More than 45% of restaurants improved their rating in the first re-review of British restaurants by Fish2fork, the campaigning fish restaurant guide, since it was launched in 2009.
Among them are some of the biggest names in cuisine, including Scotts in London’s Mayfair and Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons in Oxfordshire (UK).
This huge leap towards the use of sustainably-caught seafood in the restaurant industry in just two years is regarded by conservationists as an unprecedented advance and the survey’s results are believed to be the first firm evidence of changing attitudes and priorities in the restaurant sector.
Research shows 82% of the world’s fisheries are, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, fully exploited, overexploited, in decline or in recovery from overfishing.
Of the 443 restaurants Fish2fork has re-reviewed since the 2009 launch, more than two improved their rating for every one that slipped backwards. In all, 202 restaurants (45%) improved their rating, 89 (20%) got worse and 152 (34%) remained the same.
There are also 97 restaurants getting their first score and of these 8- including Harbour Lights, a local chippie in Falmouth (UK) – achieved the highest rating awarded so far of 4.5 blue fish.
Charles Clover, founder of the Fish2fork website and author of The End of The Line, said: “To get 45% of restaurants we reviewed last time improving their scores in two years is a phenomenal figure. Even though a few have slipped back, they are outnumbered more than two to one by those who have grasped that sustainability is now important to consumers of seafood.
“This re-review shows that the market has moved-partly as a result of what we have done with The End of the Line and Fish2fork. We are grateful for the endorsement we have had from leading proprietors and chefs, such as Richard Caring of Caprice Holdings, Raymond Blanc and Jamie Oliver, and the quantum shift in public awareness caused by the terrific Fishfight campaign run by Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall.
“Would that this message was heard as clearly elsewhere in Europe. At the moment the UK is showing the rest of Europe what can be done if restaurateurs create a demand for sustainably caught fish.”
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall said: “Fish2fork is doing a great job of injecting a sense of responsibility over fish sourcing into the vital restaurant sector which is of course a massive consumer of fish. It is independent and uncompromising and by putting us restaurateurs on the spot makes fish sustainability an issue we can’t ignore without the risk of losing business. I also have a hunch that F2F’s clever rating system is getting a response by tapping into the competitive nature of some of our top chefs!”
In a further reflection of progress towards the sourcing of fish from sustainable stocks, the number of restaurants getting the lowest possible rating of 5 red fish has fallen from four in 2009 to just one today – Nobu, which persists in serving bluefin tuna, an endangered species.
Restaurants with Michelin stars have done better than average in improving their marine sustainability ratings, arguably a reflection of their understanding of the better-resourced restaurateur’s ability to appoint staff to deal with sustainability as well as other compliance issues.
Of the 22 Michelin-starred restaurants that have been rated by Fish2fork, 16 improved their record, four got worse, one remained the same and one was new to the reviewing process.
Since Fish2fork began campaigning, bluefin tuna has largely disappeared from menus in the UK. One of the last Fish2fork-rated restaurants to serve it was the Silver Darling in Aberdeen, but the chef has now decided to drop it.
With the battle against serving the over-fished bluefin tuna close to an end in the UK – though not in mainland Europe or Japan where far too many restaurants still insist on serving it – the focus of Fish2fork is turning to other struggling species.
Fish2fork is especially concerned about the plight of the European eel which has suffered slumps of up to 80% among the adult populations (90% if counting the glass eel stage of their life cycle as they reach Europe from the Sargasso Sea).
Among celebrity restaurants in this year’s survey, the likes of Gordon Ramsay (Restaurant Gordon Ramsay), Nathan Outlaw (Restaurant Nathan Outlaw) and Tom Aikens (Restaurant Tom Aikens) all improved their record. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, who early this year generated huge public support for his campaign against discards, was a new entry with his Axminster Canteen and Deli which also got Fish2fork’s highest rating of 4.5 blue fish.
Jamie Oliver’s 15 London and Jamie’s Italian were both new to the Fish2fork guide and achieved an impressive 4 blue fish each. Oddly, Raymond Blanc got a top 4.5 rating for Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons yet his Brasserie Blanc chain slipped from 3 blue fish to 1.5 blue fish. David Moore (Pied a Terre) slipped in his rating. Rick Stein’s The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow went up from 0.5 red to 0.5 blue.
Source: Fish2fork
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