A seafood business, with a restaurant in Weymouth, has been honoured at a leading awards ceremony.

Rockfish, owned by restaurateur and food writer Mitch Tonks, won the accolade at the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) annual UK awards ceremony, which honours achievements in sustainable seafood.

The group also has a restaurant in Poole. 

The MSC UK Awards, which are a celebration of the commitment to sustainable seafood across the whole supply chain from ocean to plate, were held on Sunday, October 26 at the Fishmongers’ Hall in London.

George Clark, MSC UK & Ireland programme director, said: “The southwest is one of the most important fishing regions in the country and so it is fitting that two businesses from the area have won MSC awards for their championing of sustainable seafood.

“Mitch Tonks is an absolute pioneer in sustainable seafood and his mission for many years has been to make sustainable seafood more accessible. The entire team has succeeded in doing this and we congratulate them all on the growing Rockfish business."

Rockfish has a restaurant in Weymouth on the Esplanade that offers sweeping views of the beach and bay.

They use sustainably caught, fresh, local fish from their boat ‘Rockfisher’ across the Devon and Dorset coastline.

A server will talk through the daily selection available, marking each fish species down on the tablecloth and the different ways the chefs cook it to order on the chargrill or crisp fried.

With eight restaurants and a tinned seafood business, they won the double with its Brixham-based fresh fish supply business in Devon, Rockfish Quayside claiming the Fresh Fish Foodservice Supplier of the Year.

Collecting the award for Fresh Fish Foodservice Supplier of the Year, Joshua Perkes, director of sustainability at Rockfish Quayside, said: “Thanks to the whole team at Rockfish Quayside. Here’s to extending our scope and having products for future generations.”

The MSC is an international non-profit organisation which sets globally recognised, science-based standards for sustainable fishing and seafood traceability.

The blue MSC ecolabel on a seafood product means that it comes from a wild-catch fishery which has been independently certified to the MSC’s science-based standard for environmentally sustainable fishing.

For more information on the MSC visit: msc.org/uk