Fish Tales wins book award

Their book, published by Kyle Cathie in conjunction with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), shines a spotlight on sustainable fisheries and the coastal communities they support. The book also inspires readers to get cooking with sustainable seafood, with Tom Kime’s delicious recipes, beautifully photographed.

The fisheries featured in Fish Tales have all been certified against the MSC environmental standard for sustainable fishing. Products originating from these fisheries are eligible to bear the blue MSC ecolabel, telling customers that the seafood they are choosing is traceable to a well-managed, sustainable source.

Bart van Olphen became interested in sourcing sustainable seafood as a seafood entrepreneur in Amsterdam, and, in 2007, his store Fishes became the first retailer in Europe to be certified against the MSC Chain of Custody traceability standard. Tom Kime is an internationally-renowned chef, with a personal mission to use his love of food and fine cooking to educate consumers about sustainability.

Accepting the award, Bart and Tom said: “It’s great news that we won this award. We can’t think of a better confirmation that sustainable ways of fishing, responsible human consumption and haute cuisine go together very well. Our respect and gratitude go out to the MSC certified fisheries and fishermen that made this book possible.”

Simon Edwards, MSC Global Marketing and Communications Director, added: “Congratulations from the MSC to Bart and Tom for this well-deserved award. It’s thanks to pioneering and innovative retailers and chefs like them that the market for sustainable seafood is growing year by year, and that sustainable fisheries are able to reap the economic rewards for their commitment. The book is also an inspiration to individual consumers that, simply by buying and enjoying sustainably-sourced seafood, we can all do our bit to transform the market and safeguard the world’s oceans.“