Once only caught for bait, squid is fast becoming the ingredient of choice for adventurous foodies and consumers keen to cook ‘responsibly’.

In a climate of rising food prices, fresh squid, which is available from supermarkets and fishmongers, is relatively inexpensive, making it the ideal dinner choice for those wanting to keep a tight hold on the purse strings.

Demand for squid has prompted Seafish to carry out research into the UK fishery – to investigate the best catching methods and understand more about its sustainability.

Over the past year, Seafish Gear Technologists have undertaken sea trips on vessels engaged in the targeted squid fishery, in both South-west England and North-east Scotland, to answer some of the key questions about squid.

As well as monitoring discards and studying the gear used, the team has been filming squid behaviour on an underwater video camera to get an idea of how they behave in the vicinity of trawls.

“The good news is that we found only a minimum amount of discarding taking place within this fishery – meaning it is mostly just squid being caught in the trawls,” says Mike Montgomerie, project co-ordinator. “This makes the catching method very sustainable for the fishery.”

Aberdeen University has also been studying the biological and environmental aspects of UK squid stocks. The research, which will be published in late 2008, plans to go some way towards producing a relevant method of stock assessment for squid in UK waters.

Head of environment at Seafish, Philip MacMullen, is confident that the future looks bright for these cephalopods.

“Consumer tastes are changing as confidence in cooking with a much wider range of seafood grows. Squid is now being fished off the coast of the UK in summer, so it is great to see people enjoying fish from local waters.

“By monitoring squid’s behavioural patterns, we can help to safeguard marine life and environment and ensure Brits continue to enjoy this tasty delicacy for years to come.”

www.fishupdate.com is published by Special Publications. Special Publications also publish FISHupdate magazine, Fish Farmer, the Fish Industry Yearbook, the Scottish Seafood Processors Federation Diary, the Fish Farmer Handbook and a range of wallplanners.

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