The net losses for the cod squad

IN June 2000, the World Wildlife Fund announced that British cod was "an endangered species".

Now the European Commission has added to existing restrict-tions on fish size and quotas with an emergency ban on catching certain types of fish in a quarter of the North Sea for 10 weeks from mid- February.

However, it is not just the country's fishermen who have been affected by the news of depleted fish stocks. What of the lonely British cod and the people whose business it is to bring it to the captain's, or anyone else's, table?

Jason Rudd, 30 Skipper/owner of a 12-metre fishing trawler in Newhaven.

"After college I started out working as a deckhand on a big (24m) boat.

Then my Dad built this boat, which I ran for about five years until I bought it."

Working as a skipper and fisherman on a trawler: "My mate and I start at 4am on the boat doing checks; engine oil, etc. To find the cod we've got echo sounders but a lot of it is just knowledge, knowing where to go and when to go there. We don't catch that many cod in one go. In one haul I might get four baskets, weighing about five stone.

What people don't realise is that they've been cutting the fish quotas for a while now. Back in the Eighties, before all the quotas started, you used to just get on the boat and go fishing. It was fun. There's a lot of politics involved these days. I'm all for conservation but it's getting to the stage where you need a flipping secretary to pick up all the paperwork. Out in the deep water I can't honestly say I've seen a decline but obviously these scientists know what they are doing."

Essential skills: "To get up to being a skipper you've got be very, very safety-conscious. You've got to know the limits of your boat."

... The landed cod are sold by the fishermen to the wholesalers.

With larger hauls, the cod will be bought by the fish-processing companies such as Young's or Birds Eye.

Smaller catches are sold direct to restaurants but the best-known route to the chippy is via the fish merchants of Billingsgate ...

THIS IS Evening Standard Kingsley Lambert, 30 Owner/manager of Jack Hayward Ltd, wholesale fish merchants (based in Billingsgate).

"My father owned the business so I left school at 16 and started working with him."

Working in Billingsgate: "I work a 15-hour day. I arrive here at 3am and get all my messages off the answer-phone.

We've got seven vans that deliver all over the place. Some customers like to come here to the stall and look at the fish. At about 9am we shut the stall and I start buying fish for the next day. We also have fish that are flown in from Iceland, and even America, every day of the week. This year will be tougher for the industry, especially for Scotland, when the quotas kick in. There isn't really an alternative fish to cod. Maybe they could sell other stuff but I can't see it working, really. It's the texture, the colour; they won't be able to replace it with another fish."

Essential skills: "Your wits. You've got to be able to buy at the right price, which enables you to sell it a bit cheaper than anyone else."

... The merchant will price the cod and relay this information to the retailers. The purchasers at the fish and chip shops, restaurants or fish shops will then phone around for comparative prices and place an order ...

... The merchant will price the cod and relay this information to the retailers. The purchasers at the fish and chip shops, restaurants or fish shops will then phone around for comparative prices and place an order ...

the business, from buying fish to dealing with staff issues. We've got a couple of suppliers in Billingsgate and we've got a couple in Grimsby we use.

Every morning the suppliers will phone me with their prices for that day. I have an idea from dealing with all of them over the years who will be the best that day.

A lot depends on where the fish come from. Cod has been number one for a long time. I guess it's because it is reasonably priced, is very white and doesn't taste too strong. Also, it was in plentiful supply. The price of cod has gone up by 20 per cent since last year.

We haven't passed this on to the customers yet. We hardly make any profit on cod, in the takeaway anyway. I'd look at farmed cod if it came my way. At the moment, it's too small a business."

Essential skills: General knowledge of the catering industry. Experience in the purchasing and preparation of fish.

... Once the cod has been bought in, the fish will be filleted and prepared by the fish-gutter before it can be coated in batter and fried ...

Gustav Leipoldt, 30 Fish preparation at The Seashell.

"I've been involved in the business all my life, but before this I worked for Conran for three-and-a-half years as a chef-de-parti, in control of my own section in a kitchen."

Working at The Seashell: "The fish normally arrives at about 7.30am. I check the quality of fish and send back any that aren't up to standard. I check the temperature of the fish and the vans. If it is anything over 5C it is unsafe. The fish comes in 2st boxes and has been gutted and cut into large fillets. From this we cut 10oz to 12oz portion sizes. We only order a large cod -2lb plus. Most of the fish is flown in from Iceland. We do still get local fish but it's quite pricey at the moment. I think that cod will become a prime product. It used to be the average man's meal but it will become an expensive fish like turbot unless they get stuck into farming."

Essential skills: "You need to be good with a sharp knife; we cut at least 20st of fish every morning. You need to know what's fresh and what isn't."

... It is hoped that the strict enforcement of quotas will help sustain and increase the amount of cod in British waters. It will have to if fishing is to survive in the UK. As recently as 10 years ago, Grimsby used to support a fleet of 150 fishing boats. Now, according to the chief executive of Grimsby Fish Merchants' Association Ltd, Martin Boyers, there are only 28 vessels left. The town still employs 8,000 people in the fishing industry but only 25 per cent of the fish arrives by boat, the rest comes in lorries.

Copyright 2001
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