Goodfish
'Supporting sustainable inshore day fisheries to help conserve the coastal environment, plus more!'
Why is it sustainable ?
What does sustainable mean?
If something is sustainable, it means that the activity, product or development did minimal harm to the environment. In summary, if we are sustainable, it means we can meet peoples' current needs without compromising future generations to meet their own needs. So in this case you can eat fish without polluting the planet or destroying the local natural environment.
Greenpeace criteria for sustainable fisheries
Local
As the fish from the inshore fishery is local, it has not been transported far and therefore the carbon dioxide produced as a result of the engine exhaust is relatively low, so reducing a cause of global warming. This is known as a product's 'food miles' by environmental experts and campaigners.
Supporting the local economy
Your money spent locally will help to support the local businesses that will potentially spend money in your area again.
Impact on the local environment
Compared to the industrial scale offshore fishing industry, local day boats have a relatively minimal impact on the marine environment. The 'Coast Friendly' scheme that we at Goodfish are proposing, will enable consumers to select the most environmentally friendly local fish. This is under development at present. Local Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Responsible Fishing Scheme (RFS) fish offer a sound choice if you can find it. The independant article on the right explains the benefits of the local day fishery a bit further.
There are still some concerns by the Sussex Sea Fisheries Committe and conservation concerns that fixed net fishing (gill nets, trammel nets and drift nets) still have a significant bycatch (unwanted fish, crabs, occasional birds and cetaceans) that will usually be dead on retrieving the net.
As a relative impact, it is far less than the industrial scale fishing, but nevertheless needs to be addressed. A page dedicated to the inshore fishing methods will be established soon.
Problems for the inshore fishery (Paul Joy, a local fisher in a local news article) see - Link
The current quota allocations discriminate against small inshore boats - despite these smaller boats fishing in an eco-friendly way. He said: "It's ludicrous. Take our cod for example. Quota has been given to boats based in the Shetland Islands and the Outer Hebrides to fish in these waters, although they never will.
"Meanwhile Hastings' fishermen have to throw back what they catch – even though the fish is dead once it's brought aboard the boat."
Trawling by Sussex under ten metre day boats - Environmentally friendly trawlers?
Following a conversation with a local fisher from Shoreham Harbour, the following information has been posted.
Under ten metre trawling activity by boats that leave and return on the same day can be relatively environmentally friendly. Light fishing gear is necessary as engine power is limited and this damages much less of the non-target species and disturbs less of the seabed than larger beam trawlers. With nets hauled in regularly and with smaller loads of fish, much of the unwanted fish and shellfish can be returned alive. The caught fish are gutted quickly and so stay fresh longer (dead fish with guts start to decay more quickly). A key question for Goodfish might be 'what are the engine power limits suitable to ensure this type of fishing is sustainable'?
So it is suggested that this type of fishing (scale and method) should be included to be supported by the 'Coast Friendly' Scheme and a clear distinction is made between this type of fishing and beam trawling and pair trawling by boats over 10 metres long that are often out to sea for many days at a time and may well be less friendly to the coast environment.
ANY VIEWS ON THIS ARTICLE WOULD BE WELCOME
If your business uses locally caught fish, from small boats that do not beam, pair or otter trawl, then the 'Coast Friendly' Initiative may be for you! Click here to find out about the trial that you could be part of.
Part of an article writen by Carole Trewin, Food Editor of The Western Morning News
Day boats are small, independent boats that, as the name suggests, go out to sea and return the same day. This guarantees they are only catching from local waters where populations are more sustainable and, due to the small scale of their operations, means they are not overly depleting stocks of fish using industrial fishing methods. This fish is of the highest quality and is reflected in the higher market price it achieves.
This compares to the “Beamers”. These are large fishing vessels that go out to sea for 6 – 10 days at a time and catch enormous quantities of fish from a much wider geographical area. Because they fish using industrial methods, it means they can bring in fish 20 – 30% cheaper.
Yet, there are a number of major drawbacks – first of all they fish indiscriminately and while they may target large shoals of a particular species they will catch anything that comes into the nets.
Secondly, the sheer scale of the operation means that whole populations can be devastated.
Lastly, the fish they catch has to be put on ice to preserve freshness, which means by the time you buy the fish (usually in the supermarkets who enjoy the lower cost of this fishing method) it has been on ice for anything up to two weeks.
If a fish is iced for long enough it starts losing the texture of the flesh, the skin won’t crisp up and the flavour leeches out. Even if you’re not concerned about the ethics of the catch, you’ll certainly notice the difference in quality.
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