During the first MSC UK Sustainable Seafood Week (September 10 to 17) consumers are asked to choose fish and chips with the blue fish ecolabel

UK fish and chip shops are joining a national campaign organised by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) to celebrate sustainable seafood and to urge consumers to choose dishes with the MSC blue fish ecolabel.

UK seafood consumers want to protect our oceans but require better information to help them to do so, according to a new survey. To help plug this knowledge gap, the MSC is launching a major drive to raise awareness of the importance of sustainable seafood. 

As part of this awareness drive, the MSC is celebrating the hard work of the UK fishing industry in bringing sustainable certified seafood to our plates, following a difficult seven months for the sector. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic saw global supply chains disrupted, fresh fish counters closed, and many fish and chip shops unable to open for several months. They have had to go through extraordinary efforts to get back up and running in order to be able to provide the nation with their favourite takeaway.  

The survey, undertaken for the MSC by the independent insights consultancy Globescan, showed that eight in ten UK seafood consumers believe we need to protect fish for future generations, with 7 in 10 believing that in order to do this we need to consume fish and seafood from sustainable sources. Yet the majority (9 in 10) say that they need more information so they can avoid buying unsustainable products. 

In response, the MSC is launching its first Sustainable Seafood Week in the UK from 10 – 17th September, during which it will be working with major retailers, brands, restaurants and fish and chip shops to encourage consumers to look out for seafood products carrying the MSC blue fish tick ecolabel. Fish carrying the label are sourced from wild-catch fisheries which meet the highest international benchmarks for sustainability. 

Loren Hiller, Senior Commercial Officer at the Marine Stewardship Council comments: "This Sustainable Seafood Week, we want to celebrate the hard work of sustainable fish and chip shops and thank them for their extraordinary efforts in getting back up and running after such a difficult time in the sector. Now more than ever, being aware where the seafood we eat comes from, and if it has been sustainably sourced, is a way that we can all show how much we care for our oceans and their future. The choices we make as consumers, and the fish we buy, have never been more important to ensuring we can keep the UK’s most iconic takeaway forever on our tables.”