Bournemouth and Poole become the world's first Sustainable Fish City

• Bournemouth and Poole’s most iconic eating establishments, including premiership-hopefuls AFC Bournemouth commit to serve 100% sustainable fish

• Over 3.6 million meals per year will only contain sustainable fish

• 13 other UK towns and cities following suit

Bournemouth and Poole have become the world’s first Sustainable Fish City, with the majority of meals served in restaurants and catering establishments across the city area now served with a commitment to contain only sustainable fish. The Sustainable Fish City campaign aims to kick endangered and unsustainably caught fish off menus for good, and work with fish-serving businesses to help to secure a sustainable future for our fisheries and marine environment.

The Sustainable Fish Cities initiative [1] began in 2011, inspired by the commitment to serve 100% sustainable fish at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. In 2014, the Sustainable Food Cities project [2] adopted the campaign, allowing thirteen other towns and cities in its growing network to work towards Sustainable Fish City status including Belfast, Cardiff, Liverpool, Newcastle and Stockport [3].

Sarah Watson, Sustainable Food City Manager for Bournemouth and Poole:

“We are delighted that Bournemouth and Poole has been crowned the world’s first Sustainable Fish City. It has been hard work, but we have been overwhelmed by the support the campaign has received from local businesses and caterers that want to make a positive difference to the future of our oceans. This includes nearly all primary schools, leisure centres, theatres, Bournemouth Pavilion, large workplace restaurants, Bournemouth University, all major hospitals, A.F.C. Bournemouth and restaurants including the Highcliff Grill at the Marriot Hotel, Arbor at the Green House Hotel and AA double Rosette winning Cumberland Hotel and Ventana Grand Café [4].’

Ruth Westcott, co-ordinator of Sustainable Fish Cities:

“This is a truly extraordinary achievement which will have a huge impact on the local, and indeed national supply chain for fish. Already we are seeing the impact of the campaign beyond Bournemouth and Poole – Harrison Catering Services, one of the UK’s top education and workplace caterers have recently taken the Fish Cities pledge on behalf of their UK-wide operation, and a major inspiration was the pledge of their Poole-based customer, the Jordans and Ryvita Company [5]. There is no doubt that this achievement will inspire other towns and cities and we hope we this is just the first of many Sustainable Fish Cities in the UK”

Having now received pledges from the most important and iconic of out of home food providers Bournemouth and Poole Sustainable Food Partnership [6] will be celebrating this achievement with a public beach party on 21st June, and hope, in the meantime, to encourage remaining local businesses to join the campaign 

ENDS

For Further Information, please contact:

Ruth Westcott  
Tel: 0203 5596 777           
Email: ruth@sustainweb.org         
Web: www.sustainweb.org/sustainablefishcity  

 

Notes to editors

[1] The Sustainable Fish Cities campaign is run by marine conservation and food organisations working on sustainable seafood issues see: www.sustainweb.org/sustainablefishcity/about/ The group includes: the Marine Conservation Society; Marine Stewardship Council; Pisces Responsible Fish Restaurants; The Sustainable Restaurant Association; Fish2Fork; and Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming (which coordinates the campaign)

Pledgers have committed to; removing endangered and red-rated species (defined by the Marine Conservation Society), promoting the most sustainable and green rated species (again, defined by the Marine Conservation Society) and finding the best possible sources for species that one can indulge in occasionally. Larger caterers are also committed to gaining Marine Stewardship Accreditation, an eco-label which guarantees that fish come from some of the world’s most sustainable fisheries

To achieve Sustainable Fish City status, Bournemouth and Poole’s most important and iconic institutions; workplaces, schools, universities, hospitals, restaurants and private and public sector establishments have pledged, and already taken significant steps towards serving, only 100% sustainable fish – a group which together serve over 3.6 million meals per year. 

[2] The Sustainable Food Cities network is an alliance of public, private and third sector organisations using food as a vehicle for positive change. It is coordinated by Food Matters, Soil Association and Sustain, and is funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. www.sustainablefoodcities.org

[3] Sustainable fish cities campaigns are now being run in Belfast, Bournemouth and Poole, Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Durham, Hull, Lancashire, Liverpool, London, Newcastle, Plymouth and Stockport. Any town or city can now join the network, see: https://www.sustainweb.org/sustainablefishcity/

[4] A full list of the organisations involved in the campaign in Bournemouth and Poole is here: https://www.sustainweb.org/sustainablefishcity/bournemouthandpoole/

[5] News on this announcement can be found here: https://www.sustainweb.org/news/feb15_harrison_fish_pledge/

[6] Bournemouth & Poole Sustainable Food City Partnership is a partnership of local people, businesses, community groups and public sector organisations, uniting to revolutionise the way people across the city region grow, buy, cook, eat, celebrate and dispose of food, see http://www.sustainablefoodcity.org/