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![]() A Guide to buying fish in the UK |
Many of the world's fish stocks are seriously depleted, largely due to over-fishing. Shops and supermarkets will continue to stock threatened species as long as customers buy them, thereby creating demand for these species in the fishing industry. Informed shoppers can modify their buying patterns to purchase only those species that have safer populations instead of endangered species; if there is no demand at the point of sale to the public, fisheries will be forced to change their practices and target species. The table in our fish buying guide shows which fish to buy and which to avoid in (mainly) UK and European shops. In order to allow stocks to recover, we strongly recommend not buying fresh fish during the breeding season, only buying each species during the season shown in the table. The species names in column 1 of our fish buying guide are also links to descriptions of the species. The most highly recommended species are indicated by a green tag in column 2 ("RECOMMENDED"), whilst those species that should never be bought are marked with a red tag in column 6 ("DO NOT BUY"). The tags detail the area of origin, the fishing method and the sub-species, where appropriate. As of January 2002, the labelling of fish (whole and fillets only) for origin and species became mandatory in the EC. Labelling must include the commercial name of the species, fishing or production methods (caught at sea or in fresh water, farmed or cultivated) and the area where the fish was caught. If you encounter a shop that does not display this information or is unable to provide it, please report this fact to FishOnline using their questionnaire form - this is run by the Marine Conservation Society who are actively campaigning to improve labelling and to enforce good practice. The season in column 7 shows which months of the year each species should be bought in order to avoid the breeding seasons. "MSC" refers to the Marine Stewardship Council. This data was researched by Project Ocean Vision from a variety of sources, including the Marine Conservation Society. A pdf version of our fish buying guide is available for printing and reference. Courtney - Project Ocean Vision |
Project Ocean Vision Fish Buying Guide |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
SPECIES | STRONGLY RECOMMENDED |
RECOMMENDED | MARGINAL | NOT RECOMMENDED | DO NOT BUY | SEASON |
Abalone | Farmed only | All year | ||||
Anchovy | Portuguese Coast | Bay of Biscay | Aug-Feb | |||
Anglerfish | Southwest UK, Northeast USA |
North & Northwest Spain & Portugal |
Jul-Oct | |||
Bib | All areas | May-Feb | ||||
Black Bream | All areas | Jun-Mar | ||||
Clam | American hardshell & Manila hand gathered farmed | Dredge caught | Oct-Apr | |||
Cockle | MSC Certified or hand gathered | Dredge caught | Sep-Feb | |||
Cod, Atlantic | Northeast Arctic wild caught. | Wild caught from: Iceland, Western English Channel, Bristol Channel, Southeast Ireland & Sole | Wild caught from all other areas | May-Jan | ||
Cod, Pacific | MSC Certified | May-Oct | ||||
Coley | MSC Certified | Iceland Faroes |
May-Dec | |||
Crab | Edible brown, pot caught from South Devon | Spider pot caught | Edible or brown, pot caught | Jul-Mar | ||
Dab | All areas | Jul-Mar | ||||
Flounder | All areas | Jun-Feb | ||||
Gurnard | Red or Grey | Yellow or tub | Oct-Mar | |||
Haddock | Northeast Arctic North Sea Skaggerak Kattegat |
Faroes West Scotland |
May-Feb | |||
Hake | Cape MSC Certified | European Northern stock | European southern stock | Oct-Jul | ||
Halibut | Pacific MSC certified | Atlantic, wild caught | Feb-Oct | |||
Halibut, Greenland |
