Scale back on hake and coley, seafood charity tells shoppers

Declining stocks and increased fishing pressure have led to lower sustainability ratings for two popular cod alternatives

UK shoppers have previously been urged to avoid UK-caught cod and to buy European hake or coley instead – but now these fish are in trouble, too.

On Wednesday, the MCS downgraded the ratings for European hake caught in the North Sea, Celtic Seas, or Bay of Biscay from green to amber owing to declining stocks and increased fishing pressure.

Kerry Lyne, the Good Fish Guide manager, said the “status of fish stocks are continuously changing” and a “fish that was a good choice a few years ago is not necessarily a good choice everywhere today”.

Cod populations have been in decline since 2015. The main cause is overfishing, although changing sea temperatures and other ecosystem pressures have affected breeding and juvenile survival.

With that in mind, the charity has suggested wild-caught sea bass from around the UK as a more ocean-friendly alternative to cod. Similar to cod, sea bass is a mild white fish with a flaky texture that can be swapped like-for-like in any recipe.

On the good news front, UK Atlantic bluefin tuna, which has shown huge signs of a population recovery, has a brand new green rating. Chris Graham, the charity’s head of ocean regeneration and sustainable seafood, said one of the factors behind the resurgence was better fisheries management brought in more than 20 years ago.

“We’re pleased to see a small, well-managed fishery in place, but caution must prevail, and this iconic species must be monitored closely so the health of the UK population can continue to improve,” Graham said.