Latest news with #MSC-certified
Sydney Morning Herald
13-06-2025
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
The simple fixes that have saved the lives of sea lions and turtles
A perpendicular metal bar at the opening of a rock lobster trap is a matter of life and death for baby sea lions. 'It shows how you can do simple things to work with the environment and fish sustainably,' says Fedele Camarda, a fourth-generation rock lobster fisher from Fremantle in Western Australia. 'The problem was that, in areas where there was a sea lion population, the pups would go in for the bait and they'd get trapped. They wouldn't be able to get back out and, obviously, there'd be mortality associated.' This did not happen with adult sea lions because they could not fit inside the lobster pot. The metal bar was a simple fix to prevent the pups from getting in as well. Camarda's family business is part of the Western Rock Lobster Fishery, the first in the world to be certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council, or MSC, back in 2000. The fishery has also shifted from traditional woven pots to traps with larger gaps at the bottom so fish and undersize lobsters will fall out, and uses weighted ropes to attach the pots to floats to ensure there is no excess rope floating on the surface that could entangle a passing whale. The government and industry also reduced the lobster catch from a historical take of about 11,000 tonnes a year to a quota of 6000 tonnes, which Camarda says is working because it takes much less time to reach it, indicating a bounceback of stocks. Industrial fishing around the world is having a serious impact on the ocean's biodiversity, from depleting stocks of the target wild fish species to dangerous levels of bycatch of non-target species. David Attenborough's Ocean documentary has raised the profile of the destructive bottom-trawling techniques, while Greenpeace has been campaigning against longlining on the high seas over concerns about bycatch. Yet, just as there are some forms of aquaculture that are more sustainable than others, not all wild fisheries are equally managed. Loading Australia has 30 fisheries that are MSC-certified to externally validate they are run sustainably – though the MSC scheme has its critics. A major tuna fishery has now joined MSC ranks, in a stunning turnaround for a fish species that had been severely depleted from overfishing. The Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery in Port Lincoln, South Australia, had both its purse seine and longline fisheries certified earlier this month. Purse seine fishing uses a large vertical net, or seine, to surround and trap schools of fish in open water, with the bottom of the net pulling closed like a purse. Longlining means having a line kilometres long, with thousands of hooks. Greenpeace has argued this is an indiscriminate fishing method, pointing to data about the high bycatch of blue sharks particularly in an area around Lord Howe Rise in the south-west of the Pacific Ocean that it wants to see protected. However, Daniel Casement, chief executive of the Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry Association, says it is easy to avoid bycatch when fishing for tuna because the species is a schooling fish. The purse seine method is very selective because it never hits the ocean floor, Casement says, and the fish are kept alive and towed into Port Lincoln for 'ranching'. The tuna are then raised in large cages with other tuna and fed sardines, the same as they would eat in the wild. Casement says that with both purse seine and longlining, the fishers only deploy where the tuna is already schooling. The main conservation question with bluefin tuna has been the vulnerability of the species itself as opposed to bycatch. Southern bluefin tuna were listed as 'threatened' under Australian law in 2010 but delisted in 2024. Globally, the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists southern bluefin tuna, which is also found in the waters south of Africa and South America, as 'endangered', while Pacific bluefin tuna is 'near threatened' and Atlantic bluefin tuna moved from 'endangered' to 'least concern' in 2021. Casement says the delisting in Australia and the recent certification reflect the fact that Australia and other members of the international Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna had used science to understand fish stocks and had made difficult decisions. Both government and industry are represented in the commission. 'When they were previously determined as overfished, using that science and strong management decisions, [the commission] reduced the quotas, reduced the amount they could catch and drove a strong stock-recovery strategy,' Casement says. 'Obviously, business was impacted significantly, but the longer-term benefit is what they were focused on.' The Northern Prawn Fishery, which extends along 6000 kilometres of coastline from Cape York in Queensland to Cape Londonderry in Western Australia, is one of Australia's largest. In 2012, it became the first tropical prawn fishery in the world to be certified by the MSC. Northern Prawn Industry Association chief executive Annie Jarrett says the fishery has been leading on environmental sustainability since the 1990s. It developed the world's first bycatch action plan in 1999, followed by the introduction of turtle exclusion devices, which give turtles an escape hatch from prawning nets, in the year 2000. 