Sutton Harbour’s award winning seafood eatery, Rockfish has donated a further £8,000 to its neighbour, the National Marine Aquarium, in a bid to help the much-loved city attraction in wake of another lengthy closure.
This brings the total donated to £23,000 in the past twelve months from the popular restaurant, despite the hospitality industry being badly hit by the impact of the pandemic.
The vital funds were raised by Rockfish over the six months prior to its enforced lockdown closure, and come from their optional £1 table donation from customers.
These come at a crucial time for the Aquarium which relies on visitors to cover its operating costs – and to keep its animals fed, which is upwards of £5,000 each month. But due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, it was forced to remain closed from late December.
Mitch Tonks, chef and Rockfish owner said:
“The aquarium is an iconic part of the Plymouth landscape who do such important work in the community and it is wonderful that we can do something to make a difference, especially during this incredibly challenging year for ourselves and for the aquarium. We want to come out of this alongside our neighbour, the NMA, thriving so it feels particularly important to look out for each other.”
Roger Maslin, chief executive at the National Marine Aquarium, said:
“We are delighted to receive another generous donation from Rockfish and their customers.
“We share many of Rockfish’s values when it comes to helping preserve the marine environment and their support means we can continue in our vision of creating a healthier Ocean for all.
“One of the biggest challenges that face aquaria at this time, is the ongoing costs of feeding and maintaining the fish and animals. Even when closed to the public, the cost of operating the largest Aquarium in the UK remains up to £10,000 a day. This fantastic donation means we can continue to care for our animals, as well as continue our free education lessons for home schoolers and classes across the UK.”
Leader of Plymouth City council, Tudor Evans, said:
“How wonderful to see two Plymouth institutions working together to help each other out during this incredibly difficult time. The customers and teams at Rockfish, most of whom are Plymouth locals, are looking out for their neighbours, something that is reflected in many areas of our city. This is why we have such a good community here and long may it continue.”
Despite the aquarium’s closure the Ocean Conservation Trust, which runs the attraction, is continuing with their vital education and conservation work, including weekly Ocean school lessons on YouTube and cultivating ocean habitats in their lab to replant in the ocean.
For more information go to www.national-aquarium.co.uk or www.oceanconservationtrust.org
