British consumers favoring 'green' fish

LONDON, July 5 (UPI) -- Food industry officials say fish species once considered good only for cats are making surges in the British market because they're thought to be "greener."

Sea bass and pollack are more plentiful than the current "big three" fish, salmon, cod and haddock, and can be caught or farmed using more environmentally friendly methods, a fact British consumers are latching onto, The Guardian reported Saturday. In fact, cod sales in supermarkets, fish shops and restaurants fell by more than 10 percent in volume last year, while those of pollack went up by more than 150 percent, industry officials say.

The newspaper said Seafish, the British government's Sea Fish Industry Authority, has determined that an overall 5 percent yearly sales jump in the UK seafood market may partly be the result of consumers demanding locally sourced food. It found sales of sea bass rose by more than 30 percent between May 2007 and this May.

The trend is being picked up major fish companies as well. Birds Eye last year introduced a pollack fish finger product touting the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids, caught from Alaskan stocks with green certification from the Marine Stewardship Council.