'We managed to reduce our turtle catch by approximately 99 per cent, and the capture of rays and sharks by up to 36 per cent,' Jarrett says. From 2015 to 2018, the fishery focused on reducing the bycatch of small fish and achieved a 43 per cent reduction, Jarrett says. In the past two years, the fishery has worked with the CSIRO to reduce interactions with endangered, threatened and protected species, particularly sawfish, a type of large ray. WWF and consumer goods giant Unilever co-founded the MSC in 1996, though the MSC is now independent. The certification body has sometimes copped criticism from within the environmental movement. Kate Noble, senior manager of oceans policy at WWF Australia, said the charity had publicly called for MSC reforms and expressed disappointment with the lack of progress over the past two decades. In 2021, WWF-Australia objected to the MSC certification of the orange roughy fishery in eastern Tasmania and joined the Australian Marine Conservation Society to file an objection, based on the conservation status of the long-lived species and its slow recovery from historic overfishing. 'However, given the lack of credible alternatives, the MSC standard does provide a useful and recognised global benchmark,' Noble says. 'It is as an important step towards sustainability – not an end point.' Matt Watson, senior fisheries program manager for the Asia Pacific at MSC, says the program is reviewed every five years to stay abreast of scientific developments. He says the perspectives of environmental groups are important but need to be balanced. 'We've got to make sure our program remains accessible, that the scientific bar remains credible, but we also need to make sure that we're not creating a standard which is exclusive to only 1 or 2 per cent of the world's catch,' Watson says. 'If you're a longliner, the independent auditors will look for issues around bycatch and endangered species interaction. If you're a trawler, there's a bit more focus on habitat interactions. The intent there is to incentivise change, regardless of fishing practices … and they have to show us the science and their data sets.' The 30 MSC-certified fisheries account for 38 per cent of the Australian wild catch, Watson says. There are some large fisheries outside the program, such as the South Australian sardine fishery, which voluntarily left the MSC program, but there is also a long tail of small fisheries that cannot afford certification. Loading Professor Gretta Pecl, a marine ecologist at the University of Tasmania and a member of the Biodiversity Council, says seafood is an important food source and Australian fisheries are among the world's best in terms of management and sustainability. 'Seafood, if it's harvested sustainably, can actually be part of the climate solution because the protein from seafood uses a lot less carbon in terms of the production [than other protein sources],' Pecl says. '[Seafood] can be part of our broader climate and biodiversity solution.'
The Age
13-06-2025
- General
- The Age
The simple fixes that have saved the lives of sea lions and turtles
A perpendicular metal bar at the opening of a rock lobster trap is a matter of life and death for baby sea lions. 'It shows how you can do simple things to work with the environment and fish sustainably,' says Fedele Camarda, a fourth-generation rock lobster fisher from Fremantle in Western Australia. 'The problem was that, in areas where there was a sea lion population, the pups would go in for the bait and they'd get trapped. They wouldn't be able to get back out and, obviously, there'd be mortality associated.' This did not happen with adult sea lions because they could not fit inside the lobster pot. The metal bar was a simple fix to prevent the pups from getting in as well. Camarda's family business is part of the Western Rock Lobster Fishery, the first in the world to be certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council, or MSC, back in 2000. The fishery has also shifted from traditional woven pots to traps with larger gaps at the bottom so fish and undersize lobsters will fall out, and uses weighted ropes to attach the pots to floats to ensure there is no excess rope floating on the surface that could entangle a passing whale. The government and industry also reduced the lobster catch from a historical take of about 11,000 tonnes a year to a quota of 6000 tonnes, which Camarda says is working because it takes much less time to reach it, indicating a bounceback of stocks. Industrial fishing around the world is having a serious impact on the ocean's biodiversity, from depleting stocks of the target wild fish species to dangerous levels of bycatch of non-target species. David Attenborough's Ocean documentary has raised the profile of the destructive bottom-trawling techniques, while Greenpeace has been campaigning against longlining on the high seas over concerns about bycatch. Yet, just as there are some forms of aquaculture that are more sustainable than others, not all wild fisheries are equally managed. Loading Australia has 30 fisheries that are MSC-certified to externally validate they are run sustainably – though the MSC scheme has its critics. A major tuna fishery has now joined MSC ranks, in a stunning turnaround for a fish species that had been severely depleted from overfishing. The Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery in Port Lincoln, South Australia, had both its purse seine and longline fisheries certified earlier this month. Purse seine fishing uses a large vertical net, or seine, to surround and trap schools of fish in open water, with the bottom of the net pulling closed like a purse. Longlining means having a line kilometres long, with thousands of hooks. Greenpeace has argued this