The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) created the poll to celebrate Sustainable Seafood September. Six in ten (60%) Gen Z Brits and 57% of Millennials say they prefer a meal of raw fish and rice to a fish & chip supper, highlighting a growing generational divide when it comes to the nation’s taste in fish.
Britain’s favourite fish and Seafish dishes include: fish & chips (63%), fish cakes (37%), fish pie (36%), seafood pasta (34%), breadcrumbed with oven chips (32%), scampi & chips (30%), tuna pasta bake (28%), sushi (25%) and prawn toast (24%).
Regardless of what fish people eat, a quarter (26%) of all Brits say they are trying to live more sustainably, to help protect the oceans. While four in ten (43%) say they would be upset if they couldn’t get hold of their favourite fish because it was no longer available due to overfishing.
According to the research 36% of those respondents didn’t know that more than a third of global fisheries are being fished beyond sustainable limits, leading to 38% wanting to know more about which fish are sustainable and which ones are not.
George Clark, MSC UK & Ireland programme director, said: “We all love our fish and chips, but how fish and seafood is served and preferred has clearly changed over the years. It’s not surprising that a fish supper remains the nation’s favourite, but it’s incredibly interesting to see a new generation of enthusiastic young seafood lovers becoming more adventurous with what they’re eating.
“It’s also really encouraging to see just how important sustainability is to younger Brits, and if we want to get more healthy fish and seafood into our diets, sustainability and variety have become really important factors for this younger generation.
“This month we are calling on seafood lovers to Buy Blue and Protect Dinner, to ensure that their favourite fish dishes will be around for future generations too. Making a simple choice at the till or from the menu, and choosing the blue MSC ecolabel, can make a big difference for our oceans, and our diets.”