Last updated: 3 July, 2024 @ 18:15
A new report by the Cornish Fish Producers’ Organisation (CFPO), which represents fishermen all over Cornwall, highlights the value of seafood to the county, but also demonstrates the diverse, and overlooked, range of wonderful produce right on the UK’s doorstep.
The well-presented, True Value of Seafood, report highlights a number of insightful statistics and information which help to demonstrate the importance of seafood, and the local fishing industry, to Cornwall, the UK, and Europe – and it’s well worth a read.
£50m-worth of seafood
The research reveals that Cornish fishermen helped to bring in more than £170m to the Cornish economy in 2021, with each fisherman supporting 15 more shore-based jobs in seafood.
The study also shows that £50m-worth of seafood was landed in Cornwall in 2022, across the county’s plentiful and mostly small ports (excluding Newlyn).
The price of fish
Now, here’s the bit we’re interested in. The top six species in terms of value landed into the top 10 Cornish ports were, in order, Crab (£6.1m), Sole (£5.8m), Monkfish (£5.6m), Hake (£4.7m), Lobster (£4.5m) and Pilchards (£1.9m).
Remember, we’re talking value here – and prices for fish go up and down owing to a number of factors: weather, demand, spawning season…
(Events and occasions can also play their part – keep an eye on the price of lobster and you’ll see a noticeable increase around Christmas and…. Valentine’s Day)
Value of seafood?
However, leading on from the annual Seafood in Numbers 2022 report, which revealed, somewhat depressingly, that the top five species in terms of seafood eaten at home, including from imports, were found to be Tuna (69,481t), Salmon (66,615t), Cod (51,461t), Pollack (31,672t) and Warm Water Prawns (25,553t).
You don’t need me to point out the glaringly obvious fact that none of the top species landed in terms of value, fresh and sparkling, into Cornish ports make it on to the list of favourite fish eaten at home from the Seafish report.
Or, to think about it another way – and with a whopping 80% of fish landed in the UK exported overseas – the most valuable species landed into Cornwall simply aren’t valued by us as consumers.
50 different species
What’s even more – (take your pick from the following words) startling, confusing, bewildering – is that the Cornish fleet lands over 50 different species every year.
That’s at least 49 fresh, locally caught, economy-boosting, job-providing alternatives to a packet of Warm Water Prawns from Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam or elsewhere…
Read the report
Read the True Value of Seafood to Cornwall at the CFPO website.