Sales of wet and smoked seafood have reached an enormous £59.3m for the four weeks ending 1 April 2001 ­ a figure never previously achieved in the 20 years' worth of data held by the Sea Fish Industry Authority (Seafish). Compared with the same period last year, sales of the wet/smoked category have increased by 17%. Within this sector both sales of finfish and shellfish have increased. Finfish, which accounts for 87% of wet/smoked sales, has pushed up the whole sector in the four weeks to April with a growth of 18.3% versus the same period last year [Taylor Nelson Sofres]. Tony Mogan, head of marketing at Seafish said: "Consumers are becoming more and more aware of how healthy seafood is. And because it only takes a few minutes to cook, it is the ideal food for busy lifestyles." The most popular species are salmon, cod and haddock. {{M/E MEAT }}

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