Studies show that 80 per cent of the seafood Brits eat consists of just five species – cod, haddock, salmon, tuna and prawns – despite the huge array of fish and shellfish found around the British coastline.

Many of the more sustainable alternatives, such as coley, dab and gurnard, are thrown away because there is no market for them. However, because of this lack of popularity, they are not as expensive.

Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s Wild Oceans project officer Lindsay Sullivan, says that the power of marine conservation is in the hands of the fish consumer. Lindsay said:

“We really can make a difference just by choosing to eat a variety of fresh fish. There are so many tasty fish around our coastlines and we shy away from eating them and stick to what we know - cod and haddock. This puts unnecessary pressure on those fish stocks and on our fishermen to catch them. “We can take care of our marine environment, our local fishing economy and our pockets by asking for locally-landed fish and by trying something new”.

Lindsay will be on hand at Cranstons on Saturday between 10.30am and 3pm. She will be joined by local chef Gill Douglas to see how easy it is to cook these unusual suspects and just how tasty they can be.

The Wild Oceans project is also keen for Cumbrians to support their local fishermen and fishmongers in the same way as we do our farmers and butchers. Eating the locally-landed “catch of the day” will support the Cumbrian fishing economy and the environment by helping fishermen to land more of the catch, knowing there is a market for all the species and that they can get a fair price.

Lindsay said: “It’s not easy to find local fish on sale in Cumbria, despite our huge coastline and diverse marine life, so we need to demonstrate that the demand is there.”