To mark the start of Seafood Week - running from 6-13 October - a new report published today by Waitrose highlights that the Scottish public are making a stand and demanding a halt to the fishing of endangered species or fish from declining stocks.

More than three-quarters of the population - a staggering 77 per cent - now want it stopped. However, there is still a huge amount of confusion around the issue.

Consumers in the North of Scotland are particularly pro sustainable fishing, with more than three quarters of the population (82 per cent) saying that they want fishing of endangered species or declining stocks stopped. More than a half of the same people (55 per cent) say they want it stopped, but need more help or advice on sustainable fishing and what to buy. Only one per cent - the lowest figure in the UK - say that they do not want to stop fishing of endangered species or declining stocks. More than a half of local people (55 per cent) say that they have no idea where the fish they buy comes from, i.e. whether it’s from declining fish stocks or is an endangered species – but 36 per cent of these people want more help/information so they can make a better decision.

Encouragingly, nearly one third of people – and the second highest in the UK (32 per cent) - feel they know if the fish they buy comes from waters containing declining stocks or if it is an endangered species –and nearly half (14 per cent) of these people want more help/information.

The research, conducted by independent researchers YouGov for Waitrose, highlighted that almost half of Brits (43 per cent) do not know where the fish they buy comes from, or how to tell if it is sustainable or not. The report goes on to show that shoppers believe they are in dire need of “fish education” – a whopping 77 per cent of consumers admitted they need help to make an informed decision.

It seems the public want to encourage sustainable fishing, however, they’re unclear how to do it. With £1.8 billion of fish now sold in the UK per year, fish stocks are 10 per cent of what they were 30 years ago. Yet fish has overtaken chicken as the top shoppers choice at Waitrose. As a follow on from this, Waitrose says it is introducing a series of market firsts, to educate shoppers on the importance of sustainable fishing and to empower consumers to make the right decisions when it comes to buying fish for themselves and their families.

Jeremy Ryland Langley, fish buyer for Waitrose comments:

“We really want to help our customers make informed decisions. Sustainable fishing should be high on customers’ ethical shopping list, in order to protect the fishing industry and ensure diversity of species for future generations."

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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