is an indiscriminate fishing method, pointing to data about the high bycatch of blue sharks particularly in an area around Lord Howe Rise in the south-west of the Pacific Ocean that it wants to see protected. However, Daniel Casement, chief executive of the Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry Association, says it is easy to avoid bycatch when fishing for tuna because the species is a schooling fish. The purse seine method is very selective because it never hits the ocean floor, Casement says, and the fish are kept alive and towed into Port Lincoln for 'ranching'. The tuna are then raised in large cages with other tuna and fed sardines, the same as they would eat in the wild. Casement says that with both purse seine and longlining, the fishers only deploy where the tuna is already schooling. The main conservation question with bluefin tuna has been the vulnerability of the species itself as opposed to bycatch. Southern bluefin tuna were listed as 'threatened' under Australian law in 2010 but delisted in 2024. Globally, the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists southern bluefin tuna, which is also found in the waters south of Africa and South America, as 'endangered', while Pacific bluefin tuna is 'near threatened' and Atlantic bluefin tuna moved from 'endangered' to 'least concern' in 2021. Casement says the delisting in Australia and the recent certification reflect the fact that Australia and other members of the international Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna had used science to understand fish stocks and had made difficult decisions. Both government and industry are represented in the commission. 'When they were previously determined as overfished, using that science and strong management decisions, [the commission] reduced the quotas, reduced the amount they could catch and drove a strong stock-recovery strategy,' Casement says. 'Obviously, business was impacted significantly, but the longer-term benefit is what they were focused on.' The Northern Prawn Fishery, which extends along 6000 kilometres of coastline from Cape York in Queensland to Cape Londonderry in Western Australia, is one of Australia's largest. In 2012, it became the first tropical prawn fishery in the world to be certified by the MSC. Northern Prawn Industry Association chief executive Annie Jarrett says the fishery has been leading on environmental sustainability since the 1990s. It developed the world's first bycatch action plan in 1999, followed by the introduction of turtle exclusion devices, which give turtles an escape hatch from prawning nets, in the year 2000. 'We managed to reduce our turtle catch by approximately 99 per cent, and the capture of rays and sharks by up to 36 per cent,' Jarrett says. From 2015 to 2018, the fishery focused on reducing the bycatch of small fish and achieved a 43 per cent reduction, Jarrett says. In the past two years, the fishery has worked with the CSIRO to reduce interactions with endangered, threatened and protected species, particularly sawfish, a type of large ray. WWF and consumer goods giant Unilever co-founded the MSC in 1996, though the MSC is now independent. The certification body has sometimes copped criticism from within the environmental movement. Kate Noble, senior manager of oceans policy at WWF Australia, said the charity had publicly called for MSC reforms and expressed disappointment with the lack of progress over the past two decades. In 2021, WWF-Australia objected to the MSC certification of the orange roughy fishery in eastern Tasmania and joined the Australian Marine Conservation Society to file an objection, based on the conservation status of the long-lived species and its slow recovery from historic overfishing. 'However, given the lack of credible alternatives, the MSC standard does provide a useful and recognised global benchmark,' Noble says. 'It is as an important step towards sustainability – not an end point.' Matt Watson, senior fisheries program manager for the Asia Pacific at MSC, says the program is reviewed every five years to stay abreast of scientific developments. He says the perspectives of environmental groups are important but need to be balanced. 'We've got to make sure our program remains accessible, that the scientific bar remains credible, but we also need to make sure that we're not creating a standard which is exclusive to only 1 or 2 per cent of the world's catch,' Watson says. 'If you're a longliner, the independent auditors will look for issues around bycatch and endangered species interaction. If you're a trawler, there's a bit more focus on habitat interactions. The intent there is to incentivise change, regardless of fishing practices … and they have to show us the science and their data sets.' The 30 MSC-certified fisheries account for 38 per cent of the Australian wild catch, Watson says. There are some large fisheries outside the program, such as the South Australian sardine fishery, which voluntarily left the MSC program, but there is also a long tail of small fisheries that cannot afford certification. Loading Professor Gretta Pecl, a marine ecologist at the University of Tasmania and a member of the Biodiversity Council, says seafood is an important food source and Australian fisheries are among the world's best in terms of management and sustainability. 'Seafood, if it's harvested sustainably, can actually be part of the climate solution because the protein from seafood uses a lot less carbon in terms of the production [than other protein sources],' Pecl says. '[Seafood] can be part of our broader climate and biodiversity solution.'
