Indieoma

In January 2009 the “End of the Line” documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Based on the book of the same name, it invites us to “imagine a world without fish” by showing how over-fishing is changing the world and what we eat and pointing out how close species such as bluefin tuna are to extinction.

Although the film was initially slow to gain traction – possibly due to the budget constraints it faced as an independently-made, not for profit exercise – since its UK premier in June 2009, interest in the subject has snowballed and carefully targeted screenings have seen many influential restaurants remove bluefin tuna from their menus with immediate effect. Two weeks ago, the film was screened on More4 exposing it to its biggest audience yet. You can watch it here.

Even when confronted by the harrowing statistics, not all restaurants agreed to withdraw blufin tuna from their menus. Upmarket sushi chain, Nobu, has faced waves of bad publicity throughout the summer firstly after denying that it served bluefin (DNA tests exposed this as a lie) and then when it refused to stop. A high profile, celebrity-aided boycott followed, eventually the restaurant made the rather feeble gesture of placing a warning on its menu informing customers that the fish is “environmentally challenged”.

Nobu hit the headlines again in August when undercover footage (see below) showed staff deliberately misleading customers, by assuring them that everything sold was from a sustainable source, including the bluefin. Incredibly, customers were also told that Nobu had put asterisks next to “any dishes that may contain bluefin” because they were working “in conjunction with Greenpeace.”





Other sushi establishments such as YO! Sushi, Moshi Moshi and Feng Sushi have been quick to point out that they do not, or have never served bluefin tuna, instead favouring the more abundant (and usually line-fished) yellowfin.

But whose responsibility is it to support the case for responsibly sourced fish? Fishermen, governments, consumers, shops, suppliers, restaurateurs or chefs?

Since the sea is essentially an enormous area of common-land, the argument runs that it is “everyone’s” responsibility to look after it. Many fish and shellfish are already sustainably produced and whether you are a supplier, a producer or a consumer we all have the power to vote with our wallets (sustainably sourced fish doesn’t even need to be more expensive) all that is needed is the will.

For the last five years, Moshi Moshi has spearheaded the “Invest in Fish Campaign” which aims to change the way we catch and eat fish to protect fish stocks and work with fisherman to develop more sustainable techniques (such as those which limit bycatch).

While Nobu refuses to remove bluefin tuna from menus on the grounds that; “the consumption of this fish is a cultural institution in Japan”, Caroline Bennett, Moshi Moshi MD, simply believes that the attitudes of consumers need to change and restaurateurs should play a part in this: “We should not be hiding behind the ‘this is what the consumer wants’ excuse anymore. We should be bold!”

“Customers should expect and be open to, frequently changing menus depending on seasonality (to allow spawning) and availability. If a sustainable species like wrasse is available instead of bass we should buy it and use it; fishermen will fish for whatever there is demand for. If you ask for 10kg of cod they will fish until they get it, if you ask for 10kg of ‘whatever you catch’ it’s much better.”

Mike Berthet, Purchasing Director, M&J Seafood Suppliers, believes that sustainable sourcing of fish needs to be part of an ongoing effort and that suppliers should take a tough line: “If the chef is the gatekeeper, then we are the locksmiths. If we refuse to supply species that are unsustainable or under threat they will be unable to use them”.

He also believes that while maximum effort should be made to limit bycatch, with any form of large scale fishing some bycatch is inevitable. However, rather than it being thrown back dead we should be working towards making it profitable. He explains; “Fishing quotas mean that fishermen often have to fish more in order to get their quotas of the right type of fish. If they were able to get a decent price for their bycatch they could actually fish less. For example; we have succeeded in putting gurnard on restaurant menus whereas before it would have either been thrown back dead or made into fishmeal etc. It was worthless as a commercial fish.”

Last month the End Of The Line team launched the UK’s first ever online seafood restaurant guide; www.Fish2fork.com. The site provides a platform on which restaurants can be rated on their menus and their fish sourcing policies. Consumers are encouraged to make their own contributions by asking questions about the fish they are offered when they dine out. They can then upload their own review and sustainability rating based on the answers.

Next time you eat out, ask where the fish was caught and how it was caught, if the restaurant can’t answer, or if it is unsustainable, try something else. Needless to say, stay away from Nobu. Vote with your wallet.

More Info:

Fish 2 Fork

Marine Stewardship Council

Background on Newfoundland Cod Stocks Collapse

End Of The Line Film Site

S.A.I.F

Invest In Fish


Links to the other Voting with Your Wallet posts:

Farryl – Sustaining Fair Trade

Mike – Think, create share, consume, share, create: Liberalise creative freedom. Free Liberalism.

Ric – The Credit Crunch

Gala – Italian Cultural Finance [Italian and English]

Karim – Brandon Holding Hands With Everyone

Open Ideas – Truth Machine- Free Stonhenge