Fish ratings |
 Each
of the fish included on the MCS websites have been given a rating to
enable you to quickly identify species that are considered to be
sustainably produced, and those species which are not. Where a species
is considered as being:
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vulnerable to exploitation and/or assessed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as threatened
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from overfished stocks and/or stocks where data is deficient
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from poorly managed or unregulated fisheries
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caught using methods which are detrimental to other marine species and habitat
then they are more likely to have a higher score, and therefore a poorer rating, e.g. 4 or 5.
Conversely, those species from well managed, healthy stocks, which
are harvested or produced in ways which have less impact on the
environment or non-target species, or are from fisheries or aquaculture
systems that are certified as environmentally responsible, are more
likely to have a lower score, and therefore a higher rating, i.e. 1 or
2.
A species whose production method or management still needs to
improve for them to be considered sustainable is likely to obtain an
intermediate rating, i.e. 3.
The ratings appear in a traffic light-type format as indicated:
 Rating 1 (light green) is associated with the most sustainably produced seafood.
 Rating 2 (pale green) is still a good choice, although some aspects of its production or management could be improved
 Rating 3
(yellow) based on available information; these species should probably
not be considered sustainable at this time. Areas requiring improvement
in the current production may be significant. Eat only occasionally and
check www.fishonline.org for specific details.
 Rating 4
(orange) should not be considered sustainable, and the fish is likely
to have significant environmental issues associated with its production.
While it may be from a deteriorating fishery, it may one which has
improved from a 5 rating, and positive steps are being taken. However,
MCS would not usually recommend choosing this fish. Follow developments
for these species at www.fishonline.org
 Rating 5 (red) is associated with fish to be avoided on the basis that all or most of the above bullet points apply.
Fish to Eat are Rated 1 and 2 and Fish to Avoid are Rated 5
The
rating system has been developed by the Marine Conservation Society as
advice for choosing the most environmentally sustainable fish.
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Good Fish Guide Go to www.goodfoodguide.co.uk for a full list
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Example from the MCS good fish guide
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Common name - Bass, seabass
- Scientific name - Dicentrarchus labrax
- Average rating
- Visit Fishonline for the full range of options available for this species.
- Consumer Information
- Bass belong to a family of fish closely related to groupers. They
are thick-set, rapid swimming predatory fish with silvery-scales, prized
by anglers and chefs alike. Bass may be roasted, grilled, baked or
barbecued, and can also be steamed or poached. Good with rosemary,
garlic or lemon.
- Summary
- The precise status of bass stocks is unknown and fishing effort and
catch is not controlled. The combination of slow growth, late maturity,
spawning aggregation, and strong site fidelity, increase the
vulnerability of seabass to over-exploitation and localised depletion.
Recreational landings are significant and are estimated to exceed
commercial catches in some areas. These are largely unreported and
unregulated. Seabass caught by handlining methods in the southwest of
England are an especially good choice, as all fish can be identified by a
tag in the gill, providing traceability back to the individual
fisherman who caught it. Ask for fish which has been line-caught and
tagged. For more information see www.linecaught.org.uk. The gill-net
fishery off the Holderness Coast of north east England, between
Flamborough Head Lighthouse and Spurn Point was certified as an
enviromentally responsible fishery by the Marine Stewardship Council
(MSC) in December 2007 and is another good choice. Avoid pelagic trawled
seabass, as the fishery impacts upon the pre-spawning stock and has
significant cetacean bycatch.
- Alternatives
- (Based on method of production, fish type, and consumer rating: only fish rated 3 and below are included.)
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Visit Fishonline, the website for the seafood industry, for more detailed information about this species. |
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Common name - Cod, Atlantic Cod
- Scientific name - Gadus morhua
- Average rating
- Visit Fishonline for the full range of options available for this species.
- Consumer Information
- Choose cod caught by longline from the Norwegian MSC certified
fishery look for the Blue Tick logo on the packaging - in the NE
Arctic. Iceland and the Eastern Baltic can also supply good options for
Atlantic cod, depending on capture method. Choose the green rated
options to be sure. The fish is brown to green with spots on the dorsal
(upper) side with a distinctive lateral line, and a small ??bib' or
barbel under its chin which is used to look for food. Cod has white,
flaky flesh. The most popular cuts are steaks and fillets which can be
poached, grilled or baked. It's easy and quick to cook and is
traditionally served with parsley sauce and lemon wedges and of course,
chips. Cod roe and milt or sperm is also eaten. Cod produce millions of
eggs in winter and spring in February to April. Avoid eating during the
breeding season, and check the source of your fish to help conserve
stocks.
