‘Broaden your taste in fish’ call to help conserve stocks

CONSUMERS ARE being urged to move from fish favourites such as cod and tuna to more unusual options to help the seas and UK fishing industry.

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has updated its Good Fish Guide, detailing which are the best fish to eat in terms of sustainability, with some new “best choice” additions that could be the fish suppers of the future.

And the organisation says that as the UK prepares to leave the European Union and fisheries talks are expected to try to secure a bigger share of the fish postBrexit, now may be the time to swap out the big five for new options.

UK consumers tend to favour cod, salmon, haddock, tuna and prawns, but the MCS has drawn up a post-Brexit top 10 which include fish that the charity says taste great but are not household names.

Choosing from a wider range takes pressure off fisheries and encourages demand for the most sustainable seafood, reducing the amount of fish exported, the MCS said.

The “best choice” top 10 includes dab, seine netted in the North Sea, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified hake from Cornwall and MSC certified herring from the Irish, Celtic and North seas, south west Ireland and eastern English Channel. Also on the list are some types of sustainably caught mackerel, megrim and UK rope-grown mussels.