Marine Conservation Society flags declining hake and coley stocks, urges diversified seafood choices

The Marine Conservation Society’s latest assessment shows that hake harvested in UK waters and coley in the North Sea are experiencing significant population declines, prompting a red rating for coley and a warning for hake. North-east Arctic coley has also moved down the rating scale as fishing pressure stays excessive, whereas coley from Icelandic waters and Cornish hake retain green status. Haddock from Icelandic waters fell to amber, but North Sea haddock remains a safe choice.

The Good Fish Guide’s manager, Kerry Lyne, stresses that consumers must look beyond species names and consider where and how fish are caught. The society calls on the UK government to improve fisheries management to halt further declines. Chris Graham notes that improved tuna stocks illustrate the benefits of better regulation, but cautions continued monitoring.