National caterer puts heart and sole into fish sustainability

The pledge means that diners will be offered only fish from more plentiful populations, caught using lower-impact methods, as rated by the Marine Conservation Society[2]. These include dab, coley whiting, sardine, pouting and hake landed in Plymouth; species rarely seen on menus in the UK, even though they are frequently caught by local boats and populations considered to be in good shape.

Ruth Westcott, Co-ordinator of Sustainable Fish Cities, said:
“This is a fantastic commitment and will affect the fish served in millions of meals every year. Particularly impressive is the range of species that T(n)S serve. Serving unusual, sustainably-caught species supports the whole local catch and will inspire and educate our consumers about the many delicious species caught in the UK. Well done to T(n)S catering, I hope their commitment will inspire other caterers and restaurants to follow suit.”

T(n)S Catering serves approximately 13,325 meals per day across the UK, and their pledge will help support the growing number of towns and cities that are working towards becoming Sustainable Fish Cities, by gathering pledges from local schools, care homes, higher education sites, workplaces and restaurants. This pledge will particularly help the campaign in Plymouth, which has already achieved three out of five stars and is being run by the National Marine Aquarium.

Caroline Scott Operations Manager from T(n)S Catering said:
We are delighted to have signed the Sustainable Fish Cities pledge – we have a responsibility to serve food which will ensure our customers and the environment are healthy for many generations to come, and we hope we can send a signal to the rest of the fish industry that all fish served in the UK should be sustainably sourced. T(n)S Catering already have strong commitments to sourcing locally-grown and produced food, including meat, fruit & Vegetables, dairy products  and locally baked bread. We feel by committing to this pledge that we are supporting the local fishing community in the south west.”

For more information about Sustainable Fish Cities and how to get involved, contact:
Ruth Westcott
Sustain
0203 5596 777
ruth@sustainweb.org
@FishCities

Notes

[1] The Sustainable Fish Cities Pledge commits fish-serving businesses to serve only fish which can be demonstrated as sustainable, according to the following principles:
-  Avoid the worst: Remove those rated as ‘fish to avoid’ by the Marine Conservation Society
-  Promote the best: Serve sustainably managed fish – MSC/ASC certified, organic, BAP 3* rated or GlobalGap certified, and those rated as ‘fish to eat’ by the Marine Conservation Society
- Improve the rest: Influence wider progress by supporting fishery improvement, telling supplier(s) that they only want to serve sustainable fish, and take time-bound action on any species considered ‘fish to eat occasionally’.

The campaign is organised by an alliance of not-for-profit organisations, sustainable catering advisors and marine conservation specialists. Members of the Sustainable Fish City working group include Marine Conservation Society (MCS), the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Pisces Responsible Fish Restaurants. Sustainable Fish City is coordinated by Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming, see: www.sustainweb.org/sustainablefishcity/

[2] The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is the UK’s leading charity for the protection of our seas, shores and wildlife. The voice for our seas for almost 30 years, MCS champions protection for marine wildlife, sustainable fisheries and clean seas and beaches. Their sustainability ratings to help fish buyers choose the fish to eat (rated 1) and which fish to avoid (rated 5).See their website at: http://www.mcsuk.org.