Charlotte Jarman, Ethical Eats

Charlotte Jarman is project officer for Ethical Eats - an initiative run by London Food Link, the network for people and organisations in London interested in ethical and sustainable food.

Ethical Eats is an informal network of chefs, restaurateurs and caterers interested in sustainability. Through the network, businesses can share experiences, promote good practice and identify practical steps that they can take to become more sustainable. Ethical Eats organises several meetings a year to tackle slippery issues such as sustainable fish, animal welfare, energy use and waste. It also runs ‘meet the producer’ events and visits to local farms. 

Here, Charlotte talks about what motivates her to work on sustainable fish. She says she first got involved "after reading a series of frightening stories in the media about the plight of our fish stocks".

Why do you think sustainable fish is important?

Fish and seafood can be fantastic, healthy, delicious food - but we have not been looking after this precious resource. As fishing vessels have become more technologically advanced, we have developed the ability to scoop vast quantities of fish out of the ocean - and this we have done, often with no thought for the fragile marine ecosystems that we are disrupting.

As a result, several major fisheries have been brought close to collapse. The Grand Banks cod fishery in Newfoundland, which collapsed in the early 1990s and has never recovered, stands as a stark warning of the ecological and social disaster that we face if we continue to plunder the oceans at an unsustainable rate. Note that the disaster will be social as well as environmental: millions of people worldwide depend on the fishing industry for their livelihoods, and in poor countries fish is a vital source of protein for coastal communities.

As catches of wild fish have started to decline, while demand climbs ever upwards, fish farming or aquaculture has emerged as a potential solution to the problems of overfishing. However, as much aquaculture relies on wild fish stocks for feed (many of the commonly farmed species such as salmon and sea bass are carnivorous) and for brood stock (baby fish or prawns or whatever to restock the ponds), it can have a direct impact on populations of wild fish. Aquaculture has also, in many instances, been practised in an environmentally or socially damaging way, causing problems of pollution, disease, and displacement of coastal communities.

There is hope! Organisations like the Marine Stewardship Council and the Marine Conservation Society are working to show that it is possible to harvest the ocean's bounty in a responsible and sustainable way. As shoppers, restaurant customers and citizens, we need to show that we only want to eat fish that has been caught or farmed sustainably.

What have you done to support sustainable fish?

Through my work at Sustain, I helped to establish the Good Catch initiative, which helps restaurants and caterers to serve and promote more sustainable fish and seafood. Good Catch is a joint initiative of Sustain and three marine conservation organisations: the Marine Conservation Society, the Marine Stewardship Council and Seafood Choices. We run workshops for people working in the catering industry, promote fishers and suppliers of sustainable fish, and provide information about the issues on our website and in various publications.

What advice would you give to encourage someone to buy or serve sustainable fish?

The advice I would give to a chef or restaurateur is to get in touch with Ethical Eats and Good Catch for help. Sustainable fish can be a tricky topic - but you don't have to work it all out by yourself. As a first step, have a look at the Good Catch website and explore Good Catch: The Essentials.

For individuals, I would say: Start with the Marine Conservation Society's lists of fish to eat and fish to avoid, which you can find here: http://www.fishonline.org/. Talk to your fishmonger, and ask questions in restaurants - the more buyers know that this is an issue that people care about, the better.

What would you say to a food business that hasn't yet acted upon the issue of sustainable fish?

"This issue isn't going to go away - at least, not until we all pull together and do something about it. Consumers are becoming more and more aware of the issues around sustainable fish, and will reward companies that they see to be acting responsibly.

For more information about the work of Ethical Eats, supporting restaurants and caterers, visit: www.ethicaleats.org

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  Allegra McEvedy MBE, chef, writer and presenter
  "To stand by and do nothing, say nothing as we slowly drain the oceans of their livestock is to make one complicit, and that's just not a position with which I was comfortable."

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  Caroline Bennett, Moshi Moshi
  "I am determined to do something about the way we fished the seas. We know the problems, we don’t even need any additional information to know how to fix them: we just have to get on and do it. No excuses."

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  Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Fish Fight
  “I have been travelling around the UK meeting fishermen, marine conservationists, politicians, supermarkets bosses, and of course fish-eating members of the public. It has changed the way I think about fish.”

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  Raymond Blanc OBE, Chef Patron, Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons
  “Good ethics should be part of everyday business. Many restaurants and caterers in this are helping to protect our precious marine resources. They should get rightful recognition and inspire others to do the same.”

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  Rosie Boycott, London Food Board
  "Taking a sustainable approach to fish is critical to the food security of our city. It is shocking to think that within our lifetimes, we could lose some of our favourite species from the seas forever."

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  Silla Bjerrum, Feng Sushi
  "Ensuring the future supply of fish is very important. Eating fish can be a component of a healthy lifestyle. Future generations rely on us to pass on healthy seas and maintain biodiversity."

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  Tim Hughes, Caprice Holdings
  "It’s our duty to impart our knowledge to a wider audience, so everybody realises how important it is to cherish our fish stocks. I will continue to champion lesser-known species in plentiful and sustainable supply."