Mackerel returns to sustainable safe to eat list
The list acts as the essential guide to sourcing sustainable fish for UK producers, consumers and restaurants.
According to the MCS, mackerel from the UK, Europe and Norway is once again a “good choice” for consumers. But mackerel from other countries should be avoided – Icelandic and Faroese mackerel are the least sustainable choices.
‘Great news’
Ian McFadden, chairman of the Scottish Pelagic Processors Association, said this was great news for the mackerel fishing and processing industries, wider economy and consumers.
“Mackerel is the UK’s largest fishery, worth around £500M and employing over 2,000 people, so this news is also vital for the UK economy,” he said.
“The reclassification of mackerel as a fish consumers can eat regularly, without threatening the sustainability of the stock, is testament to the seven North East Atlantic fisheries, which came together to agree a management plan to safeguard the sustainability of the mackerel stock.”
Mackerel stocks spawn and spend most of their time within European waters and recent studies have shown the stocks are currently approaching their highest known levels, McFadden claimed.
Adult mackerel stocks in the Atlantic have risen from 1.9Mt in 2002 to 4.5Mt in 2014.
“Mackerel is once again a sustainable, affordable fish that is high in omega-3 and extremely healthy,” he added.
For more fishy facts on mackerel, see the infographic at the bottom of this article.
Confidence
The MCS is the second organisation to confirm that confidence in the sustainability for North East Atlantic mackerel has returned. In June, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas reissued its 2014 advice to reveal the stock is at full reproductive capacity and catches by the UK fleet are classified as harvested sustainably.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation warned that a 9% fall in the value of fish landed at Scottish ports last year represented “a startling drop”.
A total of 367,000t of fish and shellfish, valued at £430M, was landed last year, while volumes remained flat for the seventh consecutive year, boat numbers fell but employment rose.
