Rebranding fish simply refers to the process of renaming fish species to make them sound more attractive and appetising to consumers, and therefore easier to sell. The rebranding of fish species is widespread throughout the world and is common in Britain, particularly in supermarkets which often believe that customers require encouragement to purchase species they are not familiar with. Below are some of the most common and notable renaming and re-branding processes which have taken place.
Pollock Re-branded as ‘Colin’
In 2009 it was announced that Sainsbury’s Supermarket was rebranding “unpopular” pollock as ‘Colin’ (the French name for Hake). The bizarre rebrand was also accompanied by the fish being sold in new packaging created by fashion designer Wayne Hemmingway and inspired by the work of artist Jackson Pollock. One of the reasons for the rebrand was that customers were apparently put off by the name of pollock and Sainsbury’s claimed that some customers were even embarrassed to ask for pollock. Despite Sainsbury’s encouraging consumers to eat ‘Colin and chips’, the name pollock lives on.
Shark Species Renamed
While the shark species which are found around the UK are not widely eaten they are sold in fish and chip shops. However, these species are almost always re-branded under a different name. When deep-fried and served in a fish and chip shop smooth-hound is sometimes called Sweet William, while other smaller shark species such as lesser-spotted dogfish, bull huss and spurdog are often called ‘rock salmon’ or simply ‘rock’. The popularity of both sweet William and rock salmon appears to have declined in recent years and it is now fairly rare to see this for sale in fish and chip shops.
Cornish Name Applied to Lesser-Known Species
Plaice and Dover sole are premium flatfish that command the highest prices in supermarkets and restaurants but the lesser-known deep-water species of megrim and witch are considerably cheaper. But as these species are unknown to most consumers they are often renamed and rebranded to make them sound more appealing. Megrim is often renamed as Cornish sole, while witch often becomes Torbay sole. Clearly associating these species with the fishing communities of south west England is seen as beneficial to convincing people to buy this species. It has also been suggested that the Cornish name could be used to make spider crabs more appealing. This species is indeed found off the south west coast of England, but is unpopular with British consumers and the vast majority of catches are exported to continental Europe where it is widely eaten. In early 2021 the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation suggested that spider crabs could be rebranded as Cornish king crab to make them easier to sell to British consumers.
The Many Names for Atlantic Wolffish
Atlantic wolffish has many different common names – sea cat, wolf eel, devil fish, sea wolf, catfish and a number of others. Due to the unusual and somewhat scary appearance of this species, it is rarely sold to the public on wet fish counters with carefully prepared skinned and boned fillets being offered for sale instead. But these are not usually sold as being wolffish fillets, and instead, the name of woof, Scarborough woof or Scotch halibut is applied to this species when it is sold as food. Atlantic wolffish numbers have declined significantly in recent years, meaning it is rare to see it for sale either in fish and chip shops or in fishmongers.
Renaming of Deep Sea Fish
Technological advances have led to deep-sea species (those which live at depths of 1000 metres and deeper) now being caught on a commercial basis. This has led to new species which consumers are unlikely to be familiar with arriving on the market. The problem for those looking to sell these fish is that many of the most commercially viable species had unappealing names such as slimehead or rat-tail. The answer was to simply rename them – slimehead became orange roughy (or deep sea perch) and rat-tail was renamed roundnose grenadier. These names have been proven to be much more appetising for consumers and have helped create a market for these species, although most consumers are completely unaware of the huge amount of damage that is done to delicate deep-sea environments by the trawlers which catch these species of fish.
Patagonian Toothfish becomes Chilean Sea Bass
Patagonian Toothfish is a large predatory species of fish which can reach over 200lbs in weight. It is found predominantly in the colder waters of the South Atlantic, although it can also be found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. This species is highly prized for the quality and taste of its flesh, with restaurants willing to pay large sums of money for the opportunity to add this fish to their menus – prices of £100 per kilo have been reported. However, the Patagonian toothfish name is not the easiest to sell to consumers, so the name Chilean sea bass is usually applied to this species when it is seen on the menu of a high-price restaurant. Indeed, the fish is briefly mentioned in the 1993 worldwide hit film Jurassic Park, with many people believing that this raised the awareness of this species amongst the general public and led to hugely increased demand (and increased levels of legal and illegal fishing) for Patagonian toothfish.
Pilchards are now Cornish sardines
Pilchards have an unenviable reputation as a small, cheap fish which was popular in Britain from the 19th century until the 1970s when the increasing availability and falling prices of foreign species such as tuna saw the popularity of pilchards plummet. Retailers such as Marks & Spencer have reported disappointing sales of pilchards when they have tried to sell this species as a fresh fish from their fish counters. The answer to this was, of course, a rebrand and rename. Marks & Spencer stated that sales increased when pilchards were re-branded as Cornish sardines and consumers were reminded of the health benefits of eating oily fish. In 2014 The Independent reported that sales of this species had risen by 19 per cent when its name was changed from pilchard to Cornish sardine, and restaurants have begun putting this species back on their menus.
PETA and Sea Kittens
Of course, there are other groups which attempt to gain an advantage by rebranding fish species. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) continued their campaign against recreational angling by starting a (presumably tongue-in-cheek) campaign to have fish re-branded as ‘sea kittens’. They claimed this would result in people viewing fish differently and turning against angling. Indeed PETA’s website asked “who could possibly want to put a hook through a sea kitten?” Read more about PETA and angling here.
Summary
The rebranding and renaming of fish species is something which seems set to continue. While supermarkets and other retailers may claim that they are trying to get consumers to eat alternative species to take the pressure off the most commercially exploited species (the big five) the cynical view would be that supermarkets are, in fact, attempting to create a market for cheaper, under-exploited species. This is something which would be welcomed by much of the commercial fishing industry which is constantly looking for new species to exploit to make up for the declining numbers of traditional food fish. The extent to which rebranding and renaming fish boosts sales is unclear. For British consumers it is worth noting that when fish are sold on a wet fish counter the retailer must display the scientific names, meaning that consumers can tell exactly what species of fish they are buying.