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A NEWLYN skipper has donated boxes of hake to two
of Cornwall's top chefs to mark the start of a summer-long campaign by
Seafood Cornwall to raise the profile of the fish in the UK.
The move by fisherman Phil Mitchell of the Newlyn-based gill-netter, Carol H has been prompted by a decline in prices in recent years.
The traditional market for hake in Spain has switched to cheaper imported fish from South America.
Drying up
"Since
gill-netting for hake started from Cornwall more than 25 years ago up
to 90% of the catch has been exported to Spain, but now this market
appears to be drying up so if the fishery is to remain economically
viable we need better prices, and fast," said Paul Trebilcock, CEO of
the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation (CFPO).
Mr Mitchell presented a
box of hake each to Neil Haydock, executive head chef at Fifteen
Cornwall in Watergate Bay near Newquay and Stephane Delourme, head chef
at Rick Stein's Seafood restaurant in Padstow.
Mr
Stein, who has for many years championed sustainable fishing, said: "It
is the responsibility of restaurateurs to help consumers choose to eat
fish from sustainable stocks, and to send encouragement to the
fisherman who are making every effort to fish without detriment to the
marine environment and for that reason I am delighted to be able to
help the fishermen promote hake, which I'm sure will be successful."
Even
before the visit, Fifteen Cornwall has already been buying more hake as
price, taste and availability have made it hard to beat. Mr Haydock,
added: "We always aim to serve the best local, seasonal ingredients and
have been delighted that as well as tasting great and being of good
quality, hake has been cheaper so is better for the customer and for
the business."
article copyright THE CORNISHMAN
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