Chefs and restaurateurs have a key role to play in ensuring the future of sustainable fish stocks in British coastal waters.

That was the main message from a meeting of more than 30 top chefs and restaurant owners from Devon and Cornwall, fishermen, fish merchants and processors, at Rick Stein's Padstow Seafood School in Cornwall last week.

The event was organised by Invest in Fish South West - a £1.6m three-year project which is looking at the best way to secure sustainable wild fisheries and ensure that quality fish remains available.

"I am very much in favour of anything that helps to make sure we can maintain sustainable supplies of good British, or in my case Cornish, fish," Stein said. "This is a serious organisation designed to help the long-term sustainability of fish and it should be supported."

Caroline Bennett, managing director of Moshi Moshi, sits on the steering group for Invest in Fish, which is funded by the European Union, public and private funds. "Restaurants are a key part in communicating to our customers and if we want sustainable fish stocks for the future and a fishing industry to supply us, then this is something we can do to support it," she said.

"When we buy fish in my restaurant we don't know how it was caught, or when or where it was caught. It is our collective responsibility to help consumers make informed choices about the type of fish they eat and where it is from."

Leading chefs in the South-west, including Stein, Michael Caines and Tina Bricknell-Webb, admit that they have a head-start over chefs elsewhere, particularly in London, metropolitan centres and non-coastal locations. Many of them already deal direct with local fishermen, fish merchants and auctioneers, and promote fish caught by sustainable methods, such as hand-line caught bass or mackerel, on their menus.

Invest in Fish acting project director Spike Searle said that the project - which has gained support from all elements of the fish sector from fishermen to environmentalists, caterers and retailers - saw chefs as a key element in communicating the sustainable fish stocks message.

The three-year project is developing a strategy that will present sustainable solutions to managing fish stocks, ensuring a viable future for fishing communities in the South-west and for informing future fisheries policies.

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 11 November 2004