When is a fish pie not a fish pie? When it is a force for good.
OK, OK. Our jokes may not be brilliant, but we believe our founding principles are, because since the beginning we’ve seen seafood as so much more than something for dinner. That’s because when a business is run right, it can bring benefits to society, environment and community. We believe that Fish for Thought, a business with sustainable Cornish fish at its heart, enables good fish to bring further good on so many levels. Here’s how.
Supporting the Fishing Community
Cornish fishing has a long history. It is woven into the very essence of what it is to be Cornish, with deep cultural connections across the county and indeed the UK. It is also an incredibly important part of the rural economy, allowing local families to continue to earn a living and live where they grew up. For these reasons, we are proud to support and champion the craft and history of the Cornish fishing community through the fish and shellfish we buy for you, our customers. We also work with fishing families in other parts of the UK, those who are experts in trout, salmon, scallops, mussels and more. The Cornish fishing industry is also respected across the world as an example of a community of fishermen and women who are invested in protecting the waters in which they work. It all adds up to the guardianship of this incredible piece of British heritage. We won’t compromise on where we buy our seafood, as we want to spend our money with family businesses, not global corporations.
Campaigning for Change
One of the reasons behind choosing to start Fish for Thought was to show that seafood could be done better. While there is plenty of outstanding work going on to create sustainable change in the industry, there is still rafts of bad practice out there. This is why we actively choose to call out bad behaviour and greenwashing. As the first online seafood retailer in the UK, we were also the first to move to 100% recyclable packaging – the thought of any of our packaging ending up in the sea as plastic pollution is too terrible to consider, yet you would be amazed at how many seafood retailers still deliver fish in unsustainable polystyrene boxes. We also work to lift the mystery around fishing – most people have an idea of what a fishing trawler is but know little beyond that. We have created a set of explainer illustrations to help everyone get to grips with the different kinds of fishing techniques and their environmental impact. Check it out here. Knowledge is power!
Protecting the Marine Environment
We use science to dictate which fish and shellfish we sell, not profit opportunity. Working closely with the Wildlife Trust’s Cornwall Good Seafood Guide and the Marine Conservation Society, we use their species sustainability scores to dictate which types of seafood we sell, and just as importantly, which we refuse to sell. Cornish fishing is a beacon of sustainability, the world looks to us for how to do things better and we are so proud to champion best practice fishing in this way. We also support many charities locally, from the Lobster Hatchery to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, so we can support our marine ecosystems in every way we can. Others talk the talk about sustainability, but the reality is they are there to make a profit. we use our business to create positive change where we can, whether through supporting the local fishing communities, marine charities or through campaigning for genuine change in the fishing industry.
It all adds up to why we see seafood as so much more than something for dinner. Why not browse our delicious, sustainable Cornish fish and see for yourself?
