Fish Restaurant - Kent Uk

Whitstable Fish Market - New Year, New Direction

If you're a regular customer in the Whitstable Fish Market you will be aware from the recent changes that we have decided to change our policy regarding the sourcing of the seafood that we have for sale. We are stocking new lines and dropping old ones - some of the prices have increased. Why are we doing this?

In recent years it has become harder and harder to source the kind of seafood everyone enjoys e.g. Cod, Crab, Swordfish to name a few. The prices fluctuate wildly as does the size and quality of the seafood we're trying to source. This is due in part to fishing quotas, which are there to regulate what's taken from the world's oceans, and also to over-fishing and habitat destruction. Especially in the natural marine spawning grounds.

Just One Example
A few years ago it was relatively easy to source large English cock crabs of good quality, now it has become extremely difficult. They are available to buy, but the general quality has become atrocious. Many crabs that are supplied have very low meat content. That's one of the reasons why you haven't seen many for sale in the Whitstable fish market over recent years.

Therefore we would like to increase the overall quality and availability of that which we sell, by stocking more sustainable seafood, and stocking less seafood that is not. It's also true that we make our living from the world's oceans and it's time for us to put something back, we want to participate. Rather than watch our business diminish and our stupidity increase we want our business to flourish and our seafood stocks to recover and thrive. You've heard of the "win-win" situation in life and this is a fantastic opportunity for us to experience one of them.

What is Sustainable Seafood?
Quite simply, it is seafood that is fished using responsible methods e.g. Hook and line as opposed to factory ships. It is fish aquaculture that is effectively similar to free range organic land farming. It is aquaculture that has a very low environmental impact. It is seafood that's fished without destroying its habitat. It is avoidance of seafood on the endangered species list. It is avoidance of fishing methods that produce high levels of "by-catch" that is returned "dead" back into the sea because it is not wanted or needed.

What's In It For You?
You will be able to continue to eat healthily and enjoy eating tasty seafood. We will still offer you a wide range of seafood - there will be something tasty for everyone. The overall quality of the products we will sell is going to increase dramatically. You won't need to worry if there will still be cod and chips in years to come, all the hard work sourcing and supplying sustainable seafood will be taken care of by us. We will be focussing more on giving you the information you need to make the right choices for you and your family and that can only be good for everyone.

Posted By: Andrew

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