'Virtual fishmonger' aims to promote local catch

A virtual platform has been launched to reconnect people with a local fishing fleet and the catch being landed.

The Plymouth Fishing and Seafood Association (PFSA) has launched the Virtual Fishmonger, which allows users to meet Plymouth's inshore fishing fleet, explore the fish available from local merchants and buy fish directly, delivered to their door or for collection.

Research conducted by the PFSA suggested many local residents did not know where to buy locally-caught fish, while 68% mistakenly thought the Fish Quay had closed entirely.

Local fishermen said they hoped the online scheme could lead to an increase in sales, which would be a "huge help for basic costs" throughout the year.

The PFSA said Plymouth remained one of England's leading fishing ports, ranking fourth nationally by landings last year.

Edward Baker, CEO of PFSA, said the campaign aimed to rebuild the connection between the city and the inshore fleet.

He said: "The UK inshore fishing fleet has declined by about 20% in 10 years and the way we can support them is by buying their fish."

Baker said there were plenty of local species: "Things like gurnard or lemon sole or dover sole or bass, squid, octopus; there's such a variety here."

Baker said: "Our initiative is a website that provides you with a Google Street View of the fish quay here in Plymouth.

"It shows you that it's not a scary place, walks you into the merchants, shows you the different types of fish.

"We have recipes on our website, examples of how to cook and process the fish, and again, it helps local people understand where they can buy and access local fish."

Baker said the website would also inform people of which fish were in season - and were therefore cheaper to buy.

He said: "You can spend quite a lot of money on prime fish; but, equally, if you seek out some of the other species, and depending on the day and depending on how abundant it is, those prices can be relatively cheap.

"Certainly, you wouldn't spend any more than you would if you went to the local butchers and bought a steak. You could come down here and buy a really decent piece of prime fish."

Rod and line fisherman Joe Lynch said the Virtual Fishmonger could be a "huge help" for fishers and their costs.

"The more people we have buying, bidding for our fish, and the better places it can be sold to, the more money we'll earn off of our fish, which at the moment is a huge help for basic costs throughout the year.

"It'd be nice to see, you know, getting back to it being a community fish quay, where actually it's not only the fishermen that are here, you know. We can see the locals coming down to appreciate what we're actually bringing in.

"We take a lot of time and effort to make our fish look good."

"We're all still here, we're all still fishing, and I think that there's not enough promotion for the fish we're actually catching in Plymouth," Lynch added.

Restaurateur Sam Colton, who owns The Bridge at Mount Batten, said they tried to showcase fish caught by the Plymouth fishing fleet.

"We've got a couple of initiatives that we run in our restaurant... to really try and highlight local fish, where it's come from, the provenance of the fish that we're using on our menus, but also encouraging our customers to try different fishes, maybe something they're not quite so familiar with, you know, something they maybe haven't tried before."

Colton said she thought there was a "little bit of a nervousness" around fish and seafood.

"I think they're maybe not exposed to it at home in the same way that they are those very familiar beefs, chickens, porks that they know how to cook, know how to serve, and they feel nervous about fish.

"It's something that as a restaurant we're able to really try and encourage the customers back into that familiar territory.

"There are so many different varieties that we could be enjoying, stuff that the guys are bringing in to Plymouth every week that they've been catching," Colton added.

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