Some sources of crabs and some species of skates and rays have also been rated red by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS). The charity has presented its latest assessment of British seafood in the Good Fish Guide, which informs buyers and visitors which fish sources are viable using a lantern system. Image: Most brown crabs and lobsters from all over the UK have been found to need improvement Green is the “best choice”, amber is acceptable for consumption but needs improvement and red indicates “fish to avoid”. Red scores are given to seafood that is overfished, mismanaged and under pressure or due to environmental damage caused by fishing or accidental wildlife catch – known as by-catches. Most brown crabs and lobsters from all over the UK have been found to need improvement, with some being added to the red list. Shetland brown crab and Jersey lobster are now the only ones on the green list. Some Scottish brown crabs have been rated red, in part because of the risk of whales getting entangled in potted ropes off the west coast of Scotland. Monk fish from the North Sea and west of Scotland have been blacklisted as numbers fell from the highest point in 2017 to the lowest level since 2013, with environmentalists warning that management is poor and fishing pressure is too high. . However, the MCS said monkfish “is not completely off the menu, as populations in the south-west of the UK are among the highest recorded.” Image: “A fish to avoid”: The solitary fish from some parts of the UK has been added to the red list Skates and rails are largely on the red list, with no currently green rated options and few listed as orange. Elsewhere, North Sea herring is back on the green list, with better stock numbers than previously thought, and South Celtic and Channel sardines are also green. Mackerel remains green, while mackerel and lagustin are graded with amber if caught with a trawl, but the best choice is pot fishing. There are mixed ratings for celtic deer, cod and cod, with warnings that cod and oyster populations caught there are dangerously low – and an all-species-based ecosystem management approach is required. caught together. The latest Good Fish guide rated 656 selections for the species and areas where they are caught, with 148 being the best or on the green list, but 161 being rated red as seafood to avoid. The time is coming when government ministers are consulting on a new legislative framework for local fisheries management, known as the Joint Declaration of Fisheries, and introducing certain fisheries management plans. The MCS, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) are calling for a stronger framework for better protection of the UK seas. Clara Johnston, Fisheries Policy Officer at the Marine Conservation Society, said: and fisheries management plans to fix our fisheries. “The latest Good Fish Guide scores, where all new UK scores are either orange or red, reflect the urgent need for transparency and better management if we are to regain fish stocks in the UK seas.” A United Kingdom Government spokesman said: “The Joint Declaration of Fisheries sets out our approach to achieving a sustainable fishing industry and a healthy marine environment. “We consult its content and welcome the views of the fishing industry and environmental groups to ensure that our waters are better protected and fished in a sustainable way.”
