 2010

Hosted by Billingsgate Seafood Training School and supported by Seafood Cornwall

10.00 - 10.15 Arrival and coffee

10.15 - 10.30 Introduction
- Nathan de Rozarieux - welcome
- Adam Whittle - introduction & H&S notices
- Keri Torney, DEFRA - background to discard work

10.30 –10.40 Display of discards
- Simon Armstrong - species ID, talk about volumes, seasonality, gear types, sizes etc

10.40 - 11 Knife skills teach-in (practical)

11 - 11.30 Advanced cuts & preparation
- Local blockman to demonstrate some advanced fish trade fillets and cuts

11.30 - 12.00 4-5 teams to brainstorm ideas and prep (if possible) ready for cooking

12 - 12.30 Cooking, tasting & big group discussion on possibilities for commercial utilisation of discarded fish

12.30 -1pm For those not needing to get away – time for informal discussions over more tasting!

1pm Close

 

The Fishmongers’ Company

presents
a One Day Seminar on
“Market Opportunities for Sustainable Inshore Seafood”

at Fishmongers’ Hall, London Bridge, London EC4R 9EL on 3rd June 2010

Main talking points:
Marketing opportunities
Sustainability
Certification schemes
Government initiatives
Local initiatives

Sponsored by: Billingsgate Seafood Training School, SAGB, Defra and Sea Fish Industry Authority

Presented by respected experts in their fields the seminar will stimulate fresh thinking on the market opportunities for some of our most sustainable seafood products form around the coast of the UK.

09.30 Registration and Coffee
10.00 Introduction and Welcome
Sir Angus Stirling, Chairman of the Fish and Fisheries Committee, Fishmongers’ Company
10.05 UK Inshore Fisheries – Setting the Scene
Jerry Percy
10.20 Selling Sustainable Seafood: A Government Perspective
Marcia King and Zoe Hodgson, Defra
10.40 Should the modern chef recognise and reward provenance of seafood
Tom Aikens
11.00 Coffee Break
11.20 How to access the food service sector
Mike Berthet, M and J Seafoods
11.40 How Inshore seafood can benefit the Independent Retailer
Gary Hooper and Tim Silverthorne NFF
12.00 Can local seafood sourcing benefit the multiple retailer
Richard Luney, Marks and Spencer
12.20 How Inshore Seafood can be utilised by a seafood processor
Steve Cadwallader, Fal Fish
12.40 Panel Discussion
13.00 Lunch prepared by Steve Pini Executive Head Chef to the Fishmongers’ Company
13.45 Best Practice Sustainability Case Studies in the Regions
South-West: Nathan De Rosarieux, Seafood Cornwall
South-East: Henriette Reindeer, SEFGP
Wales: Dan Burgess, Welsh Assembly Government
14.30 Opportunities for Supplying the 2012 Olympics
Kath Dalmeny, Sustain
14.50 Restaurant Initiative for Certification of Seafood
Hannah Acaro, MSC
15.05 Panel Discussion
15.30 Tea/ Coffee
Meet the Buyer
Arranged by Julie Snowden of Seafish
16.30 Close

Cost: £35.25 to include lunch

Funding available for Fishermen to attend free of charge.

Contact: Billingsgate Seafood Training School on 020 7517 3548

 

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.