Good Fish Guide
Your guide to sustainable seafood
You can play a key role in securing the future of our seas and marine wildlife by making more environmentally responsible choices when buying seafood.
Our seas face a wide range of threats - click to expand
Our seas face a wide range of threats. Climate change, pollution, habitat and biodiversity loss are all impacting our seas; plus 90% of global fish stocks are either fully or over-exploited. All these factors combined mean that urgent action is needed to restore the health of our seas. Fish farming (aquaculture) is rapidly expanding to meet increasing demand for seafood, but if this is done badly it can also damage the environment and exacerbate these other problems.
Use the Good Fish Guide to find out which fish are the most sustainable (Green rated), and which are the least sustainable (Red rated). Make the right choice and reduce your impact – every purchase matters! Find out more about our seafood work, including how we develop our seafood ratings, plus sustainable seafood recipes and more.
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Halibut, Atlantic (Caught at sea)
Hippoglossus hippoglossus
Atlantic halibut can grow up to 8ft long and 4ft wide and is the largest and longest lived of all flatfish. The species is heavily overfished and listed as an Endangered species so avoid eating. Levels of mercury can be very high in large
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halibut! Farmed Atlantic or wild-caught Pacific halibut from the Northeast Pacific and Northwest Atlantic and certified to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard for responsible fishing are more sustainable options.
Atlantic halibut is a highly vulnerable species, and has been heavily overfished throughout its range. Its stock status is unknown as there is not enough information about the species. Nor is there robust management to protect the species. Norway employs better management for the species. Atlantic halibut was assessed as Endangered by the IUCN. Avoid eating wild caught Atlantic halibut unless certified by MSC.
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Capture method — Gill or fixed net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — All Areas
Stock detail —
1 to 14
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Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Norway
Stock detail —
Norway
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Capture method — Gill or fixed net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Norway
Stock detail —
Norway
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Capture method — Longline
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Norway
Stock detail —
Norway
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Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — All Areas
Stock detail —
1 to 14
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Herring or sild
Clupea harengus
The largest single fishery is for Atlantic herring which is fished throughout much of the north Atlantic. Herring is a resilient species and is caught using fishing methods that are relatively selective or 'clean' in terms of bycatch and … Read more non-damaging to the seabed. This generally makes the fish a good sustainable choice. The best choices for herring are fish from Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified fisheries in the North and Irish Seas and English Channel.
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Capture method — Pelagic trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — West of Scotland, West of Ireland
Stock detail —
6.a, 7.b-c
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Capture method — Pelagic trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Western Baltic
Stock detail —
20-24 and IIIa (Spring spawners)
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Capture method — Gill or fixed net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Western Baltic
Stock detail —
20-24 and IIIa (Spring spawners)
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John Dory
Zeus faber
A white, boneless, meaty flesh that's firm, flavoursome and versatile. You can poach it, grill or saute it; and chefs love a John Dory because it's delicate, mild sweet flavour goes well with loads of ingredients - the bones from the head
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are great for making fish stock. Like turbot and sole?
There have been little market fluctuations for the species, principally because it is retained as a bycatch species rather than a target species. On the market, John dory can be found fresh and frozen, whole or filleted.
More management is required to protect John Dory. Avoid eating them as there is insufficient management to protect the species.
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Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — All Areas
Stock detail —
1 to 9
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Capture method — Gill or fixed net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
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Capture method — Beam trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
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Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
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Capture method — Gill or fixed net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — All Areas
Stock detail —
1 to 9
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Lobster, Norway, Langoustine, Dublin Bay prawn or scampi
Nephrops norvegicus
A slim, orangey lobster hugely popular in Spain and widely used in classic French cuisine. Scampi is the name for deep fried langoustine tails - deep fried in batter and breadcrumbs, served with chips peas and tartare sauce - though
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confusingly other prawns and fish cooked similarly may be also be sold as 'scampi' too. Can also be cooked whole, boiled or steamed.
Choose nephrops caught using creels as creels are a more environmentally-friendly fishing method and produce a higher quality product. Nephrops are usually caught using trawls, which are associated with large quantities of bycatch and discards of a variety of species.