- Summary
- With the exception of cod from the northeast Arctic, Iceland and
Baltic East, all other cod stocks in the northeast Atlantic are
overfished, inefficiently managed or at an unknown level and ICES
recommend fishery closures in some of these areas until stocks recover
to safe levels. The most depleted stocks are the Faroes, Rockall, Irish
Sea, North Sea, Skagerrak, Kattegat, Eastern Channel, Norweigan coast,
Greenland and west of Scotland. The Norwegian NE Arctic offshore cod
fishery and the Barents Sea demersal trawl cod fishery within Norwegian
and Russian EEZ and in international waters are certified as sustainable
fisheries by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). The longline,
handline and Danish seine fishery for cod in Iceland's EEZ was certified
to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard as an environmentally
responsible fishery in June 2011. Danish and Swedish fisheries in the
Eastern Baltic were certified to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
standard as environmentally responsible fisheries in April and June 2011
respectively. Avoid eating cod from stocks which are depleted and where
fishing is at unsustainable levels. To help reduce the impact of
fishing on fish stocks where fishing mortality is too high, the marine
environment, and other marine species, choose line-caught cod where
available. Longlining can result in seabird bycatch so ask for fish
caught using 'seabird-friendly' methods. See Fishing Methods for
details.
- Alternatives
- (Based on method of production, fish type, and consumer rating: only fish rated 3 and below are included.)
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Visit Fishonline, the website for the seafood industry, for more detailed information about this species.
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Beach Clean Up
The Marine
Conservation Society (MCS) Beach Watch project is now in its 16th year
of helping to raise awareness of marine pollution and bringing together
volunteers to keep our beaches clean. Volunteers survey the beaches they
clean, and provide us with the vital information we need to tackle
marine pollution at source. Thousands of volunteers take part every
year, making Beach Watch the most influential fight against marine
litter in the UK.
See what Beach Watch beaches are in your area.
From the latest
clean up of Langland beach anglers have been rapped for leaving at lot
fishing tackle debris on the beach area. Volunteers surveying and
cleaning up the beach found a mass of fishing debris within the 100m
survey area. 161 pieces of fishing net, 55 pieces of fishing line and
32 pieces of line. This was 32% of the total litter collected, a much
bigger proportion compared to other UK beaches. This is an alarming
quantity of fishing material. Fishing lines and nets are often made of
plastic and could remain in the environment for thousands of years, not
mention the damage to birds and other marine creatures getting tangled
in the litter.
So, please follow
our sea angling code and think about your litter and dispose of it
carefully. Help to ensure all fishermen to take more care of the marine
environment.
The MCS volunteers will be back on the local beaches for further surveys throughout the year.
Ecological Disasters
Too many fish are being taken from the sea, too much rubbish is
thrown into the sea and little is done to protect precious marine life
and habitats.
NOW we have large North Devon (Barnstable) based trawlers using
specialised Bass trawls hammering the Bass of Gower and Carmarthen Bay.
Apparently, these trawlers can fish from May to November, 7 days a week
on the following, and other, Bass marks:
Diamond Bank; Ox Bass Bank; Outer Bank; Nobel Banks off Port Eynon;
through to Worm's Head and Carmarthen Bay. It is reported that they are
landing tonnes of Bass on a daily basis, with many caught inside the 6
mile limit.
The trawlers seem to be imune from inspection, whilst
the recreational fishing boats get inspected rather frequently. Nothing
seems to be able to be done about this barbaric overfishing and
destruction of the South Wales fish stock. Read the article below and
then ring and write to Mr P Coats, SWSF Director (01792 654466) and Ms
Elin Jones, Rural Affairs Minister, Welsh Assembly Government, Cardiff
Bay, Cardiff, CF99 1NA to complain and demand a ban on this type of
trawling in the Bristol Channel.
Ban on bottom trawling.
A ban on bottom trawling has been introduced by UK ministers to
protect threatened sea life in 60 square nautical miles of sea off the
South West coast of England. The area will be permanently closed to
scallop dredgers and bottom trawlers which drag nets along the sea bed,
in order to safeguard the area's rich marine life and habitats. This
decision is very welcome for the future of recreational fishing and it
is vitally important to demonstrate the harm that bottom trawling does
to the environment | |
