Seabass and Pollock Recommended Over Cod and Haddock in Latest UK Fish Guide
The Marine Conservation Society's updated Good Fish Guide advises consumers to opt for more sustainable seafood choices as stocks of popular white fish decline.
Consumers seeking fish and chips may need to reconsider their choices as the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) updates its Good Fish Guide, recommending alternatives to traditionally popular white fish like cod, haddock, and hake. The guide highlights declining stocks and increased fishing pressure impacting these species.
The latest edition of the guide advises consumers to prioritize options such as Alaskan pollock, monkfish, and seabass. In contrast, coley, hake, Dover sole, and haddock have seen their ratings fall, with some now classified as fish to avoid.
"The status of fish stocks are continuously changing, and for consumers, it means that simply choosing a species isn't enough," said Kerry Lyne, Good Fish Guide Manager at the MCS. "A fish that was a good choice a few years ago is not necessarily a good choice everywhere today."
European hake, previously recommended, has been downgraded from green to amber due to declining stocks and increased fishing pressure. Coley (also known as Saithe) caught around the UK is now rated red because of population decline, while Northeast Arctic coley has also seen its rating drop.
Haddock from waters around Iceland, a primary source for the UK market, has moved from green to amber due to fishing pressure exceeding sustainable levels. However, haddock caught in the North Sea, Skagerrak, and Scottish waters remains a green-rated option.
The MCS recommends Alaska pollock from the Gulf of Alaska or the Bering Sea, monkfish caught in the North Sea, Rockall, or West of Scotland, and most seabass. It cautions against seabass from the West of Scotland and West of Ireland due to poor stock levels.
For shellfish, the guide suggests European lobster from Jersey, Shetland MSC-certified brown crab, UK farmed blue mussels, and UK RAS farmed king prawns.
"The best thing we can all do if we eat seafood, is diversify our seafood choices and avoid those most under threat," Ms Lyne added. "We need the UK Government to ensure better management is in place to recover and protect UK fisheries, many of which are in decline." The MCS Good Fish Guide uses a scale from one to five, with one representing the 'Best Choice' and five indicating 'Fish to Avoid', based on scientific advice regarding species, origin, and fishing or farming methods.