Supermarkets have not only been swamped by people asking for sustainably caught fish - but they have also been wrong footed by people now asking for more obscure fish like dab or pollack. The big stores are ccomplaining that if they had been forewarned then they might have been able to source a wider variety of fish to counteract the huge response from a well intentioned public!
Who's to say that if Hugh and his team had alerted the big supermarkets and tried to pre-empt the rush for alternative species they would have taken any notice prior to last week's campaign - given the reaction and responses of the biggest suppliers over the incorrect or misleading labelling of tuna products - that they would have been taken seriously?
Undoubtedly, the FishFight campaign has pushed fish into the limelight, well up the discussion boards and twitter trending tables across the UK, hopefully Europe and beyond. The industry needs to capitalise on this - but with clear intentions to preclude any knee-jerk consumer driven demands over the catching and handling of fish.
It's good to see the supermarkets wrongfooted for a change but probably bad news for Dabs and Pollack as pressure on them is bound to intensify.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that will hopefully benefit is the Albacore market as Tesco commit to only source pole and line caught Tuna.
Cornish line caught Albacore could be just what the doctor ordered to help them discharge this commitment.
A secure market has been lacking but is vital if this exciting albeit risky fishery is ever to get off the ground.
HAVE YOU GOT YOUR EARS ON TESCO MORRISONS SAINSBURY ASDA??? COS WE WILL BE AWAITING A CALL.
Kevin Bennetts Director Cornishtuna.Com Ltd