These fish are fully certified!

Skippers Traditional Fish and Chips in Euxton has been awarded a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification to serve up sustainable fish suppers to locals, meaning all the MSC certified fish on its menu can be traced back to sustainable, well-managed fisheries.

It is also the first fish and chip shop in Chorley to be certified.

Andrew Crook, the owner, has been running the take-away for over a decade.

He said: “More and more customers are concerned about the provenience of the food they eat, they are also concerned about the environment and fish stocks. By becoming MSC certified it allows me to demonstrate that they can eat fish and chips from our outlet with a clear conscience.”

For Andrew, fish and chips has been in his family for some time.

He said: “My great uncles were fishermen and sailed out of Fleetwood. My Great Uncle was sunk by a U boat off Mull in 1939 and his name appears on the Monument on Tower Hill in London.

“I had been around my parent’s fish and chip business since I was nine years old so it was a natural progression for me really.”

Skippers is certified for MSC cod, haddock and plaice and makes homemade fish cakes and fish bites using certified cod, for those with smaller appetites. The fish bar sources Frozen-At-Sea (FAS) MSC certified fish, as the travel logistics for supplying wet fish make it inconsistent for their use.

Skippers is a NFFF Quality Award holder and since its certification and use of the blue MSC ecolabel, it has become known for its accredited sustainable status. Andrew has also found that customers who were previously wary about eating fish are more confident.

He added: “The process has given my staff a new insight into sustainable fish and I have already found them proudly discussing our MSC sustainable fish with customers. I would encourage all Quality Award holders to add MSC certification, it is very important that we show that great fish and chips can be consumed with a clear conscious.

“We have had lots of activity on social media surrounding our certification, creating a lot of discussion in the shop. There certainly are people out there that don’t think they can eat fish and chips due to limited fish stocks. With MSC certification we can prove that our fish and chips are sustainable.”

George Clark from the MSC said: “Congratulations to Skippers and the team on their MSC certification. The MSC’s blue ecolabel is reassuring for customers looking to enjoy Skipper’s tasty, traceable and certified sustainable fish.”