The NAFC Marine Centre was pleased that staff members Leslie Tait and Chevonne Laurenson were part of a Scottish delegation that met with ASDA on Friday to discuss the recent ban that it introduced on the sale of monkfish in its stores.
Dr Laurenson has studied monkfish biology and its fishery for almost 10 years and is at the forefront of research on knowledge of the species. Dr Laurenson provided ASDA's sustainable and ethical sourcing manager, Chris Brown with an overview of the latest information on the status of the stock in Scottish waters and its importance.
Recent and ongoing progress in terms of management was discussed and research including the Industry-Science Partnership monkfish project and the monkfish tallybook scheme, both of which are led by FRS Aberdeen with NAFC Marine Centre participation, was highlighted.
Leslie Tait, the newly appointed Chairman of the Shetland Fishermen's Association said “Monkfish is very important to the local whitefish sector and sending out the wrong message based on outdated information can cause significant problems.”
The delegation received a good hearing and it was agreed that the meeting was a first step towards seeing Scottish monkfish stocked on the shelves of ASDA. An assurance was given that ban would be reversed if a marine conservation grouping gave the green light. Dialogue has already been opened with the appropriate conservation group.
