By Jenny Jefferies 

80% of our fish is exported; as islanders, we don’t eat enough sustainable fish and seafood. We enjoy such a rich and versatile coast line, but our knowledge of what’s on our doorstep is extremely limited. The big retailers may be able to play a role in commercialising UK-caught seafood only after adequate processing infrastructure has been put in place, and consumers have started actively looking for local species, which should be inspired by local shops and fishmongers.



One of the key challenges for UK-caught seafood is that supply cannot be consistent, both in terms of species and of volume. So first and foremost, it is key to educate consumers about the seasonality and regionality of different species, so that the diversity and lack of consistency are appreciated, rather than seen as a hurdle.

A rather delicate and controversial subject is the slow demise of our small boat fishermen. A combination of the Covid pandemic and Brexit is entirely to blame. There are approximately 70 pieces of paper work that have to be completed for exporting shellfish to mainland Europe, who used to be our biggest customer. Due to the time it takes to process all the paperwork, which ought to be all digitised by now, the waiting shellfish rots in vans waiting to be transported. Everyone doesn’t understand everything and there’s a lot of grey area.

The good thing is that there is a lot of regulation. It makes the producer safer to eat and with greater confidence. There’s a serial number for each and every batch of shellfish which has to be properly labelled.

The quality and the grading of the fish is checked periodically as the shellfish is sold alive which is the reason why it is highly regulated and traceable. This is super for the reputation of the seafood supplier. However, the problem is with the lack of administration and technology to enable this process to be suitably speedy and accurate, Shellfish is highly perishable and there’s not a lot of wiggle room.

A small fishing company in Devon has recently reported that their fuel costs have risen from £150,000 per year to £800,000 per year. With the rise of fuel, companies, including many British fishermen are finding it far less viable to maintain their livelihoods. Especially also, with the loss of the local restaurant trade due to Covid, fishermen are stuck with a perishable product. 

Larger companies have been preserving versions of their produce for a long time, however, small companies are now beginning to discover the option of smoking and preserving fish which may become a very small silver lining. Like preserved fish products in the USA and Portugal, the last few years have presented this as an option that has certainly increased in provenance and value.

However, as an island nation, we need to eat more sustainable fish and seafood. Education and accurate information is always so important and with the current, modern epidemic of mass miss-information, as a nation, we really need to support our British fishing industry now more than ever. 

The provenance of our food is of the upmost importance and crucial to the education of our children. Simply knowing where our food comes from lends each and everyone of us a deeper understanding of the world, nature and the circle of life.

Whether or not you live in the town or in the country, coast or inland, as consumers, we don’t just need to start asking questions about where our food comes from, but we need to ask good questions. Consumers want to know where their food comes from and love a good story. It’s up to all of us to help share them in an accessible, informative and entertaining way, and thus, counteract the negative, false, and damaging celebrity bandwagons and ill-informed noise that can so often take higher precedence than scientific fact and the truth. 

There is such a thing as sustainable fishing, and without these formidable people within the British fishing community, there would simply be no fish and seafood in our surrounding seas. Here are a few of them who kindly share with Rural Life magazine the knowledge and passion for what they do. 

Gabby Mason, Co-Founder of Jade-S Fisheries 

“Jersey fishing boats are few in number and still today are owned and run by the skipper rather than large corporate companies. This means that the Jersey fishermen are connected to their waters and it’s produce in such an intrinsic and natural way. They catch what they need to survive. Our vessels are small (almost all are under 10m) and due to this small size, and our uniquely large tides coupled with the weather, days fishing are naturally limited. Small scale fisheries still exist like that in Jersey and they are and can be sustainable. 

By supporting your local fisherman youre not only supporting part of your local economy youre keeping small scale fisheries in business and reducing the reliance on large mass-scale international fisheries which are dominantly engaged in less sustainable methods. Eating what’s local to your waters can make all the difference to those boats creating a market for products perhaps less popular and reducing reliance on ‘fashion-fish’.

Fishing can be sustainable but support must be given to these vessels in order for them to continue fishing, before the small scale and sustainable fisheries are gone We love everything about Jersey seafood and the Jersey fishing community, from the people to the variety of catch and its exceptional sustainability. We hope that we can help shape an industry which continues to survive but also strives for a future for the next generation.”

Khatiche and Rebekah Larcombe of Sista Shuck 

“Over the last twenty years, multiple regulations have been imposed with the aim to protect stocks and biodiversity in our waters. Seabass, for example, is not landed between January and April as this is their spawning season. There are strict rules around minimum catch size and all fishing boats must keep meticulous records.

 However, there is so much that needs to change. Huge demersal trawlers, boats that fish by dragging a huge net across the seafloor, have a devastating impact. Massive, international boats fish just outside of the 12 mile coastal area, making it very difficult for the smaller, often family-owned day boats. 

The UK has some of the best ocean produce in the world, and we’re passionate about championing the myriad fisherfolk and producers that supply it. Lately, we’ve been focusing on bivalves due to their amazing health benefits and unrivalled sustainability; we believe they are the food of the future and we should all be eating more of them. Having recently set up our own oyster shucking business, Sista Shuck!, our aim is to provide affordable luxury and highlight their miraculous health and environmental benefits to as many people and as sustainably as possible.”

@jennyljefferies - www.jennyjefferies.co.uk