Hmmm. Well today I discovered that fishmongers shut shop early. So my trip to Bells in Carlisle was not overly successful, although apparently the guy (Mr Bell?) starts at 4am so I (who got up at 9am) can hardly blame him. Plus I should really have checked opening hours before embarking on my mission. Anyway I digress... I did manage to speak to a very helpful fishmonger by the name of Mark at The Fish Cellar in Penrith's Devonshire Arcade. The Fish Cellar supports Hugh's Fish Fight which is great, good on them, and they sell shrimp from Silloth and, when in season, salmon from Solway. I think I am right in saying that they would sell more locally-landed fish if it were feasible, but there are problems with continuity of supply because of the small amounts being landed. The Fish Cellar would be open to a local fisherman who approached them, but in general but there doesn't seem to be much of a link between the fisherman and the fishmonger.
On my way home from a cup of tea with my Grandpa (who sent me packing with a bottle of Pinot Grigio, don't mind if I do, thanks Grandpa) I nipped into Morrison's in Kendal for my weekly purchase of food for one, and had a chat with the man at the fish counter. Now, I have been lead to believe that there are healthy stocks of plaice and dab in the Cumbrian Irish Sea, but the counter contained plaice and dab from the north east Atlantic. According to Mr Morrisons, in repetition of Mark at The Fish Cellar, the Cumbrian fishermen just don't catch enough.
So what's going on? Is it the case that the fishermen are not landing larger numbers and a wider range of fish because there is no market for it so they catch under quota for some species and discard others? If this is the case then would an increased market for locally-landed fish allow them to land more of their catch (within quota limits), saving the waste of some fish and an increased catch for the same fishing hours?
Or are we already catching what we can and it simply is not enough to supply Cumbria's food outlets?
While I work on this, one of life's great questions, let's pile the pressure on our MPs to pursue the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy with vigour! Lobby your MP via this link: http://www.fishfight.net/blog/fish-fight-debate-in-house-of-commons/
Follow my progress as I delve deep into seafood in Cumbria. What fish and shellfish species are caught off the Cumbrian coast? Where do they end up? What is available for us to buy in shops across Cumbria? How can we support our fishing industry and local businesses? And what about the marine environment? Join me as I try to get Cumbrians eating local, responsibly-sourced seafood...
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