Sustainability is a word that gets used a lot in food. Sometimes a little too easily.
For us, it starts with understanding the system we are actually part of, the sea, the fishery, the people working on it and the impact that producing food inevitably has.
Because there is no impact-free way to feed either people or pets.
Every form of food production asks something of the planet. Beef requires land, feed and water. Poultry requires feed and farming infrastructure. Aquaculture has its own inputs. Wild-caught seafood has impacts too.
The more useful question is: how do we make those systems as responsible, efficient and well managed as possible?
That is one of the reasons Norway lobster became such an interesting ingredient for Scamp & Paw.
The fishery we work alongside is scientifically assessed, with fishing activity managed around the health of the stock. And perhaps more importantly, the fishermen themselves have every reason to protect it.
Their future depends on there still being Norway lobster to catch next year, and the year after that.
Fishing is changing too
One of the things that struck us while spending time with the people involved in the fishery was how much work is taking place to reduce unwanted catch.
Norway lobster fisheries operate in mixed-species environments, so other fish can enter the net. Some may be legal commercial catch; others are species or sizes fishermen actively do not want.
That has driven considerable scientific and industry-led innovation.
Square-mesh panels, for example, are designed to give fish an opportunity to escape before reaching the end of the net. New camera technology is also beginning to give fishermen greater visibility of what is happening underwater.
It isn't about pretending fishing has no impact.
It is about understanding that impact and continually finding better ways to fish.
And wild food has another interesting advantage
Unlike farmed protein, wild Norway lobster doesn't need to be fed.
There is no land being cleared to grow its feed. No sheds need to be heated to raise it. No agricultural inputs are required to keep it alive.
It simply exists within the marine ecosystem until it is harvested.
That doesn't automatically make every wild fishery sustainable - management matters enormously - but it is an important part of the environmental picture.
Then comes the bit we're particularly passionate about
Once Norway lobster has been caught for the human food chain, we believe as much value as possible should be taken from that catch.
That is where Scamp & Paw comes in.
We take valuable Norway lobster material and turn it into nutritious food for cats and dogs, creating another purpose from the catch rather than allowing useful marine nutrition to be wasted.
It is a surprisingly simple idea: Catch responsibly. Use thoughtfully. Waste less.
And because our Norway lobster can be traced through its journey from British waters, we can tell pet owners something we think increasingly matters:
what is in the bowl, where it came from and why we chose it.
That, to us, is what responsible pet food should increasingly look like.
Not perfection.
Progress, transparency and making smarter use of what we already have.
Boat to Bowl… and beyond.
