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Steve Stansfield |
THE first Marine Stewardship Council certified plaice is about to enter the UK market – thanks to an enterprising partnership between three Grimsby companies.
Flatfish Ltd, the Jubilee Fishing Company and Grimsby Fish Market have combined their individual talents to set up a “chain of custody “ for North Sea plaice.
The Marine Stewardship Council is the world's leading certification and ecolabelling programme for sustainable seafood, and Flatfish now plans to supply MSC certified plaice to retailers and the foodservice sector from April this year.
Certification means that the plaice can be traced back to the independent trawler company that originally caught it.
In this case the plaice is from Danish fishing boats landing directly into Grimsby Fish Market, under the Jubilee agency.
Flatfish has taken out long term contracts with Jubilee which means it is guaranteed to be the first to secure their 2012 new season plaice.
Steve Stansfield , managing director of Flatfish Ltd, said: “We are delighted to have been instrumental in securing this certificate. We have built our business on great freshness and quality as well as having been pioneers in sustainably sourced fish.
“The fish supplied through Jubilee is on consistently great quality. Being the first company to supply MSC certified plaice in the UK puts us in a great position to meet customer requirements. We continue to invest when others cut back…”
Martyn Boyers, chief executive of Grimsby Fish dock Enterprises Ltd, said: “In achieving this accreditation is reward for our staff and customers who have shown commitment to this business. Our investment in modernisation is already attracting additional supplies and this is vindication of the faith we have in the seafood industry.”
He added: “Grimsby Fish Market continues to embrace modern standards while maintaining traditional values. We have shown that working together can bring rewards and we are pleased to be able to help Flatfish, Jubilee and their customers.”
Andy Allard, managing director of Jubilee, said: “Fishing vessel operators have had a bad press at times in the past, but this is an example of modern day fishermen showing concern to reassure the housewife over sustainability. We are pleased to be associated with an initiative that takes this level of care from catch to plate.”
Toby Middleton, UK manager for MSC, congratulated the three businesses for their “pioneering work”.
“By bringing a major new MSC certified species into the UK market, they are opening opportunities for retailers, caterers and fish and chip shops across the country to offer their customers MSC certified plaice.”
Flatfish is the species specialist in seafood and has invested heavily to deal with the highly seasonal nature of plaice. The company has probably the most modern fish plant in Europe.
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