What Is #Fish24?

Jenny Jefferies explains why our fishing industry is in crisis – and what we can do about it. It starts with #Fish24… and is as easy as cooking a piece of fish, going to the seaside, enjoying a seafood starter at your favourite restaurant, sharing your favourite seafood recipe or heading to your local fishmonger, and then sharing it on social media today, 14 May.

How Bad Is The Problem?

To understand why #Fish24 matters, we need to understand just how much the UK’s fishing and seafood industry has declined. It is estimated that approximately 80 percent of UK domestic landings are exported – equally, in a bizarre turn, approximately 80 percent of fish and seafood is imported. So we’re not eating what we produce and we’re not producing what we eat. Meanwhile, ‘The Big Five’ species (cod, haddock, tuna, salmon and prawns) account for 60-80 percent of all fish consumption in the UK. To say that us Brits do not consume enough locally caught fish and seafood is not an understatement.

The number of fishermen has nearly halved over the last 30 years, from 20,000 in 1995 to now just over 10,000.  The number of UK fishing vessels has also decreased by roughly 14 percent over the last decade, which translates to about 900 fewer boats. The long-term decline in the UK fishing workforce is associated with these fewer vessels, a move towards larger boats that require less crew, and policies aiming to protect fish stocks.

Ignore The Press: There Is Such A Thing As Sustainable Seafood

Despite what the mainstream media and some sensational propaganda might tell us, there is such a thing as sustainable fish and seafood, especially here in the UK. When we talk about sustainability, we’re also talking about the sustainability of our fishing communities, as well as the sustainability of our fishing and seafood industry and of course the produce itself.

We are after all an island nation. With over 19,000 miles of bountiful coastline, 11,000 fishermen and around 950 independent fish shops, market traders and fishmongers, the British fishing industry brings in over a value of £1bn to the UK economy.

Fish and seafood also enjoy many benefits to our health and culture too. Seafood is high in protein, vitamins and minerals, and is rich in omega-3 fats. There are plenty of low carbon footprint seafood options – both wild-capture and farmed fish can be highly sustainable and regenerative, and buying responsibly sourced seafood in the UK is easier than you may think.

Both regionality and seasonality are very important factors to consider when choosing what fish and seafood to buy and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Seafood Guide is a reliable source of what is indeed sustainable and what isn’t. With spring in all its glory, we should be indulging in under-used species such as haddock, hake, dover sole, whelks and mussels.

What Exactly Is #Fish24?

It is vital to support our British fishermen and women now more than ever before. So, inspired from the annual social media celebration #farm24 in collaboration with Farmers Guardian, which celebrates the British agriculture industry, I was eager to celebrate the British fishing and seafood industry in a similar way. Having secured the collaboration with weekly industry publication Fishing News, and with Mike Warner, chairman of the Seafood Association of Great Britain, #Fish24 was born out of a shared love for British food provenance and a deep desire to highlight and celebrate not just the British fish and seafood industry, but also the local fishing and seafood communities all over the country.

For 24 hours – starting at 5am on Thursday 14th May – social media across many platforms including Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, and LinkedIn will be awash with unique, entertaining and informed stories within the UK’s fishing and seafood sector.

Please join in – by posting your own stories on social media and using the #Fish24. Here are some story ideas (some more off-the-wall than others) to spark inspiration:

• Buy something from your local fishmonger
• Cook up a fishy dish
• Enjoy some fish or seafood at your favourite restaurant
• If you’re a chef, take a pic of a seafood dish you’re making
• Chat to a fishmonger setting up for the day
• Head to the seaside
• Wave to a fisherman, heading out to sea or returning
• Share your favourite fish or seafood recipe
• Make a video showing how to prep a sea bass
• Head to a fish market

UK fishing individuals and businesses work hard all year round to ensure that the seafood on our plates is environmentally, ethically and economically sustainable. This is now an opportunity for us all to come together, to give thanks, and to find out how so many different people help put British fish and seafood on our tables.

Follow @fish24campaign and visit fish24.org.uk