Introducing: The Fish Society

We proudly work with the Fish Society to deliver our prawns to your door! Read on to find out more about this brilliant company with a dedication to source sustainable seafood.

The Fish Society was established in 1994 by Alistair Blair, who had a conviction to supply high quality, frozen fish to your door! What distinguishes the Society from other seafood companies is their commitment to sustainability. With a pledge to donate 1% of sales or 5% of profits (highest value-dependent) to marine sustainability, the Society has long been an advocate against overfishing, restoring marine habitats like the U.K. coastal area. In addition, the Society’s efforts have been industrially recognised since becoming patrons of the National Lobster Hatchery. The strong commitment towards sustainability motivated us to work with them to further introduce sustainable seafood to the U.K.

Image: The Fish Society Team, Credits: The Fish Society

What sustainable practices does the Society adopt?

Sustainability within seafood is not a linear discussion. The industry itself is subdivided into different sectors depending on the fish species. Subsequently, each fish species offers a different perspective of what it means to be ‘sustainable’. It is incorrect to believe that there is a ‘one size fits all’ practice of sustainability. However, the underpinnings of sustainability such as: maintaining the fish population, minimising the impact on marine life and responsible management, are integrated as best as possible into seafood practices.

The Society take these into account and attempt to source seafood from the industry pioneers of sustainable and responsible seafood. In addition to this, the Society conducts extensive research into their extensive offering to ensure that sustainability standards are met. The research also includes reading the latest scholarship on sustainable practices and switching suppliers if sustainability standards are simply not met.

The Society have also created a Sustainability Council, in which members discuss the research findings and new sustainability initiatives to implement. Such an initiative was the Brighton Beach Clean on Sept. 11^th, 2021. The event started with a quick introduction, presenting a few alarming facts about marine pollution. Then, the volunteers were divided into several groups to cover the whole surface of the beach. The volunteers were given bin bags, disposable gloves and litter pickers to collect and sort the waste. The volumes of waste collected astounded the volunteers and reinforced the importance of the Society’s sustainability push.

Image: Recyclable boxes, Credits: The Fish Society

How do the prawns get delivered to your door?

The sustainability initiatives also spill-over into packaging and delivery. EPS (Expandable Polystyrene) is made of 98% air, making it one of the lightest packaging materials. It adds very little to the weight of the packaging, so transport costs and fuel emissions are kept to a minimum. However, the Society sought to improve the packaging to make it fully recyclable. After much deliberation, the Society encountered an all-cardboard insulation R&D project and tested their boxes to see if the cardboard could insulate the frozen seafood for 36 hours.  To their surprise, the tests concluded that it works well, if not better, that the leading EPS alternative.

However, it is important to note that the Society are on the way to phasing out non-recyclable plastic vacuum pack pouches. The Society are approximately half-way through the transition and hope to have transitioned to circa 95% recyclable plastic by the end of the year.

Image: Raw Head-On Prawns, Raw Headless Shell-On and Raw Peeled

What prawns are available?

The Fish Society proudly supply and deliver the following formats from The Happy Prawn Co.:

1. Raw Whole (Head-On Shell-On)
2. Raw Headless Shell-On
3. Raw Peeled

For more information about the Fish Society click here for their website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Read more:

1. The Fish Society’s Sustainable Journey
2. The Fish Society’s Mission
3. The Fish Society’s Sustainable Delivery

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About The Happy Prawn Co.

The Happy Prawn Co. is an independent, ethical brand producing 100% natural, 100% traceable Black Tiger prawns from Indonesia. Aimed at seafood lovers and foodies alike, the brand officially launched in 2018, but it’s the result of more than a decade’s dedication.

Check out this short video about our story here: