The latest update of the Marine Conservation Society’s (MCS) Good Fish Guide has seen Northeast Atlantic mackerel moved on to the amber list, having been on the green list since before 2011.
MCS said that an amber rating means that improvements are needed – in this case, better management to end overfishing of the stock.
In total the UK charity has reviewed 186 environmental ratings for seafood, with 20 seafood ratings moving to the guide’s ‘Fish to Avoid’ list and 15 seafood ratings joining the green-rated, ‘Best Choice’ list.
MCS states that in the past, populations of mackerel have been large enough to withstand fishing, but that in recent years the population has been in steady decline.
The fish is caught by various coastal states, including Norway, Iceland, the UK and the EU, but currently, these countries are not working together to tackle overfishing of the species.
With no agreement on how to divide the catches, quotas have been higher than scientifically recommended limits since 2009, exceeding them by as much as 80% in some years.
In October 2021, the main fishing states again agreed that total mackerel catches in 2022 should not exceed the scientific advice, but not how the catches should be divided. The combined catch limits set by all countries for 2022 exceeded advice by 42%.
“International cooperation is the only way to fix this problem, and UK governments must lead by example. We need to see countries agree on quotas, and extra management measures being put in place to protect stocks,” MCS Good Fish Guide Manager Charlotte Coombes said.
With regards to other species featured in the guide, European eel stays on the Fish to Avoid list, while wild-caught Pacific salmon and North Sea herring remain green-rated.
MCS’s Good Fish Guide for Business is a free tool to assist chefs, restaurants and anyone working in the seafood supply chain.
