Fresh From The Boat Havant based business started a few years ago with a simple concept of selling local fresh fish to local people. We didn’t want to be the ghosts of the sea but part of a community.
We started simply by selling our fish that was caught on our fishing vessel Sarah C and sold direct to local businesses, restaurants and people.
Also offering a Community Fish Box Scheme where you can get a whole kilo of fish for £7.
Over the last few years we’ve grown from strength to strength.
We’ve educated 100’s of people on the importance of buying fresh, sustainably caught fish and the importance of not just putting pressure on stocks such has salmon, tuna and cod.
We hold open days and fish filleting lessons.
We now not only sell fish from our boat but support many other local fishermen.
We sell our catch at various locations weekly, offer a home delivery service from shore to door and also supply local fishmongers, restaurants and public houses.
We may not have huge catches at venues, we may not have lots of species of fish, our business ethos is not about that, it’s about educating people on what we do catch, how to cook and prepare super fresh fish and to work with the seasons.
We have many species that are amazing to eat but they get shipped abroad, we no longer have that problem, 80% of catch is sold locally.
In March we were overjoyed to find out people in our local area had nominated us within the ‘Fishing News Awards’ as ‘Independent Fresh Fish Retailer Of The Year’
We honestly thought we had a small chance of winning but to be short-listed as the top five out of the whole of the UK and Ireland was a real achievement.
The biggest achievement knowing that people had given up there time to put us forward.
Voting opened for about a month and it felt like the whole local community had backed us.
I was so proud on 24th May when we took a flight to Aberdeen to attend the awards ceremony.
The night was full of comedy, great food and company but to top it off we were crowned ‘Independent Fresh Fish Retailer Of The Year’
This is a real success story and I’m super proud to work within the Fishing industry.
Here in Hampshire/Sussex we have some amazing places where you can buy fresh fish from and the seafood festival returns to Gunwharf again soon.
The fishing industry is a tough one to work in, long hours, huge risks and not to mention lots of political battles such as quotas and how we are managed. Local fishermen and businesses need to have a passionate community who support them and I can honestly say we have one in our area!