A new restaurant in Hull's St Stephen's shopping centre has been designed to honour the city's fishing heritage.

Naked Fish owner James Goacher was proud to dedicate the venture, which was opening today, to generations of Hull fishermen.

Members of fishing heritage charity Stand were joined by veteran trawlermen for a sneak preview yesterday.

Mr Goacher – who also runs a restaurant in Bridlington – has strong links with the fishing industry, with four generations of his family working at sea.

He said: "My family has a long tradition with the sea, as trawlermen and fish merchants. My great uncle served on the Arctic Corsair

"I'm proud to commemorate their legacy in my new restaurant by fundraising for Stand and raising awareness of our rich fishing heritage.

"As an early-19th century fishmonger is reputed to have said to a customer haggling over the price of a haddock: 'It's not fish you are buying, it's men's lives'."

The restaurant cost about £250,000 to kit out and the walls are covered with images of Hull's fishing heritage taken from the pages of the Mail.

Mr Goacher is keen the restaurant reflects his pride in the industry.

He said: "I started working full-time for my father, who was a fish merchant, when I left school at 15.

"I ran a fish and chip shop, which I named after my son Merlin, before opening Naked Fish in Bridlington. I have developed my range of fish dishes through hard work and hands-on experience."

The restaurant is on the second floor of the St Stephen's centre in Ferensway.

With the creation of 15 jobs, the venture is fighting the recession and proving there are opportunities in the business world.

And like the Mail's Bounce Back campaign – which aims to unite the region on the road to recovery – the restaurant should provide fresh impetus for the local economy.

David Laycock, St Stephen's manager, said: "We are committed to bringing local businesses into the centre and it is great Naked Fish is demonstrating its confidence in St Stephen's and Hull by investing in a new venture of this type.

"This represents an excellent addition to our growing food offer and provides another exciting dimension to the dining experience for shoppers and leisure visitors.

"Naked Fish offers a great product and there's definitely a gap in the market for this type of restaurant in the city."

To book at Naked Fish, call (01482) 212711.