At our “Blue Foods: Putting Fishing on the Food Agenda” event on 28 November 2023, we heard from a variety of speakers examining seafood as a solution to the economic, environmental and societal challenges posed by food production.
Attendees heard from:
Stefán Jón Hafstein - Special Envoy for Ocean Affairs - Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Iceland
Mike Cohen - Chief Executive - NFFO
Melanie Siggs - Director of Strategic Engagements - Global Seafood Alliance
Louise Davies - Founder - Food Teachers Centre
A full recording of the online event can be found here:
Following the presentations, Parliamentarians and attendees put their questions to the panel. Written summaries of all questions and answers are provided below. Please note that these answers reflect the views of the panellists, rather than the APPG Secretariat or its Members.
QUESTIONS FROM MPS
How will Iceland get to 100% fish utilisation and how could the UK achieve the same? (Daniel Zeichner MP)
Stefán Jón Hafstein noted that one third of food is wasted and it is a major step for the environment if this level of waste can be eliminated. He mentioned that although Iceland is not yet at 100% fish utilisation, it is aiming for it as a goal in the near future. For example, a company in Iceland that specialises in repurposing fish skin as wound dressings recently sold for a significant sum of money. He went on to say that Iceland has been sharing its knowledge and experience on full utilisation, which has been transferable to highly industrialised countries like the UK but more difficult to apply to less developed nations such as those on the African subcontinent. He highlighted that the issues facing these nations can be addressed, and he is already involved in work in creating new industrial facilities at landing sites at Lake Victoria in East Africa.
Melanie Siggs added that her organisation, the Global Seafood Alliance, is supporting a project in Namibia which is aiming for 100% utilisation of fish in their food system, with Iceland acting as a consultant.
What can the government do to change seafood consumption habits? Through public procurement, for example? (Daniel Zeichner MP)
Mike Cohen highlighted that there is an opportunity to ‘demystify’ seafood. He stated that barriers to seafood consumption are often linked to its preparation and that there are already good projects working to take the ‘worry’ out of fish preparation for the general public. He recalled how British taste in seafood has seen little change for many years, but change can happen in the future. He offered hake as an example, which has become more popular in recent years following concerted efforts to promote this fish as an alternative to less-sustainable seafood options.
Cohen also emphasised that there are challenges surrounding the promotion and affordability of seafood. He highlighted that meeting safety regulations, fisheries management legislation, and providing a living wage all drive the price of production for good quality fish in the UK. Seafood imported into the UK is mostly from Russian and Chinese catches, which often do not meet the same working standards as the UK. He stated that fresh, local, low-carbon food can cost more, but with a more informed approach to the promotion of seafood. He concluded by adding that alongside this, we can support the public to make informed purchasing decisions. and understand the socio-economic and environmental benefits of purchasing local UK seafood.
Questions from other attendees
What are the opportunities for co-location of fisheries and aquaculture with other marine users and infrastructure? For example, can UK fisheries co-locate with offshore wind infrastructure given the recent expansion of this industry and the Government's commitment to provide 50GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030?
Melanie Siggs stated that some incredible government-funded research is underway to explore this very question, and that the initial findings are favourable. Changes to the ways of working in these sectors can be hard to adopt and may require operational changes across these industries. She suggested that offshore wind farms can act as ‘mini’ Marine Protected Areas and highlighted that there are opportunities to use the infrastructure and vessels that service offshore wind farms to support other marine industries.
Mike Cohen said that he has been involved in discussions around this prospect for years, but very little progress has been made on the fisheries aspect of this question, though there is certainly potential. He stated that there are concerns around the lack of knowledge on the wider ecological effects of offshore wind farms and their impact on the UK fishing industry. For example, the aggregation of pollock around such structures leads to a shift in the location and movement of this commercial fish stock.
Additionally, he stated that it is difficult for vessels to navigate around offshore wind infrastructure, especially floating platforms. This is a significant challenge for fishers in such areas, making co-location difficult. He promoted a marine management approach that enables different industries to co-exist in the most efficient way possible, rather than an explicit focus on co-location.
Salmon farming involves utilising wild-caught fish as feed, which can be identified as a ‘wasteful’ link in the supply chain. Considering food waste in the broader context of our choice in farmed species, should the aquaculture industry step away from the farming of carnivorous species and farm lower trophic species or more sustainable alternatives instead?
Melanie Siggs stated that she would first query the definition of waste. Waste is typically defined as something that happens post-harvest in the supply chain. She considered if the question suggested that taking fish as a food stock for other fish is a wasteful use of what could possibly be a foodstock fish. She then highlighted that, if this is the case, this is different to the definition of waste considered in her presentation. She noted that there is discussion on this topic in the aquaculture sector and some companies have changed their approach to developing aquafeed to reduce the quantity of forage fish required in the aquaculture process. She stated that there are critical nutrients required in aquafeed for both the farmed fish and to consumers of said fish, so there will be limits on how much recipes can be flexed. She concluded her answer by highlighting that without aquafeed demand there would be little market for forage fisheries, and this demand creates value for these economically important fisheries.
