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M&J Seafood, one of Britain's main fish suppliers, is urging chefs and restaurateurs to take time to study the fish discards debate, arguing that they have an important role to play in educating the public on alternative species.
The company, which is a leading distributor to the foodservice sector, said awareness on discards was being raised on TV screens "with the fantastic backing of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and his Fish Fight campaign".
It points out that the issue will take on a new impetus next year when the 27 EU member states review the Common Fisheries Policy. How it should be done was being fiercely debated, but there was a general consensus that better measures needed to be adopted and that less (if any) fish should be thrown back into the sea.
M&J, which has 11 branches in England and Scotland including a modern processing factory in Grimsby, maintained that of all the contributing factors around discards there was one that everyone could do something about – and that was promoting alternative fish that can be easily marketed and eaten.
The company said: "Chefs have such an important role to play in this. As part of the major Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) reform, there will be a huge need to utilise species that can and should be used for human consumption.
"M&J Seafood is not waiting around for that moment to happen and is currently helping chefs to embrace species such as dab, flounder, cuttlefish, witch, megrim, pout, sand sole, and indeed, the mighty gurnard!
"For several years we have been championing these under-utilised species. In 2008, we brought the humble gurnard to the fore and it is now gracing dining tables up and down the country. Our wonderful UK chefs have designed new or adapted old recipes, and this demand means Gurnard thrown back into the sea unnecessarily has significantly reduced."
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