Supermarkets could help UK shoppers eat more sustainable local fish – study

Cadgwith Cove in Cornwall, where much of the catch is exported. The UEA study suggests that more local fish in supermarkets could help British diets and local economies. Photograph: Alamy

Supermarkets could help to support British consumers to move away from their reliance on mainly imported seafood – the “big 5” of cod, haddock, tuna, salmon and prawns – to more sustainable, nutritious and locally caught fish such as sardines and anchovies, researchers say.

A study by the University of East Anglia (UEA), which confirmed previous research showing consumers did not eat the recommended amount of fish in their diet, suggests the UK could be overlooking a major opportunity to improve national health as well as bolstering local economies by embracing its own rich populations of nutritious small fish.