Sometimes, it seems, there aren't plenty of fish in the sea. The annual 'Fish of the Year' award will not be presented in 2024, the Flemish Centre for Agro- and Fisheries Marketing (VLAM) announced on Thursday.
Normally a highpoint of the Belgian coastal calendar, no fish species will be assigned the esteemed title. The initiative was created to promote certain varieties among consumers and chefs but none of the species selected this year are in sufficient supply. As a result the campaign cannot be launched and will be postponed until early next year.
The Belgian Rederscentrale (the representative organisation for fisheries) notes that the industry is "highly dependent on quotas imposed by Europe". But Rederscentrale Director Emiel Brouckaert denied any problem with fish populations: "There is no shortage of any species in nature at the moment."
Instead, the factors affecting the choice of catch are market demand and price, he explained. The Flemish Fish Auction reports that slightly fewer plaice, witch, and shrimp are being caught this season.
Last year, the Fish of the Year was the megrim, not to be confused with the somewhat similar witch (a type of flat fish). Which species is selected is determined in collaboration with the Flemish fishing sector and the Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research.
