The Marine Conservation Society has updated its Good Fish Guide in line with the latest scientific advice. This spring’s update to the Good Fish Guide sees 17 ratings changes, with eight moving down the sustainability scale.  

One of the most noticeable changes is that ratings for mackerel have dropped further down the sustainability scale.

Alice Moore, Good Fish Guide Manager at the Marine Conservation Society said, “It’s deeply concerning to see a source of seafood that was once a sustainable choice in such decline. Mackerel is under immense pressure from fishing activities across multiple nations, and the stock will soon be no longer able to sustain itself. We’re witnessing a steady decline in numbers, and they are nearing a breaking point. Immediate action must be taken by the UK Government to work with other nations to align catch limits with scientific advice.” 

The Good Fish Guide is the charity’s flagship tool for identifying sustainable seafood, using a traffic light system for consumers, and a 1 to 5 scale for businesses. The system colour-codes each rating depending on where and how a species is caught or farmed: green (ratings 1 or 2) for the “Best Choice” options, amber (ratings 3 or 4) for improvements needed, and red (rating 5) for “Fish to Avoid”. The Marine Conservation Society recommends businesses, including restaurants and supermarkets, stock only seafood rated 1 to 3.

This spring’s update to the Good Fish Guide sees Northeast Atlantic mackerel caught by midwater trawl move from a 3 to a 4, recommending that businesses do not source it. Mackerel caught in this way in the Northeast Atlantic makes up most of what supermarkets and restaurants sell. Mackerel caught in the Northeast Atlantic by hook and line, moves from a 2 to a 3.

Although some management measures are in place for Northeast Atlantic mackerel, enforcement remains insufficient. Countries like Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and the UK, all fish this stock but there is no unified management plan to prevent overfishing across the entire fishery.

Catch limits (Total Allowable Catches or TACs) set by all parties have consistently exceeded scientifically recommended levels by between 5% and 80% since 2009. In recent years (2020 – 2024) TACs were, on average, 39% higher than scientific advice. Although actual catches have typically fallen below these TACs, they still exceeded recommended levels by an average of 23% (188,410 tonnes).

While there is agreement between countries that catches should match scientific advice, there is no agreement on how to share quotas between the countries. All parties must work together to develop an appropriate strategy that leads to a recovery of this stock.

As a more sustainable alternative to mackerel, the charity recommends herring from the North Sea and eastern English Channel, or sardines from Cornwall certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

Other notable movements on the Good Fish Guide see monkfish caught in the North Sea move from amber to green and blue marlin move off the red list, from a 5 to 4, due to a slight improvement in fishing pressure. Farmed ratings reviewed remained the same, with certified responsibly produced basa and tilapia remaining green rated, and farmed bluefin tuna remaining red rated.

The charity updates a proportion of ratings on the Good Fish Guide twice a year, depending on the latest scientific advice. The next update is due to be in October.

Visit the charity’s website for more information on the Marine Conservation Society’s Good Fish Guide and how the ratings work.

The post Marine charity changes advice on mackerel sourcing as sustainability ratings drop appeared first on All At Sea.