Pubs awash with black-market fish

by Max Gosney

Half of Britain's pubs and restaurants could unwittingly be serving black-market fish, experts have warned.

The fears came after two Shetland-based fishermen appeared at the High Court in Glasgow and admitted running a £3.4m illegal fishing business. John Duncan and Jerry Ramsay, of Ollaberry, Shetland, Scotland, broke EU restrictions to catch 7,600 tonnes of black-market fish bound for UK pubs and restaurants.

The scam is part of a £100m-a-year illegal trade, which results in more than half of caterers unwittingly cooking up banned fish, according to an investigation by The Sunday Times.

Scotland's pub chefs expressed their outrage over the case and urged operators to source seafood responsibly. Craig Grant, proprietor/head chef at the Sorn Inn in Sorn, Ayrshire, said: "This illegal practice is an absolute scandal and is terrible for the food industry. It should persuade chefs not to cut any corners and to only use a trusted supplier."

However, the British Hospitality Association warned that detecting illegal fish could be complex. A spokesman said: "Most of the time there is no way for a restaurant or pub to know exactly where their fish comes from or how it is caught, or whether it's black, white or pink."

Glasgow Crown Court heard how Duncan and Ramsay hid records of North Sea catches from UK Fishery Protection Officers between 2000 and 2002. The duo face £50,000 in fines and could be forced to repay all profits from the venture.

The Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs condemned illegal fishing and announced measures to curb activities. A spokesman said: "From September, buyers and sellers of fish will have to register with us, which will make it harder to deal in illegally landed fish."