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Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — North Sea (Devil's Hole)
Stock detail —
4b (FU 34)
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Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Celtic Sea and West of Scotland
Stock detail —
Celtic Sea, the Smalls (Management Area M, FU 22)
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Marlin, blue
Makaira nigricans
Atlantic blue marlin has been overfished for many years and is still below safe levels. Best avoided for now.
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Capture method — Longline
Capture area — Atlantic Ocean (FAO 21,27,31,34,41 and 47)
Stock area — Atlantic
Stock detail —
All Areas
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Mullet, Grey, Thicklip
Chelon labrosus
More management is required to protect Grey Mullet. Avoid eating them as there is insufficient management to protect the species.
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Capture method — Ripping
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
Manacles Reef
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Capture method — Gill or fixed net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — UK
Stock detail —
English Channel, North Sea
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Capture method — Gill or fixed net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
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Mullet, Red, Striped red mullet
Mullus surmuletus
There is no assessment or management of red mullet stocks. This is a cause for concern as the species is taken in both targeted fisheries and as bycatch. Two management units are indentified in European waters - a Western and a Northern … Read more unit. A minimum landing size of 15 cm is enforced in the jurisdiction of the Cornish Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority. Although this is just below 16 cm, the size at which they mature (in the English Channel), this is the only management measure for this species, so fish from this area is the best choice currently available. Avoid eating immature fish (less than 16 cm) and fresh (not previously frozen) fish caught during the summer spawning season (May-July).
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Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — North Sea, Eastern English Channel and Skagerrak and Kattegat (Northern Area)
Stock detail —
4., 7.d and 3.a
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Capture method — Gill or fixed net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — North Sea, Eastern English Channel and Skagerrak and Kattegat (Northern Area)
Stock detail —
4., 7.d and 3.a
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Capture method — Danish seine
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — North Sea, Eastern English Channel and Skagerrak and Kattegat (Northern Area)
Stock detail —
4., 7.d and 3.a
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Nursehound, Bull Huss, Greater Spotted Dogfish
Scyliorhinus stellaris
Sharks and rays are found in all the worlds oceans, from the poles to the tropics to shallow water coral reefs to water over 3,000 m deep. The Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas) is unusual as it is able to enter fresh water river systems
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where it gives birth. Sharks, skates and rays are fish, but they can be distinguished from bony fish (teleosts) by their cartilaginous skeletons. There are four main types of cartilaginous fish; sharks, skates and rays, collectively called elasmobranchs, and the rarely encountered chimaeras, a more distant relative only found in deep water. They are also distinguished from bony fish by the way they breed. Reproduction in sharks and rays is a very slow process as they have a late age of sexual maturity, produce few young and have a long gestation period. No maternal care is provided to shark pups, instead they are well-developed and ready to hunt when born in order to maximise their chance of survival. All shark eggs are fertilised internally but may develop in one of three different ways: Eggs are held within a leathery case (Oviparity), known as a mermaids purse, e.g. catshark; Embryos develop within the mother and are nourished by the egg (Oviparity) e.g. basking shark; Embryos develop within the mother and are provided with nutrients from a placenta (Viviparity) e.g. smooth-hound. World-wide sharks are being removed from our seas at an alarming rate. Sharks are slow growing, long-lived with low reproduction. Finning is perhaps the most damaging and distasteful of all shark fisheries. The process is cruel and wasteful, involving the removal and retention of fins, while the rest of the shark, is discarded, often still alive, to drown or be eaten. Finning takes place all over the world (including Europe) to feed the continual and increasing demand for sharkfin soup. Fins are consumed principally in the Far East but Europe and the USA are sizeable markets for shark fin. Blue sharks and other oceanic species are the preferred species taken. British seas are home to over 30 shark species including the fastest shark in the world (the shortfin Mako) and the second largest fish in the world (the Basking shark) and we even get tropical rare visitors such as hammerheads.
In general, consumers should avoid eating nursehound (and all shark species) as they are insufficiently managed, fisheries are data-deficient and the species inherently vulnerable to overexploitation due to their specific biological characteristics (slow-growing, late to mature and producing few young). Nursehound from the Celtic Sea is the better choice as localised populations appear to be stable, or recently decreasing. However, there are insufficient data to fully evaluate stock status.
