Mackerel sustainability rating downgraded in Good Fish Guide
Image description: A close up shot of a school of mackerel.
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) recently updated their Good Fish Guide in line with the latest scientific advice, resulting in a downgraded sustainability rating for mackerel.
Mackerel caught by midwater trawl in the Northeast Atlantic drop from a 3 (amber) to a 4 (red), effectively advising businesses to stop sourcing it. This fishing method accounts for the vast majority of mackerel sold in UK supermarkets and restaurants. Hook and line mackerel, also from the Northeast Atlantic, has also been downgraded from a 2 to a 3, meaning it is no longer considered a green-rated, “best choice” option. Buyers should instead consider North Sea and eastern English Channel herring, or MSC-certified sardines from Cornwall.
MCS cited years of overfishing and continued failure among the UK, Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands to agree a joint management plan as driving the reason, claiming the lack of enforcement and cooperation has led to catch limits routinely exceeding scientific advice.
EU Fishing industry denounces NGO advice
However, the EU fishing industry reportedly has denounced the NGO’s advice to avoid buying mackerel fished by the EU fleet.
They warn that following this action would “still not improve the chances of successful Coastal States negotiations”, and instead would “deal a major blow to the last fleet that is showing restraint and responsibility in this fishery: the EU fleet”. They argue following the advice proffered by fish guides for the EU market would mean “the impact of a red-listed mackerel fishery will be felt by precisely those fishers who are to blame the least for the current stock decline.”
Therefore, Tim Heddema, spokesperson for the EU pelagic fishing industry; “strongly urges “retailers to maintain a procurement policy based on scientific stock status and not on the arbitrary opinion of a partisan NGO, which seems to have randomly decided that negotiations have dragged on long enough”.
Scottish fishermen criticise downgrade in mackerel rating
Echoing the EU industry, the Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association (SPFA) has also condemned MCS over its latest downgrade of northeast Atlantic mackerel in the Good Fish Guide, calling the move “rash and ill-informed“.
The SPFA claim the decision neither reflected the actual health of the stock, nor recent efforts by the UK to manage fishing pressure responsibly. lan Gatt, chief executive of the SPFA, went as far as to accuse MCS of having “a reputation for ‘headline grabbing‘” and making a habit of singling out different species each year for dramatic reclassification – from brown crab in 2024 to anglerfish in 2023. Gatt suggests mackerel was simply “next on the list”.