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Fish: save the planet or save a penny?

food-certification-marine-stewardship-council-logoLast week at Lidl, I noticed two almost identical packets of fish fingers sitting side by side in the freezer. One was priced around €2.15, the other closer to €3.

Identical in taste, the main difference lay in the origins of the fish. The more expensive option was certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, meaning you can eat it without the guilt of contributing to the terminal decline of our fish species and all the disastrous knock-on effects that their extinction would have for ocean (and ultimately terrestrial) life. The other packet? Down with ocean life.

Shamefully, I sailed past them both and went for the unsustainably sourced, more expensive, but healthier Omega-3 fish fingers in another supermarket (Conor Pope reviews fish fingers in today’s Pricewatch).

Later that day, at the end of RTE Radio One’s Drivetime programme, an expert came on the show imploring us to buy fish marked with the Marine Stewardship Council’s stamp of approval, and to ask our fishmonger if the fish is sustainably sourced. The latter is something I’ve only recently – and gingerly – started to ask.

M&S are moving towards sustainability with their fish, but other supermarkets and fishmongers still have some way to go. Is sustainability an issue for you when you buy fish, or are you more likely to go for the cheaper option?

8 Comments

  1. I’m really interested in this. I don’t eat meat, and am trying to be more organic, so I’d like to do my best when it comes to fish. I don’t buy cod anymore but I eat a LOT of tuna. No idea where it comes from though.

  2. I’ve only recently begun looking into sustainability but yes, it is now influencing my purchasing decisions. I haven’t seen a huge difference in price between the sustainably caught fish and other fish however I think that paying a little bit extra is nothing when paired with the knowledge that there might still be fish in the seas and oceans in the future because of decisions I make today.

  3. I am concerned with both. I only buy free range chicken, but if I can’t get it on sale or at a reduced price I simply do without. The same goes for fish. Seabass will never be local. I cringe when I see it on menu’s at seafood restaurants who are promoting local fish/seafood. It’s all about just asking and if it’s not in your budget then moving on.

    On another note, you might be interested in the following re: Omega 3’s: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/food_matters/omega.shtml To be honest I can’t help but wonder if it’s just a gimmick to add a few more cents to the price. :/

  4. are you talking about the salmon fillets? I bought the wild ones, which are certfied and yes, a tab bit dearer. But they were still great value

  5. To be honest, Im hugely confused by sustainable fish. I only heard about depleted cod stocks last year and have no idea about what kind of salmon I should be eating. I did read up on seabass last year though and haven’t eaten it since! I wouldn’t eat meat treated the way greek farmed seabass is treated so now I avoid it. In future I will look out for the MSC mark, but what about things like Superquinns’ peri peri prawns? Are they OK? Im hugely confused Ted.

  6. I would be so pleased if fishmongers displayed which of their fish is from a sustainable source as, for the last couple years I have hardly bought any, especially as the ones I do find are cod, haddock, tuna…. I know that in the case of some species, it is a matter of where and how they were fished but that does not really help. I haven’t seen the MSC’s stamp anywhere yet. It would be great if restaurants were a bit more responsible too in their choices.

  7. I used to ‘not bother’, ie not think about it – but there is no place anymore for an attitude like this. What will happen if we all just put our heads in the sand? We have to look after things for the next generation. Like Claire, I am confused too about what fish is sustainable and what is not, but I am trying to learn about it; we all need to become more educated about where ALL our food is coming from.

  8. I’ve stopped buying tuna (or ordering it in sandwiches) altogether now, and will stay away until the stocks are better-managed. Usually I’d only buy fish that’s MSC certified or that I know has a fairly robust population (e.g. salmon). If in doubt, I’ll generally look elsewhere – I think marine sustainability and conservation is a massive problem, and not one I want to contribute to in the slightest way.