No plaice for cod at Rockfish, Weymouth starting next month

Rockfish, which has restaurants on The Esplanade, in Weymouth and another site further afield in Poole, said it is taking cod off the menu due to current pressures including rising import tariffs and a sanction of Russian exports due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

READ MORE: Rockfish takes cod off menus due to supply issues

Inside the Weymouth seafront restaurant. Picture: Rockfish

Other reasons for the break from cod includes allowing supplies to return to a more manageable rate, therefore, the decision has been made to pause serving the popular dish as of mid July onwards.

A spokeswoman from Rockfish, said: "The menu is staying the same at the moment as we have committed to their supplies of cod for the time being.

"However, as of mid July it’ll be a pause on cod in Weymouth as it will be in all Rockfish restaurants.

"The team is always working hard to ensure ongoing stock of fabulous sustainable seafood and that continues as usual.

"Stock of locally landed fish isn’t an issue at all and we have wonderful British species coming in every day.

"This is just a real chance for Rockfish to celebrate those species over the summer while they wait for global supply issues that are impacting cod to settle down."

Current pressures brought on by the significant proportion of the world's whitefish supply accounted for by Russian boats, rising import tariffs due to sanctions and the subsequent increase in demand and price of fish from other non-Russian fisheries has made for an incredibly difficult supply chain to manage, the restaurant chain said.

Rockfish owner Mitch Tonks said: "We know that in parts of Britain, fish and chips means cod and chips.

"At the moment because of global supply issues resulting in significant cost implications for our customers, we have sat down as a team and made the decision to make this the summer of British fish."

Daniel Pettitt, managing director at Daniels Fish & Chips, which have sites in Chickerell Road, Littlemoor and Wyke Regis, said his business is committed to keep serving cod.

He said: "We are 100 per cent committed to keeping cod on our menu.

"If the wholesale price of cod rises again over the Summer we will have to increase our prices too, but we will ensure that the British Favourite remains available for our customers."