Brits dislike freshwater fish?

Except for trout, I get the impression that Brits in general go mainly for salmon, cod, sole, flounder, halibut, herring and suchlike. Not only carp, bream, tench, roach, bleak, etc. but even pike, perch and pike-perch seem to be looked down on.

Any reason for this?
In the Great Lakes area, walleye (pike-perch), perch and whitefish are among the most popular and best-eating species.

Pike has far too many bones, carp tastes too much like mud (I get the feeling most Poles wouldn't eat it either bar Christmas time). The rest of the fresh water fish I think are protected.

Edit: We do like eel and crayfish.

carp is a disgusting fish. it is a bottom feeder and that is what it tastes like. generally speaking, when eating, people tend to go with what they know.

Britain is surrounded by sea, why bother with freshwater fish? Having said that some types freshwater fish is eaten. Carp, though, is for petfood.

skate is a bottom feeder too, but folk eat it.

Skate is nice. Skate eat mostly other life such as oysters, crabs ect where as carp tend to filter through the mud. In Scotland we have very few freshwater skates, most of our skates are in inland sea lochs.

What you buy in shops is actually a type of Ray. Skate is protected species and they cannot call it that anymore.

And there you have your answer. Freshwater fishing is proscribed in the UK, it's more a genteel sport than a hunting mechanism. There aren't the stocks that you have around the great lakes, and population density here would result in overfishing very quickly if it wasn't ultra-regulated. 80% of fish caught in reservoirs get thrown back. Live. The thrill of the catch, see?

But the distance to the coast for most of us is relatively short - certainly by US standards. And mackerel fishing is just too bloody easy :)

I like plaice best, John Dory is quite nice too.
Growing up by the sea I was spoilt for choice, fresh mackerel with new potatoes :)

Spot on as I come from Eastbourne and lived 500 metes from the sea and could go down and get fresh fish caught within a few hours, or come to think of it catch it myself, so couldn't see the point of eating freshwater fish - not too keen on trout either TBH.

Polonius,are you on a Diet at the minute mate? You do seem to have a sudden obsession with all things foodie :)