Rick Stein to present "Clean Fishing" award

News release ref: 05/07
Date: 16 May 2007

Rick Stein Internationally famous chef, Rick Stein, will visit the Cefas fisheries laboratory in Weymouth, Dorset on Thursday 31 May 2007 to award the top prize in a "Clean Fishing" competition.

The Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas) launched its Clean Fishing competition in July 2006 to encourage southwest beam-trawling fishermen to design novel modifications to their fishing gear.

Unwanted bycatch - the capture of "non-target" marine species - is a major fisheries management problem. Fish and other marine animals - sometimes with no commercial value - are accidentally caught by fishermen and then discarded, usually dead, back into the sea.

Dr Andrew Revill, Senior Scientific Officer at Cefas and key instigator of the competition said: "At Cefas, we are constantly looking for new ways to work more closely with fishermen so their undoubted skills and experience can be harnessed for the common good. We all agree that there is a need to develop robust solutions for reducing unwanted bycatch. The Clean Fishing competition is one simple mechanism that fully engages the fishermen in the development of those solutions."

Reducing unwanted bycatch lessens the overall environmental impact of the fishery on the supporting marine ecosystem and helps to conserve precious stocks. Cleaner fishing methods could also potentially result in higher-quality catches and better prices at market.

Fisheries Minister Ben Bradshaw said: "Discarded fish is a waste that no one wants to see, so I welcome the enterprising efforts of fishermen that tackle the problem of threatened species being caught up in other catches.

"We all want more sustainable fisheries and to cut bycatch and discards, and I want to work with fishermen to achieve that." John Hingley, a former skipper and the independent evaluator who assessed the competition entrants' ideas during six months of sea trials, said: "I think this is a worthwhile and positive idea from Cefas and means that fishermen will be involved and proactive. Potentially, there may be benefits for catch quality, reduced wear and tear on the trawls, and possibly even fuel savings. I am pleased to be involved with this competition."

Short-listed commercial fishermen working out of Brixham, Newlyn and Weymouth will find out who wins the top prize at the special lunchtime event. Invited guests, including those from fisheries organisations, will also be given a tour of Cefas' laboratory and aquarium facilities, and Cefas staff will meet Rick Stein at an afternoon session.

Notes for editors

Cefas is an internationally renowned scientific research and advisory establishment, based at Lowestoft since 1902. It also has laboratories at Burnham-on-Crouch and Weymouth, and a number of other facilities around the UK. It is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). For more details visit www.cefas.co.uk.
Rick Stein - celebrity chef, author and Cornish restaurateur, has demonstrated a commitment to sustainability in fishing, alongside his philosophy on quality food and cookery: "Nothing is more exhilarating than fresh fish simply cooked." He is a patron of the Marine Stewardship Council, which promotes sensible fishing practices. Rick Stein has generously supported Cefas initiatives in the past. For more about Rick Stein and his work visit www.rickstein.com/rickstein_biography.htm.
The Clean Fishing competition's independent judging panel includes fishing gear experts from Seafish, the Irish Sea Fisheries Board and the Institute for Agriculture and Fisheries Research in Ostend, Belgium. For more about the judges see www.cefas.co.uk/3543.aspx.
Competition prize monies totalling £20,000 - first prize is £12,000 and there are two runners-up prizes of £4,000 each - are being awarded for the best ideas. The funding for the prizes comes from the European Union's Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG). The rules of the competition can be seen at www.cefas.co.uk/3548.aspx.
Media representatives are invited to attend the prize-giving event only, which begins at 12:45 sharp on 31 May 2007 at the Cefas' laboratory in Weymouth. There will be an opportunity for questions to be put to Rick Stein, and the competition's winners and judges. There will also be a chance to take photographs. Media representatives should RSVP by 30 May 2007 to Paul Haywood, Tel: 01305 20 6704 / paul.haywood@cefas.co.uk to secure a place.

Press information:

Anne McClarnon, Cefas, Tel: 01502 524370 / anne.mcclarnon@cefas.co.uk

During period 18-25 May 2007: Cefas CEO's office, Tel: 01502 524301/ 524233 / samsu@cefas.co.uk

NB: The press office will be unstaffed 26-29 May 2007