Fish is good for your skin. In particular oily fish, like sardines, trout, mackerel and salmon, contain a large amount of Omega 3 fatty acids, which improve the health of your skin, and provide vitamins such as niacin and vitamins such as iodine and selenium. Nutritionists and complementary therapists are constantly suggesting we eat more.
So it was surprising that one of the key messages emerging from the ‘The End of the Line Debate’ at the Thistle Hotel, Brighton, on 30 September was that we should eat less fish. We are also urged to be adventurous in trying new varieties and always to ask the retailer or restaurateur which ocean the fish comes from and how it was caught.
As the panel comprising Huw Irranca-Davies MP (Marine and Fisheries Minister), Charles Clover, (Author, The End of the Line) Caroline Bennett (MD, Moshi Moshi) Mark Price (MD, Waitrose) and David Norman (director of Campaigns, WWF) presented their takes on the depletion of global fish stocks, it was clear that rapid action is needed to address the way in which the fishing industry is managed. There were calls for everybody, including governments, fishermen, retailers, restaurateurs and consumers, to play a role in nurturing the marine eco-system to keep disaster at bay.
The European Commission was recently persuaded to back a temporary ban on the bluefin tuna trade so it is possible to make a difference. However, serious changes to fishing grounds, methods, quotas and policing are crying out to be implemented and swiftly. And we should all be educated to expect smaller portions and different varieties of fish on our plates to prevent the huge wastage of undersized or unpopular fish which are thrown back dead or damaged into the sea. In short, an overhaul of a different nature is needed ... and our skin may have to receive its nourishment a little less frequently.
See the trailer for Rupert Murray’s acclaimed film ‘The End of the Line’ at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bedirwk95Oc
