Haddock from UK waters removed from sustainable seafood list
It is among the most popular fish in the UK, but haddock may soon be off the menu in some fish and chip shops because of dwindling stocks. Haddock from three North Sea and west of Scotland fisheries have been removed from the Marine Conservation Society recommended “green” list of fish to eat, after stocks fell below the acceptable levels in 2016. Action had to be taken to increase the number of breeding age fish, which is one of the UK’s “big five” marine species eaten, alongside cod, tuna, salmon and prawns, said the charity. The MCS encouraged people to ask for “green-certified” haddock – caught in the north-east Arctic and Iceland – in fish and chip shops and on fish counters, or eat fish on the green list such as coley, mackerel and hake. But Scottish fishermen’s representatives reacted angrily to the downgrade, accusing the MCS of “dressing advocacy up as science”. Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, said the advice could be damaging, causing already-caught fish to rot on fish counters. “We have gone to enormous lengths to maintain fishing stocks, including haddock,” he said. “We completely reject this [downgrade], it’s silly, it’s unhelpful and the public should ignore it.” Armstrong said all Scottish fisheries adhered to fishing limits laid out by the Marine Stewardship Council. It was “unlikely” that the fish-eating British public would be put off eating haddock, he added. “Fish customers rightly trust their supplier to be responsible. This downgrade is something of nothing, they do it every year, it’s absolutely meaningless and counter-productive if anyone pays any notice.” The MCS said a mistake had been made in calculating stock levels and further information had been considered, which had led to a re-evaluation of current stocks. Two of the fisheries have been given an amber warning, after scoring just four in the MCS’s Good Fish Guide. The scale goes from one to five, with one being the most sustainable and five being “a fish to avoid”. The other fishery has a change from haddock being “good to buy” to one to eat only occasionally, with a “three” rating.
Posted by admin
on Mar 19 2017. Filed under News at Now.
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