The Marine Conservation Society’s Good Fish Guide shows consumers and businesses which seafood options are the most sustainable by using a simple traffic light system. Green is the Best Choice, amber is OK to eat but improvements are needed and red indicates Fish to Avoid. 

Herring and sardines joined mackerel and some tuna on the green rated, Best Choice, list. More species have joined the Good Fish Guide’s Fish to Avoid list, including some sources of skates, rays and monkfish.

Aoife Martin, director of operations at Seafish, commented: “We acknowledge that sustainable fisheries management is vital to secure fish and shellfish stocks for future generations. Assessments like the Good Fish Guide are helpful to consumers, but they must be based on the most accurate and up to date information.

“Our Fisheries Management team provided feedback to MCS on the proposed ratings. Now that the latest version of the Guide has been released, and we can see the final scores we are concerned that some fisheries have been rated too harshly. We know that good work is already underway in the UK, with industry stakeholders and regulators collaborating on the sustainable management of economically important shellfish and finfish fisheries.

“This includes the shellfish management groups, which bring together industry, government, and researchers, and various Fishery Improvement Projects. The Guide does not appear to take account of this activity and the positive impact it can have on stock sustainability.”

For further information on feedback provided by Seafish in response to the consultation on proposed ratings, covering shellfish, monkfish and sole, visit here.