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Fish disappearing from supermarket shelves?

Oldvatr

Expert
Messages
8,453
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
My local Aldi and ASDA stores have both stopped stocking mackerel, herring, and cod in the chilled section. It seems that these fish have been declared unsustainable and overfished by MSC who have suspended the UK Blue flag licences that allow these stocks to be fished by UK fisheries. Most UK supermarkets also signed up to sell the Blue Flagged fish so stocks are now running out. Apparently Atlantic Cod, Atlantic salmon and haddock are about to be suspended too. Prawns are also becoming overfished.

The supply of farmed fish is sustainable so will still appear in the freezer section. My local chippie is getting ready to offer Rock Salmon and Dogfish fillets in batter instead.

These restrictions are UK problems. Norway and other EU fisheries are still permitted to fish, but Norway supplies the EU and we do not have any trade agreement with Norway since Brexit. Apparently plaice, Dover sole and Lemon sole remain sustainable but there are environmental issues with fishing flatfish in UK waters - something to do with oysterbeds and cockles,
 
I hadn't noticed this in Waitrose where the mackerel (smoked) was out in plenty.
I didn't check the fresh counter.
 
NicoleC1971 said:
I hadn't noticed this in Waitrose where the mackerel (smoked) was out in plenty.
I didn't check the fresh counter.
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Waitrose is not signed up to Blue Flag so is able to obtain stock from non MSC controlled suppliers.
 
My local supermarkets are struggling for the fresh food from abroad that has to come from abroad via the ferries from the European union. This is a result of brexit, pandemic and haulage firms.
Brexit, because of the documentation, also testing, also lorries from most of the eurozone will not come over here for many reasons.
The pandemic, testing, pandemic, isolating, and the paperwork. Also proof of who you are.
Haulage companies do not have the drivers, to maintain the food distribution of this country. I was told that some firms are offering £25 per hour for drivers.
 

Now oddly, I see adds crying out for drivers on my work related travels.. (Backs of trucks.)
Stopped off at a service station on the M5 the other day. & saw an add over the dryers in the gents offering a pretty good basic salary for a haulage firm..

Methinks (in short.) it's a mixed bag of the "pingdemic" & a "migrating" workforce..
It's also affected production too.. The "usual suspects" on the carb front seem thin on the shelves in Sainsburys, aswell? (Empty even.)
 


We have a Morrison's metro type corner store, they usually have an articulated lorry every morning delivering. This in the last month and signs are all over the shelves apologising for the empty shelves. Having no deliveries on some days.
They have not had some basics for some time.

We are all doomed!
 
Transport difficulties do indeed exist, but there are specific problems associated with the fishing supply
https://www.independent.co.uk/clima...ainable-fish-stocks-uk-atlantic-a8805331.html

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...f-uks-key-fish-populations-are-not-overfished

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56940914

Supermarkets that are signed up for sustainable fish are not allowed by contract to sell fish from other sources so suspension of the certificates is a show stopper for some it seems.

I would expect Iceland (the country) and Greenland will be wanting to protect their fishing rights in light of them being a prime source to supply the world now since North Sea fish is in dispute.
 

History repeating? https://britishseafishing.co.uk/the-cod-wars/
 
To get fish stocks back to sustainable level there should be a total ban on fishing in the north atalantic and sea for around ten years. Then there should be a quota allotted to each country that have have historic ties to fishing those areas.

Of course this will not happen because of greed by the various governments that will bully boy smaller countries in to not agreeing with it.
 
There is also the problem of boats turning off their trackers and venturing into prohibited areas to fish - then they scuttle off back to the approximate area they were in and turn on the tracker again. They work so quickly and scoop up every living thing, and even if thrown back alive the little beasties are left far from home with no chance of survival as the boat rushes back to where it ought to be.
There have been shortages for months - but I see crazy things such as vegetables which grow here perfectly well being transported from half way around the globe. Farmers here can't make a living from what supermarkets are willing to pay them.
The shortage of lorry drives is all down to the rules - drivers have to do a course every few years to get a certificate, and a lot of older drivers just can't be bothered with all the clipboard stuff, and we don't want foreigners coming here anyway, so they've stopped coming now it has been made so difficult for them.
 
One of the Brexit bonuses, I love fish and most sea food so I am glad I live in the EU and can get all the sea food I want as feel it is important for diabetics to eat a healthy diet, I hope all the diabetics in the UK can find lots of other heathy foods to eat
 
Hit the nail on its head!!
 
Peter03 said:
One of the Brexit bonuses, I love fish and most sea food so I am glad I live in the EU and can get all the sea food I want as feel it is important for diabetics to eat a healthy diet,
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It's a great bonus to have, we are pretty well done by for our choice of fish available here in Australia.

Some of our freshwater fish are great eating as well.
 
The panic subsides. Last week I snaffled the last remaining pack of mackerel off the shelf at Aldi. This week they had 3 packs. So the famine seems to have been resolved a little. I note that Aldi sells a pack of 3 fillets for £1.69 a pop, and ASDA sells a slightly larger pack with only one fillet in it at £10 a pop. The Aldi one comes with either a smoked fish, or a peppered fish, or a peri peri coated fish, but the ASDA one is just the basic cut. Some shops fit my budget better than others. Luckily in this case the economics suits my taste buds as well.
 
£10 for one mackerel fillet!!!?
 
Dr Snoddy said:
£10 for one mackerel fillet!!!?
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Yes. Checked it again today. It is a nice shiny fillet about the size of a slice of bread, but give it it's due a thick-cut slice. Mind you the same store sells farmed salmon at £4.50 a fillet too, so it seems to be systemic. The Aldi equivalent is around £2.49 for their chilled Atlantic salmon with 2 fillets at the same weight.
 

As far as I am aware most of the UK white fish (especially cod) was caught outside the UK fishing limit because we could. EU members.

Now the main trawler which supplied this is lying idle.
I think there are various issues over the speedy import of fresh white fish from abroad.

Oh, and as far as I am aware rock salmon includes a number of shark species. Dogfish is one of them.

I won't eat farmed salmon because of the adverse impact on the environment and on wild salmon.
 
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