Seafood export/import UK

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Roger Burton

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Really sorry if this is the wrong forum or indeed not a welcome discussion on this site but there are some knowledgeable people here who may has some informed observations. I just watched a tv show where Scottish langoustine, lobsters and crabs were being caught, the fishermen said 90% were exported ! ... looking on-line it seems we import from Spain etc. how does this work ? why do UK fishermen get more money from Europe for the fish and how can it be possible for European fisherman to catch and export to the UK and we can still buy the stuff for less than we can pay to a British source ? It's the same as Lamb, we export most of ours and import from the other side of the world (New Zealand) ...
 
Its been the same for a very long time. Us Brits simply don't eat ( or even like) enough fish or seafood. How and when that happened I'm unsure but it might be something to do with the last war. Despite many of our brilliant cookery programmes showcasing fish, it is nevertheless the case that the majority of Brits only eat pre-prepared frozen fish in batter or fish from fish 'n chip shops (in batter), fillets of salmon and cod and pre-prepared prawns. A lot of folk wouldn't even know what a langoustine was.

This is, of course a generalisation - but nevertheless sadly mainly true. Fishmongers in the UK are very far and few between even if you are in a coastal town.
 
morning glory said:
Its been the same for a very long time. Us Brits simply don't eat ( or even like) enough fish or seafood. How and when that happened I'm unsure but it might be something to do with the last war. Despite many of our brilliant cookery programmes showcasing fish, it is nevertheless the case that the majority of Brits only eat pre-prepared frozen fish in batter or fish from fish 'n chip shops (in batter), fillets of salmon and cod and pre-prepared prawns. A lot of folk wouldn't even know what a langoustine was.

This is, of course a generalisation - but nevertheless sadly mainly true. Fishmongers in the UK are very far and few between even if you are in a coastal town.
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That's interesting. For someone who grew up in the Midwest in a very non-fish-eating family, whenever we visit the UK, all it seems like is fish, fish, fish, as far as the eye can see.

I'm sure it's just perception, though. When we eat out at home, there's probably one token fish/seafood dish on a menu, or maybe one in each category, like one fish starter, one fish main. So when we go somewhere and see two or three fish mains, I think, "This place is all fish! Fish, fish, fish!" - even if there are twice as many beef dishes available. :laugh:
 
TastyReuben said:
That's interesting. For someone who grew up in the Midwest in a very non-fish-eating family, whenever we visit the UK, all it seems like is fish, fish, fish, as far as the eye can see.

I'm sure it's just perception, though. When we eat out at home, there's probably one token fish/seafood dish on a menu, or maybe one in each category, like one fish starter, one fish main. So when we go somewhere and see two or three fish mains, I think, "This place is all fish! Fish, fish, fish!" - even if there are twice as many beef dishes available. :laugh:
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Different in restaurants - quite a lot of people people will eat fish if its prepared for them. They just don't buy it or cook it at home.
 
I don't think it's exported and reimported we just export our catches 80% Scottish catch:

A seafood export dilemma in Scotland

https://www.seafish.org/media/486918/faqs web version 010711.pdf

and certainly we are not as fond of seafood as other European countries, I just don't understand the finances of the issue, do UK fishermen get more by exporting than selling locally, obviously they do and as I said the same with lamb, is it cheaper to buy NZ lamd shipped across the globe than buying local ?
 
I understand that Scottish shellfish just like Cornish mackerel and sardines is exported to southern Europe mainly because there is no domestic market for it. For an island nation with some of the best seafood in the World, many Brits still seem incapable of seeing past white fish in batter - such a shame.
 
I remember a time when I would never eat fish or seafood unless it was indigenous to the region. No oysters, crawfish or blue point crabs anywhere other than the Gulf Coast. I lived in Virginia Beach for a couple of years (USN). I thought "Great, I can get Chesapeake Oysters and Blue Point Crabs." I was sadly disappointed. They oysters were small and not salty. What they called large crabs we call Gumbo Crabs - so small that you remove the shell and gills, break the body in half and toss it in a seafood gumbo because they are too small to boil and pick. They one dish that I loved was She Crab Soup, In other coastal regions I ate seafood that was local. I never would, and still don't, eat seafood in non coastal regions.
With the advances in flash freezing and better methods of shipping it is possible to get non local seafood that is fresh or near fresh.
Local seafood - crawfish, blue point crabs, oysters, shrimp and gulf fish bring a much higher price when shipped to other parts of the country. That bonus is enjoyed by the processors and not the farmers or fishermen.
I worked with a woman whose husband bought local crawfish by the sack and drove to north Louisiana to sell to restaurants.
The same is true with produce. The produce in markets is shipped in from other states - mostly California, Texas and Florida or from Mexico and South America. To get locally grown produce you have to go to a farmer's Market. I heard recently that a new produce market is opening that will carry only local and regionally grown produce. :woot: I will shop there.
I remember Mr. Callais. He had a vegetable farm. He sold his produce door to door driving an old, mule drawn wagon.
His six children worked the farm with him. He sent all of his children to the university and several for advanced degrees (Doctors and Lawyers) selling produce from that old wagon. In the 70's a mall developer purchased most of his property for millions. Mr. Callais maintained what he called his homestead garden and continued to sell door to door from his old wagon.
 
