Dartmouth’s RockFish Seafood & Chips, owned by food writer and restaurateur Mitch Tonks and business partner and long term friend Mat Prowse has this week achieved MSC certification. Rockfish will now be offering its customers certified sustainable Norwegian cod and haddock as part of its everyday menu.
Opened in 2010, the restaurant has quickly become local institution and has been shortlisted for the second year running as one of six competitors for the award of Best Independent Fish and Chip Restaurant at the National Fish & Chip Awards. Mitch and the staff at RockFish are long-time advocates of sustainable seafood sourcing and Mitch has long supported the MSC’s efforts to transform the world’s seafood markets to a sustainable basis. The restaurant joins the ever growing school of fish and chip shops putting the sustainability of the classic British dish at the top of their menus.
“The best fish in the world of its kind”
Mitch Tonks explained: “Everyone in the seafood industry is aware of sustainability and the issues surrounding it. We are fortunate to be able to buy direct from our local market in Brixham where the fishery is extremely well managed. We don’t land a huge amount of cod and haddock locally and I wanted our supply of these species to be the best around. To match the quality of the local fish that meant it had to be sustainable and line caught. My search took me to Norway where I believe we found the best fish in the world of its kind, I am really proud to be able to offer our customers a sustainable choice of seafood.”
Hannah Arcaro, foodservice manager at the MSC said: “We’ve really enjoyed working with Mitch and his team on their certification and are delighted to see the MSC ecolabel on the RockFish menu. With seafood provenance of increasing importance, RockFish are offering their customers the chance to support demonstrably sustainable fishing practices. RockFish and their customers are helping to change the seafood world by buying their cod and chips from an independently certified sustainable source.
“When a high-profile restaurant such as RockFish commits to serving MSC certified seafood, it sends a positive message to fisheries around the world encouraging good, sustainable fishing and management of global fish stocks.”
About the Fishery
The cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) served at RockFish are sourced from the MSC certified Norway North East Arctic cod and haddock fisheries. Fished off the coastline of northern Norway and throughout the Barents Sea, the cod and haddock stocks of the North East Arctic have been subject to quota management since the late 1970s and achieved MSC certification in November 2011. Methods used to ensure that the stock is managed in a sustainable manner include the use of netting designed to avoid catching undersized fish and limits on bycatch that, if exceeded, can see areas of the fishery restricted or even closed temporarily.
