River Cottage,gone fishing

[StokeBloke]

Anybody watch this programme on channel four tonight?,Hugh whatever his name is,visited an organic carp farm where the owners moaned that the British public were not yet 'switched on' to eating carp,before netting a pond for Hugh to cook some small mirrors for the cameras.After a tasting session, Hugh then urged the viewers to visit foreign markets to try carp and hoped one day carp would be as popular as our many sea species and be available in all our supermarkets.As a carp angler the programme wasn't particuarly enjoyable viewing,but with the amount of immigrants,could Hugh be right,will carp become readily available in our shops?

Any thoughts?

[Carper90]

ive seen carp for sale in some fish specialists, but really couldn't see carp anglers allowing it, i no if i saw someone in my lake trying to steal carp i would do my best to stop em

[tenchmaster]

it dont matter when it is farmed but i cant see immigrants payin for it when the can catch it and eat it

[Tricky]

I can understand were you are coming from mate but i would them rarther be breed by someone who is going to sell them as food for people that want to eat them than people stealing them from the waters we fish its all about surply and demand and we have to remember they were breed in the first place in this country for food im not saying i agree with it but thats life.

[HAWTHORN]

All coarse fish used to be part of our diet. Darn sarf you can still buy bream and roach from the fish markets.

A few years ago Sainsburys started selling carp on their fish counter, the story made Angling Mail/Times and it was pointed out to Mr Sainsbury that their was a few million disgruntelled anglers in the country. The carp were removed imediately. They were not even on sale for a week.

[oliver reed]

Originally Posted by StokeBloke

Anybody watch this programme on channel four tonight?,Hugh whatever his name is,visited an organic carp farm where the owners moaned that the British public were not yet 'switched on' to eating carp,before netting a pond for Hugh to cook some small mirrors for the cameras.After a tasting session, Hugh then urged the viewers to visit foreign markets to try carp and hoped one day carp would be as popular as our many sea species and be available in all our supermarkets.As a carp angler the programme wasn't particuarly enjoyable viewing,but with the amount of immigrants,could Hugh be right,will carp become readily available in our shops?

Any thoughts?

Hmmmmmmmm,they've gotta catch the blighters first!

Carp are often seen in huge continental asda type stores alive in tanks ready for le customer to pick their choice.The species found in our waters were originally meant for the table don't forget...

The whole idea of mirror and leathers was to shorten time preparing them for the table,being easier to de scale.

Could anyone enlighten me as to what animals our East European 'friends' deem sacred and close to their hearts,as I would dearly love to smack said beastie over the head and apply to the closest barbecue before tucking in on a baguette,just to put the proverbial boot on the other foot.

Maybe then they would get the hint that when in Rome...

[Deano]

Its just a food source like any other fish really.The only problem is the new additions to this country that think any fish are fair game, even the ones in our lakes..If its farmed for food then its fair game but I hope that they just stick to the ones in the supermarket and dont start knocking 20's over the head....

I once caught a foreigner with a half pound roach still wriggling about in his shopping bag at one of my local waters.....it went back in and he got the message I hope....well I never saw him again anyway...we need to be vigilant...hopefully if they see them in the supermarkets (because its going down that route) they will leave the lakes alone...

[Chesh]

carp is already sold in Morrisons around the North West, with xmas coming up dont be surprised to see a mid double mirror chilling nicely on the ice!!! i took a pic last year of what must of been a scrapper double in Morrisons Crewe, nice looking fish too!

The thign with river cottage is he is a forrager (spelling) everything he eats, eh grows, produces himself, picks from the hedgrow or even catches (the episode with the cuttle fish is amzaing) a few years ago in early River Cottage, he fished the thames tributary i think and caught a few eels, as well as a mirror of about a pound! straight in the tin foil, butter, and cooked on the engine of his trusty landy!! harsh yes... but also goes to show that when people have their beliefs and dont want to shell out for food then the only way to go is capture your own food!!

i for one would not and do not condone he actions of actual poaching, and the ways and means of doing it, along with our ethnic friends etc.. but just think... what would you do if you were short of ££

food for thoughts (no pun intended) maybe!

[Joephus]

Carp, brought to england for food! We have just adapted and started catching them.

Theres been loads of threads on all the forums started, all in the same way 'Its horrible etc' now either all these people are softy vegeratrians or have no link to how food comes about. I eat beef, pork and so on. It would be very hypocritycal of me to say eating carp was wrong.

As long as they aint bashing heather on the head or carp from our rivers and lakes then i dont see a problem with it.

[Rainey]

Sainsburys are planning to sell carp for xmas this year...

[mancity]

I hate Sainsburys, the store-made cheese rolls are top quality, but everything else is a rip-off lol

But mmmmmmmmmm those cheese rolls

[booth91]

id rather them be breed for the table than so buggers nicking em from my local

[Boilie Stop]

My stomach's still churning after watching those small mirrors being de-scaled from last nights programme..
I guess when you've been brought up fishing for Carp and returning them safely and all the general welfare of the fish is so important; After seeing that makes your stomach churn.!!
They might be farmed fish but they come at a cost to buy..that wont stop others poaching for food..the programme only advertises a market of opportunity for Carp.!!
Its funny how times change..clubs used to watch out for poachers generally fishing on there waters..then it went to fish being stolen to stock other waters and now people are going to be looking to eat the poor s*d's.

[Blue]

Originally Posted by Joephus

Carp, brought to england for food! We have just adapted and started catching them.

As long as they aint bashing heather on the head or carp from our rivers and lakes then i dont see a problem with it.

I agree

I'm all for farmed carp that are reared for the table, the more readily available they become, the less vulnerable the carp in our lakes are. Ok, as carp anglers it's not nice to see someone on TV preparing a carp for the table, but neither is it nice to see a pig or a cow having it's throat cut and stomach pulled out, yet we eat these animals. It's all relative..

The difference between seeing a carp for sale in our supermarkets compared to pork, beef etc is, the carp still looks like a carp when it is lying there on the ice or whatever, a cow or pig becomes a sausage or piece of fillet steak in a nice bit of packaging. It's easier to get more emotional seeing our beloved carp out of their natural environment.

The sale of carp in our supermarkets doesn't bother me, as Joephus says, as long as our Eastern European friends aren't poaching them from our lakes, I ain't got a problem with it

[kevw]

Trout are a beautiful native fish, hard fighting and can be tricky to catch, especially in the rivers. Never hooked a salmon but believe the same goes.

Both very tasty as well.