Sustainable Fish City

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In a speech on Friday 14 January 2011, Maria Damanaki European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries said [1]: "Coming to London from Brussels I was informed that London has been challenged to become the first ever Sustainable Fish City. What a challenge! The National Trust, four London Universities, the Metropolitan Police, Transport for London, the Greater London Authority, the London 2012 Olympic Games amongst others have promised to serve sustainable fish. There is a clear message here and I have received it. We need a new European Fisheries Policy and we can have it!"

Ms Damanaki said: "We need the public at large to endorse sustainability and through their concrete actions change the behaviour of industry. We owe the chefs a lot to make this happen."

The Sustainable Fish City campaign was launched on Monday 11 January 2011. Rosie Boycott, Chair of London Food [2] challenged citizens and businesses to make London the world’s first Sustainable Fish City.

London has already taken the first steps to becoming a Sustainable Fish City. In 2009, the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games committed to using only sustainable fish in catering for the Games. [3] Following the Olympic lead, the Greater London Authority announced in December it would adopt the London 2012 food standards, including a commitment to sustainable fish. This will result in sustainable fish being served to London’s police, transport workers, the fire brigade and GLA staff. [4]

To support the campaign launch, several other major London organisations promised to help London become a Sustainable Fish City by pledging to specify sustainable fish in their catering contracts and to promote sustainable fish to their customers. [5] This includes the National Trust; five top London universities (City, Goldsmiths, Greenwich, Imperial College and SOAS); the D&D group of London restaurants; Moshi Moshi; Wahaca; the Duke of Cambridge gastropub; and one of the largest caterers in the UK, Sodexo, which provides food for public and private sector organisations, including many of London’s attractions such as the HMS Belfast, the Cabinet War Rooms and the Chelsea Flower Show. [6] To protect fish stocks and marine ecosystems, these have pledged to follow the campaign’s simple advice: “Exclude the worst, promote the best and improve the rest.”

The Sustainable Fish City campaign [7] wants to hear from chefs, restaurants, caterers, food buyers, fish suppliers and citizens interested in buying fish responsibly.

For press enquiries, please contact Jon Walker, Sustainable Fish City, tel: 020 7837 1228; email: fish@sustainweb.org. See the Sustainable Fish City website at: www.sustainablefishcity.net

Notes for editors

1. Read the item on Maria Damanaki's speech on the European Commission website at: http://ec.europa.eu/unitedkingdom/press/frontpage/2011/1106_en.htm
2. In September 2004 the Mayor of London established the London Food board to lead on food matters in the capital. Rosie Boycott was appointed as Chair of London Food to help improve Londoners' access to healthy, locally produced, sustainable and affordable food. See: http://www.london.gov.uk/londonfood/
3. See the London 2012 catering commitment in their Food Vision (sustainable fish, p18): http://www.london2012.com/documents/locog-publications/food-vision.pdf
4. Rosie Boycott announced this commitment at the 2010 Responsible Procurement Awards, see: http://www.sustainweb.org/news/gla_food_procurement/
5. The Sustainable Fish City pledge (signed by these organisations) can be downloaded at: http://www.sustainweb.org/pdf/11/Sustainable_Fish_City_Pledge_1.pdf
6. The list of organisations who have signed up in advance of the public launch are: http://www.sustainweb.org/sustainablefishcity/whos_working_on_it/
7. Sustainable Fish City is run by a group of not-for-profit organisations working on sustainable seafood issues, listed at: http://www.sustainweb.org/sustainablefishcity/about/
   The group includes: Good Catch; Seafood Choices Alliance; Marine Conservation Society; Marine Stewardship Council; Pisces Responsible Fish Restaurants; Environmental Justice Foundation and Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming (which coordinates the campaign)