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Newlyn fishermen and fish merchants aim to raise the quality of their
produce through a new project which has been launched.
Seafood Cornwall is part of the Objective One fisheries task force and
project director, Newlyn-based Nathan de Rozarieux, says it will be aimed
at every step of the food chain to maximise the returns on fish landed
to all Cornish ports. The scheme plans to support its work with marketing
promotions, trade missions and product development. Mr de Rozarieux, of
the CFPO and himself a former fisherman, explained: "We will be pushing
quality as high as possible through the whole value chain. We have funding
from Objective One, Cornwall County Council and also from Seafish."
Mousehole man, Mickey Bacon, a former Penwith Council environmental health
officer, is also on the team, visiting onshore fish merchants and processors
and encouraging them to recognise best practices.
He is advising interested parties on how to achieve the Seafood Cornwall
quality award.
Mr Rozarieux said: "Numerous reports have shown that fish which
are gutted, washed and iced away in the fish room within one hour of capture
have a much longer shelf life and are a more valuable product."
Seafood Cornwall has now distributed logging devices to the ports of
Newlyn and Looe to track fish throughout the chain.
"We must stress that Seafood Cornwall is for all of Cornwall, not
just for Newlyn - we encourage everyone to take part," he said.
As well as white fish, the project covers hand line caught pelagic fish
and the shellfish industry.
It will also recognise the wide difference between winter and summer
fisheries.
Seafood Cornwall will be "very active" during the summer months
at ports like St Ives, where small boats will try out new slush ice techniques
whereby mackerel are chilled and stored immediately after capture.
Mr de Rozarieux added: "To deliver real value for money there are
certain species which we can make better use of, such as megrim sole.
Newlyn is the main UK market for megrim, landing around 1,400 tonnes per
year - so even if we gain 10p per kg it's a great improvement."
Seafood Cornwall also plans to improve the UK market for megrim by launching
a Make a Meal of a Megrim campaign early in the new year.
article copyright © THE CORNISHMAN
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