Plymouth strives for Sustainable Fish City status

The National Marine Aquarium is calling on local businesses to unite and join its quest to secure the coveted Sustainable Fish City accolade for Plymouth.

With the status now within touching distance, the National Marine Aquarium, which is spearheading the city’s bid, is urging local businesses to join companies, such as The Fig Tree @36, who have recently joined the effort, to secure the final two stars required.

Sustainable Fish Cities is an initiative conceived and supported by an alliance of not-for-profit organisations, all working on sustainable seafood issues. Its aim is to generate sustainable fish cities all over the UK. The award works on a five-star system, whereby a city must achieve all five stars to be awarded Sustainable Fish City status. The National Marine Aquarium, along with local businesses and organisations in Plymouth, including Nuffield Health, City College Plymouth, University of St  Mark and St John, Kingfisher Fish and Chips, Rockfish, Harbourside Fish and Chips,CaterEd and the Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust are all ardent supporters of Plymouth’s bid.

Lauren Humphrey, Lead Evaluator/Project Manager at the National Marine Aquarium, said: “Plymouth currently has three out of five stars and is working hard to achieve the final two. We welcome the support of The Fig Tree @36 to this important local initiative”.

“We are calling on more local, iconic businesses to do their bit and make a pledge. Sourcing fish in a sustainable way is extremely important to a city like Plymouth that relies so heavily on the coastline and seas. We all have a role to play in protecting our precious marine resources. By buying the most sustainable, seasonal and local seafood you can, everyone can contribute towards helping Plymouth to become a Sustainable Fish City.”

To secure the final two stars, more pledges are needed from local authorities and workplace canteens with in-house catering facilities that they manage themselves or outsource to catering suppliers. Nationally, caterers serving well over 500 million meals per year have already signed the pledge, including Sodexo, T(n)S, Baxter Storey and John Lewis.

In June 2014, Plymouth became the first city in the world to win the Fish2fork Blue City Award in recognition for the number of its restaurants (over 50%) using seafood from sustainable sources, and it was this that secured the first gold star towards its Sustainable Fish City status.

The campaign aims to change the way consumers buy and eat fish, and encourage local businesses’ and caterers to serve environmentally sustainable fish. The National Marine Aquarium, along with Food Plymouth, will be continuing to drive the Sustainable Fish City bid and secure the final two gold stars for Plymouth.

For more information and to make a pledge, visit http://www.sustainweb.org/sustainablefishcity