Roger Burton said:
do UK fishermen get more by exporting than selling locally, obviously they do
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In the case of langoustines, yes, they do get more money by exporting - its a question of the quantity they can sell. They sell here to restaurants mainly but nowhere near in the quantities they sell to Spain etc. The sheer quantity means they make more money by exporting.
 
Who is making the money? The fishermen or the processors? I know locally the processors are the ones making the $$$ from shipping to other states and overseas.
 
I live on the South Coast, lobster currently (retail) is about £32/kilo ... I believe the fishermen should get a fair price for their catch so I guess I'll pay that amount, not often but for a 'treat'. I guess they get 50% of the retail. So if they sell to an exporter and not a shop they must be getting more than £16, let's say £20, the lobster then has to be stored, transported across the channel somehow, down to, say, Spain, stored somewhere again, then transported again to a retail outlet ... all that sounds expensive to me ... are the Spanish really paying £60+ per kilo ? Maybe I'm being naive !
 
Roger Burton said:
I live on the South Coast, lobster currently (retail) is about £32/kilo ... I believe the fishermen should get a fair price for their catch so I guess I'll pay that amount, not often but for a 'treat'. I guess they get 50% of the retail. So if they sell to an exporter and not a shop they must be getting more than £16, let's say £20, the lobster then has to be stored, transported across the channel somehow, down to, say, Spain, stored somewhere again, then transported again to a retail outlet ... all that sounds expensive to me ... are the Spanish really paying £60+ per kilo ? Maybe I'm being naive !
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I would guess, and it is only a guess, is that it about economies of scale. Spanish markets will absorb boat loads, thus making it a more attractive prospect for exporters whilst also keeping the price down for the consumer. U.K. market is much smaller, thus not really of much interest to the industrial scale producers and this makes the retail price much higher. The price of lobster you quote is still a few pounds per kilo lower than decent fillet steak, so not really that expensive.

The whole UK fishing market is a bit skewed. Not only do we export most of what we catch (mainly to mainland Europe) but we also import most of what we eat. Makes a bit of a nonsense of the Brexiteer slogan about taking back control of our waters.
 
Roger Burton said:
I don't think it's exported and reimported we just export our catches 80% Scottish catch:

A seafood export dilemma in Scotland

https://www.seafish.org/media/486918/faqs web version 010711.pdf

and certainly we are not as fond of seafood as other European countries, I just don't understand the finances of the issue, do UK fishermen get more by exporting than selling locally, obviously they do and as I said the same with lamb, is it cheaper to buy NZ lamd shipped across the globe than buying local ?
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Sadly, this is driven by our supermarkets, ever competing to drive down prices as they compete with each other. As a population we have become obsessed by the low cost of food (which we then mostly throw away) as opposed to quality, welfare or provenance. This is why we import boat loads of NZ lamb, whilst exporting our good stuff to France. We have some fantastic food producers in the UK and it's a real shame that they are not better supported.
 
epicuric said:
I would guess, and it is only a guess, is that it about economies of scale. Spanish markets will absorb boat loads, thus making it a more attractive prospect for exporters whilst also keeping the price down for the consumer. U.K. market is much smaller, thus not really of much interest to the industrial scale producers and this makes the retail price much higher.
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Yep - thats more or less what I was saying, I think. The UK market is dominated by the big 5:
  • Cod
  • Haddock
  • Tuna
  • Salmon
  • Prawns
These five species make up between 60 – 75% of all seafood eaten in the UK (different sources give different figures for the exact percentage the big five make up). All other seafood (shellfish, fish species, crabs, lobsters and other crustaceans) fall into the remaining 25 – 40%.

The Big Five Fish Species | Britishseafishing.co.uk

This article also contains some interesting statistics about changing trends in fish sales in the UK, with fish such as sea bass, pouting (?) , gurnard and john Dory gaining in popularity. The sea bass I can see - its everywhere in the supermarkets. But the others...?
 
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