Scotsman
05-06-2025
- General
- Scotsman
Award winning chippy shares secret for 'perfect' fish and chips
But if you've ever wondered how to get the perfect golden fried fish and crispy chips, then one Scottish chippy owner has shared her secret. Sarah Heward, owner of The Real Food Café in Tyndrum, has shared her secret for creating the perfect fish supper - and it's all about attention to detail. Regularly featured in 'Best Of' lists as one of Scotland's favourite chippies, and a seven times winner in the National Fish & Chip Awards, The Real Food Café' is known for its quality, care and sustainability. It's also famed for its gluten-free fish and chips, with some customers making a 500-mile round trip to enjoy them, a testament to the restaurant's iconic status as one of the go-to places for an exceptional fish supper and its inclusive menu. How to make 'perfect' fish and chips Picture: Real Food Cafe Here's what Sarah says makes the ultimate fish and chips. 'Fish and chips might sound simple, but making a truly outstanding chippy is anything but. It's all about layers of detail. The Real Food Café only uses MSC-certified, sustainably sourced fish. "Once prepped and portioned, it's carefully layered in a Fish Fridge, no more than two or three fillets deep, ready for frying. 'Our signature light, golden batter is made with chilled water. The cold temperature causes the wheat proteins to expand, and when the batter hits the hot oil, it explodes, creating that crisp, airy texture you want – nobody likes a soggy fish and chips! "We also use a specialised batter-whisking machine to keep the consistency just right. 'But the chips matter just as much. Ours are made fresh daily, sometimes up to a quarter of a tonne. "When the tatties arrive, we test them for sugar content because too much sugar means chips that fry too dark. We rumble 25kg of potatoes at a time, eye them by hand and chip them in a machine that can process a full sack in about 20 seconds. 'Cooking times are constantly adjusted throughout the year for variations in potato and wheat crops. Once it's all cooked, we finish with the final secret ingredients: salt, vinegar, and a generous serving of love.' The Real Food Cafe in Tyndrum has been going strong as one of the best places to stop for a bite to eat for almost 20 years and it all came about after Ms Heward took over the site after chancing upon an advert for the then-derelict premises while working in the City. She and her husband decided to snap up the former Little Chef and move up north, seeking a better work-life balance and feeling that they could 'do something better than the previous occupiers'. After a 'very rudimentary patch-up job', including filling the holes in the roof, the cafe opened its doors for the first time in April 2005, timed to capitalise on the key summer trading period. 'We did that, and that was really the start of the journey [but] over the years there's been a huge number of challenges, both personal and professional.' These include the sudden death of her husband, who had planned to work as a consultant in Aberdeen in the oil industry when they moved to Scotland but took an active role in the café. But she persisted, and the business, which benefits from its location on the West Highland Way, started picking up awards including for their fish and chips.