Stefán Jón Hafstein added that there is increasing concern about proper accounting of food, including the energy, carbon emissions and feed sourcing involved in its production. He felt that this cost accounting will be a key method for understanding the species that are most suited to farm in terms of the environment.
There seems to be fewer locations in Scotland for the Mighty Mussels 2023 Teaching Sessions. Why is this, and are there plans to engage more schools in this region, especially considering the large role Scotland plays in supplying seafood to the UK?
Louise Davies said that the programme has taken a phased approach to delivering sessions to different regions across the UK, and discussions around extending the work to Scotland are underway.
Does the panel have any views on the introduction of legislation that holds imported seafood to the same safety, hygiene, employment and sustainability rules that apply to UK fishermen?
Mike Cohen stated that this comes back to cost and UK consumer preference for cheaper food. He mentioned that levelling the playing field for imported seafood could equalise prices in the UK markets. Mentioning that standards need to be maintained in seafood, he also highlighted how equity and social justice in the sector also needs to be prioritised.
Stefán Jón Hafstein added that the health and social conditions of fishers and workers catching and producing seafood should be factored into the true cost of supplying seafood to the public, and that it is vital that producers are held to account over the wellbeing of workers across their respective supply chains.
Melanie Siggs stated that the UK leads the world in this area, and that the UK’s retailers have very good sourcing policies, making high demands on how the seafood they stock is sourced. She congratulated the UK market, but acknowledged it can be difficult to always achieve that level of assurance.
Do the public ever express concerns regarding water quality when consuming fish and shellfish?
Melanie Siggs acknowledged challenges relating to water quality from mussel farmers but noted she does not personally have direct contact with the wider public or markets to gain insight into these concerns. She mentioned how classification of our waters in the European context has caused legislative issues at the export level. She brought attention to the ongoing concern about the UK’s ability to demonstrate how safe UK mussels are, and that further work is required across UK Government departments to address this.
Mike Cohen stated that fishers are concerned about anything that affects the health of the marine environment but that at present fishers have not been reporting adverse effects of pollution to the NFFO. He acknowledged that this issue is likely to be more of an issue for inshore shellfish fishers.
Daniel Zeichner MP added that he has heard from shellfish fishers in the West Mersey that sewage outflows often restrict where they can fish.
Sheryll Murray MP also added that fishers in Cornwall have been very concerned, since the 1990s, about looking after the marine environment. She mentioned that large commercial vessels will sometimes dump their waste at sea and it will enter shallower waters, ending up in trawler’s nets, compromising their catches.
In the Fish in Schools Heroes Programme, do you cover topics related to animal welfare concerns and different production methods, particularly focusing on the differences between higher and lower welfare production methods?
Louise Davies replied stating that for 14-16 year olds national exam papers include fishing, ecolabelling and quality marks like MSC. She said that this reflects the emphasis on practical cooking as well as understanding considerations for animal welfare in this age group.
Is food security as much about ensuring overseas stock sustainability as it is about seafood in the UK?
Mike Cohen said that he agreed that the dialogue and understanding around food security has changed over the years, and that more awareness is needed for global stock sustainability. He mentioned how management has changed over time but that doesn’t change the fact that UK caught seafood could go into the UK market a lot more. Mentioning that overseas sustainability is only in our reach due to our involvement in shared stock management. He also said that it is important to ensure that the norms of sustainable management are maintained wherever we as a nation have the ability to influence that. He added that a major consideration for the future is the prospect of new fish moving into UK water due to climate change, concluding this point by stating the need to ensure the UK maintains its productive capacity.
Whose responsibility is it to engage the wider public in fishing and seafood?
Sheryll Murray MP said that Seafish and Seafish Scotland are levied by the industry to carry out the marketing of catches, and highlight the safety element of fishing.
Stefán Jón Hafstein mentioned that in Iceland that everyone, including health and school authorities, engage the public in fishing and seafood on both the national and international level. He also added that the London School of Hygiene has been instrumental in developing nutritional guidelines on seafood, which will launch at COP28.
Mike Cohen concurred with Sheryll regarding Seafish and its role in engaging the public with fishing and seafood. He added that it is hard for the industry to individually engage the public, and that there is a need for collective engagement wherever they can.
Melanie Siggs mentioned that the government has a role in creating a step change in regards to public engagement around fishing. She used public production as an example, stating that you could require those setting procurement guidelines to recommend individuals consume seafood multiple times a week.
Louise Davies agreed with Stefán, saying that different actors need to come together to drive engagement.