If you’ve ever been to Portugal, you’ll know that canned fish is a big deal. There are entire shops dedicated to the stuff, with brightly coloured tins featuring some beautiful designs and illustrations in a bid to stand out from the crowd. When the country’s canning industry took off in the nineteenth century it was seen as a quick and affordable meal, but over the years it became an artisanal product, with the pick of the day’s catch set aside to be preserved.
Here in the UK, there are still a lot of people that see canned fish as an outdated necessity rather than something to be admired. Multipack tins of tuna, cans of pilchards and sardines in sauce are certainly tasty, but on the whole the British mindset still regards them as inferior – rather than an equal alternative – to fresh. Combine that with the sustainability issues that come with irresponsible fishing (particularly tuna), and it’s no wonder we see these cans as something to fall back on when there’s nothing in the fridge instead of something to be championed.
However, we’re starting to see the light. With a focus on sustainability and quality above all else, Fish4Ever is a business looking to inject a bit of much-needed excitement and buzz around something that’s often dismissed in the UK. Sourcing fish only when it’s in season and from the best environmentally friendly fisheries in the world, this British producer is leading the charge when it comes to canning mackerel, tuna, sardines, anchovies and salmon. This isn’t just good for the fish – there’s an onus on avoiding by-catch, where unwanted fish are thrown back into the sea – but for the planet and the fishermen themselves too.
Fishing isn’t a catch-all term – there are many different methods each with their own pros and cons. Trawling will provide you with plenty of fish, for example, but it also causes havoc on the seabed, destroying the habitat and with it the chances of fishthriving in the same area. Smaller day boats using pole and line methods, on the other hand, might mean a more unpredictable supply, but it means the fish living in that area can continue to thrive and repopulate. It’s the latter which offers a better tasting, more sustainable can of fish.