Hugh's gone fishing Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall discusses fish

Date Published:

08/11/2007

Hugh discusses how much difference consumer power makes

How do you think consumers can influence recovery of fish stocks?

We need to inform ourselves about the fish we like to eat: are stocks healthy? What methods are used to catch it? When is its spawning season? How big should it be at maturity? There are lots of sources of such information – fishline.org is an excellent resource, and I believe our new book will be too. Once we're aware of species that are in trouble, we simply have to stop buying them. We need to find alternatives to threatened fish – buy pollack instead of cod, eat mackerel instead of tuna, or choose fish certified by the Marine Stewardship Council as being sustainably caught. It's a simple but powerful process. There is ample evidence that consumer action can directly and positively affect fish stocks.

How do you think we can feed the burgeoning population while producing food/fish/protein in a sustainable and responsible way?

The issue of feeding the world is obviously a huge and complex one but there are always sustainable solutions. In fact, there are a battery of options, myriad approaches to feeding ourselves in an ecologically sound way, that can be used together to great effect. By farming holistically and organically, for instance, we can ensure that the raising of one creature doesn't harm another (keeping seas and rivers unpolluted, encouraging biodiversity etc.). We could all eat a bit less meat, so our farmers could grow a lot more grain. Everyone, from the individual consumer to the largest retailers, could reduce the amount of food they waste. I could go on.

But if you want to talk specifically about fish then I think the single most important step we can take to ensure a positive future is to increase the range of fish we eat. We need to take the pressure off species such as cod, salmon and prawns – species which are decimated in the wild and causing environmental havoc in farms - by exploring the huge number of delicious, sustainable alternatives.

What is the best species to encourage non-fish eaters to try fish?

I don't think it's what you cook that's crucial in converting the fish-phobic – it's how you cook it. With the exception of a few of the more uniquely textured species - oysters and sea anemones perhaps – you can tempt all but the most ardent fish-hater if you present things in an appetising way. I've got to say that frying, especially deep-frying, is a technique that often wins over doubters. Who can resist a crunchy nugget of beer-battered pollack? Or a sweet little hoop of crisp-edged calamari, dunked in garlic mayo? At River Cottage, we make fritters out of chopped whelks mixed with bacon, onions, garlic and herbs, and they're usually devoured with gusto by all but the greatest whelk-sceptics. Composite dishes – fish pies and tarts, risottos and pastas – can also often be alluring to those who would balk at a plain bit of grilled fish.

How can parents get kids to try fish?

See above. It's all in the presentation. Homemade, crunchy-crumbed fishmongers would be my first line of attack.