Daily Record
03-06-2025
- General
- Daily Record
Award winning Scottish chip shop shares secret that draws customers from miles away
Fish and chips are in news this week as National Fish and Chip Day is celebrated on Friday, June 6. Fish and chips remain a beloved staple of British cuisine, perfect for a day by the seaside, a cosy film night, or a pick-me-up after a night out. This week, the humble chippie gets its moment in the spotlight as National Fish and Chip Day is celebrated on Friday, June 6. With over 10,000 fish and chip shops across the UK, Scotland boasts its fair share of popular outlets, including The Real Food Café in Tyndrum, about 60 miles north of Glasgow. A regular on 'best of' lists and a seven-time winner at the National Fish and Chip Awards, the café is famed for its gluten-free fish and chips, attracting customers who sometimes travel 500 miles round trip for a taste, Scottish Daily Express reports. Owner Sarah Heward shares the secret to creating an outstanding fish and chip meal, emphasising the importance of attention to detail. "Fish and chips might sound simple, but making a truly outstanding chippy is anything but," she explains. "It's all about layers of detail. The Real Food Café only uses MSC-certified, sustainably sourced fish. Once prepped and portioned, it's carefully layered in a fish fridge, no more than two or three fillets deep, ready for frying." Sarah also highlights the science behind the perfect batter: "The batter must be made using chilled water. "The cold temperature causes the wheat proteins to expand, and when the batter hits the hot oil, it explodes, creating that crisp, airy texture you want – nobody likes a soggy fish and chips! We also use a specialised batter-whisking machine to keep the consistency just right." When it comes to the chips, The Real Food Café goes through a quarter of a tonne daily, with each potato carefully inspected. Sarah adds, "When the tatties arrive, we test them for sugar content because too much sugar means chips that fry too dark. "We rumble 25 kilograms of potatoes at a time, eye them by hand and chip them in a machine that can process a full sack in about 20 seconds. "Cooking times are constantly adjusted throughout the year for variations in potato and wheat crops. Once it's all cooked, we finish with the final secret ingredients: salt, vinegar, and a generous serving of love." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. This year marks the 10th anniversary of National Fish and Chip Day, celebrated annually on the first Friday in June to honour this iconic British dish. In other news, Scotland's cheapest city for a chippy tea has been revealed, much to the delight of hungry Dundonians. According to a new nationwide ranking by WDW Bingo, Dundee ranks as the third most affordable city in the UK for a portion of fish and chips, with an average price of just £9.47. Glasgow comes in at tenth place, where the average cost is £10.37. Aberdeen and Edinburgh follow closely behind, with prices at £10.67 and £10.93 respectively, proving that while fish and chips remain a classic, prices can vary significantly across the country.
Scottish Sun
03-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
I run an award-winning chippy in Scotland – here's where loads of fish & chip shops get it all wrong
Some customers even make a 500-mile round trip just to try the scran OH MY COD! I run an award-winning chippy in Scotland – here's where loads of fish & chip shops get it all wrong Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AN award-winning Scots fish and chip shop owner has revealed the secrets to the supper. Sarah Heward opened The Real Food Cafe in Tyndrum, in the Highlands, in 2005. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 The Real Food Cafe, in Tyndrum, Crianlarich, opened in 2005 Credit: Alamy 3 Its fish suppers are top class Credit: Steve Welsh 3 Owner Sarah Heward revealed the secret to the perfect fish supper Credit: John Kirkby She transformed it from a run-down Little Chef to an iconic roadside diner serving thousands of punters each year. The eatery sits on the A82, halfway between Glasgow and Fort William, and is the perfect spot to refuel. The menu boasts all the usual chippy classics like burgers, battered sausages and fish suppers, as well as more unusual dishes like fish chowder and plant-based Tofish suppers. As a Coeliac UK-accredited caterer, The Real Food Cafe also offers a gluten-free menu, drawing some customers to make a 500-mile round trip just to try it. It regularly appears on 'Best Of' lists as one of Scotland's favourite chippies and has scooped the National Fish & Chip Awards seven times. Sarah also shared her top tips for making the ultimate fish and chips. The eatery prides itself on using 'only proper raw ingredients' and local produce. According to Sarah: "Fish and chips might sound simple, but making a truly outstanding chippy is anything but. It's all about layers of detail. The Real Food Cafe only uses MSC-certified, sustainable sourced fish. Once prepped and portioned, it's carefully layered in a Fish Fridge, no more than two or three fillets deep, ready for frying." There's also a secret behind their perfect batter. Sarah said: "Our signature light, golden batter is made with chilled water. The cold temperature causes the wheat protein to expand, and when the batter hits the hot oil, it explodes, creating that crisp, airy texture you want - nobody likes a soggy fish and chips! We also use a specialised batter-whisking machine to keep the consistency just right. Gerwyn Price's fish and chip shop as former world darts champion shows Sky Sports presenter his side hustle And the chips deserve attention as well, achieving perfection is crucial. Sarah added: 'But the chips matter just as much. Ours are made fresh daily, sometimes up to a quarter of a tonne. When the tatties arrive, we test them for sugar content because too much sugar means chips that fry too dark. We rumble 25kg of potatoes at a time, eye them by hand and chip them in a machine that can process a full sack in about 20 seconds. 'Cooking times are constantly adjusted throughout the year for variations in potato and wheat crops. Once it's all cooked, we finish with the final secret ingredients: salt, vinegar, and a generous serving of love." We told previously how Scotland's best fish and chip shop has been crowned in this year's takeaway awards. And a fish and chips fan who spent more than year visiting 120 chippies across the UK has revealed his top five.