N.E. Arctic | Northwest Atlantic Greenland Iceland West Scotland Azores |
Jul-Mar | |||
Herring | Norwegian | MSC certified | South Clyde Western Ireland Great Sole fisheries |
May-Jul | ||
Langoustine, Dublin Bay |
MSC Certified | W. Scotland North Sea Kattegat |
Spain Portugal |
Jun-Feb | ||
Ling | Handline caught from Faroes |
All other stocks | Aug-Feb | |||
Lobster | Western Australian rock, MSC certified |
European, pot caught | European, net caught | Canada South New England |
Oct-Jun | |
Lythe | All areas | Sep-Mar | ||||
Mackerel | MSC certified | Oct-Apr | ||||
Monkfish | S.W. UK N.E. USA |
North & Northwest Spain Portugal |
Jul-Oct | |||
Mussel, Common |
Rope grown or hand gathered | Oct-Apr | ||||
Oyster | Farmed native & Pacific | Oct-Apr | ||||
Pilchard | Cornwall | Spain Portugal |
Aug-Feb | |||
Plaice | Otter trawled from Irish Sea, gill/seine net from North Sea |
Western English Channel, Celtic Sea, Southwest Ireland, West Ireland |
Apr-Dec | |||
Pollock | All areas | May-Dec | ||||
Pollock, Alaska | MSC Certified | May-Dec | ||||
Pollock, Walleye |
MSC Certified | Feb-Sep | ||||
Porgy | All areas | Jun-Mar | ||||
Pouting | All areas | May-Feb | ||||
Prawn | Coldwater from NE Arctic | Tiger, organically farmed |
Coldwater from North Pacific | Tiger, farmed & wild caught | Nov-May | |
Prawn, Dublin Bay |
MSC Certified | West Scotland North Sea Kattegat |
Spain Portugal |
Jun-Feb | ||
Ray | Cuckoo and spotted from: North Sea, Skaggerak, East English Channel, Celtic Sea. Starry from: North Sea, Skaggerak, East English Channel. |
Smalleyed & thornback from Bay of Biscay; all blonde, sandy, shagreen & undulate |
Jun-Nov | |||
Red Mullet | Northeast Atlantic | Mediterranean | Aug-Mar | |||
Saithe | MSC Certified | Iceland Faroes |
May-Dec | |||
Salmon | Pacific | Organically farmed | Atlantic farmed | Atlantic wild caught |
Jan-Jun | |
Sardine | Cornwall | Spain Portugal |
Aug-Feb | |||
Scampi, Dublin Bay |
MSC Certified | West Scotland North Sea Kattegat |
Spain Portugal |
Jun-Feb | ||
Seabass | Line caught | Farmed | Pelagic trawled | Oct-Feb | ||
Seabream | Organically farmed | Red or blackspot | No data | |||
Sild | Norwegian | MSC certified | South Clyde Western Ireland Great Sole fisheries |
May-Jul | ||
Skate | All areas | Never | ||||
Snapper | Red from West Australia trap fishery |
Malabar blood from West Australia |
Vermillion and lane | Silk and yellowtail | Cubera, mutton and Northern red | Apr-Sep |
Sole | Common or Dover, MSC certified. Lemon, otter trawl caught |
Common or Dover from E. English Channel & Southwest Ireland | Common or Dover from North Sea & Irish Sea | Sep-Mar | ||
Squid | Jig caught | Trawl caught | Sep-Dec | |||
Swordfish | Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, Central & Western Pacific |
Never | ||||
Trout | Brown or sea & rainbow, organically farmed | Brown or sea and rainbow, farmed | Brown or sea, wild caught from Baltic | Feb-Sep | ||
Tuna, Albacore | MSC certified | North Pacific | Pole & Line from North Atlantic | Longline & pelagic trawled from Mediterranean, North & South Atlantic | All year | |
Tuna, Bigeye | Handline and pole & line from Central and Western Pacific | All other areas | Aug-Apr | |||
Tuna, Bluefin | All areas | Never | ||||
Tuna, Skipjack | Pole & line from West & Central Pacific or Maldives | Indian Ocean | Purse seine from Western Atlantic | Aug-Apr | ||
Tuna, Yellowfin | All other areas | Purse seine from Indian Ocean or Eastern Pacific | Aug-Apr | |||
Turbot | Farmed | Wild caught | Sep-Apr |
Click here to download a pdf version of the Project Ocean Vision Fish Buying Guide for printing and reference. <<< Previous Article (Fish Farming) ¦ Next article (Introduction to Sharks) >>> |
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