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Capture method — Longline
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Celtic Sea and English Channel
Stock detail —
6 and 7
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Capture method — Gill or fixed net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Celtic Sea and English Channel
Stock detail —
6 and 7
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Capture method — All applicable methods
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
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Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Celtic Sea and English Channel
Stock detail —
6 and 7
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Oyster, Native, oysters (Caught at sea)
Ostrea edulis
Throughout European waters,including much of Britain, the native oyster is depleted in the wild. Areas once noted for their large natural beds are now being used for oyster farming or cultivation including non-native species, such as the … Read more Pacific oyster, which are currently more widely cultivated than the native oyster. Oyster beds are generally privately owned and managed. Shellfish farming is an extensive, low-impact method of mariculture and high quality water standards are required for cultivation of shellfish for human consumption. Dredging can cause disruption to the seabed and has a higher associated bycatch than manual harvesting techniques, but are less suited to deeper water for practical reasons. Some growers may hand-gather their stock by diving or by net to enhance quality. Wild stocks are depleted and although management of the fisheries is good, the native oyster is still vulnerable to exploitation. Choose cultivated oysters from environmentally responsible farms where possible.
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Capture method — Dredge
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — UK
Stock detail —
All Areas
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Capture method — Hand-gathering
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — UK
Stock detail —
All Areas
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Parrotfish, Uhu
Scarus spp.
Parrotfish are moderately resilient to fishing but there is very little data available on their abundance or exploitation rates. And little or no management of the species. Despite the prevalence of marine reserves, the effectiveness of … Read more these conservation efforts, is rarely measured, and enforcement is often weak or absent in many parts of the world. Urgent protection and effective protective legislation is needed as well as continued monitoring of harvest levels and population status, especially for those species already at increased risk of extinction. Unless there is information available to demonstrate their source is sustainable this species is best avoided.
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Capture method — All applicable methods
Capture area — Worldwide (FAO All Areas)
Stock area — All Areas
Stock detail —
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Plaice
Pleuronectes platessa
Plaice is a popular consumption and long-lived species which is subject to high fishing pressure. The state of plaice stocks around the UK vary. Currently the best choices for plaice are fish otter trawled in the North Sea or Eastern … Read more Channel where the stocks are assessed as healthy and fishing is at a sustainable level. However, as with all plaice fisheries, there is significant discarding of plaice and other species, both in otter and beam trawl fisheries. To increase the sustainability of the plaice you eat ask for and only eat plaice taken in trawls using measures to improve the selectivity of the net to reduce discarding and fitted with Benthic Release Panels to reduce impact on bottom dwelling species. Avoid eating immature plaice, fish below 30 cm, and during their breeding season January to March, also plaice caught in electric-pulse trawl fisheries. Alternatives to plaice are Lemon sole, dab, flounder and megrim.
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Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — West of Ireland
Stock detail —
- b-c
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Capture method — Beam trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — West of Ireland
Stock detail —
- b-c
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Capture method — Pulse trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — North Sea and Skagerrak
Stock detail —
- and Subdivision 20
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Capture method — Seine net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Southwest Ireland
Stock detail —
- h-k
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Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Southwest Ireland
Stock detail —
- h-k
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Capture method — Beam trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Southwest Ireland
Stock detail —
- h-k
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Pollock, Alaska, Walleye
Theragra chalcogramma
If you like cod or haddock, you'll like Alaska pollock. It's a white fish, mild in flavour and low in fat. Makes great fishcakes, is best steamed and is the fish used in McDonald's Filet-O-Fish! A member of the cod family, it's found
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throughout the North Pacific. Matures at around 3 years old and lives on average until 15. Can grow to about 90 cms and is called walleye pollock because of its large distinctive eyes!
Pollock in US fisheries are generally at healthy levels. They are managed through a suite of management measures and bycatch in the fishery is generally small. Choose Marine Stewardship Council certified pollock as they tend to employ improved monitoring in these fisheries.
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Capture method — Pelagic trawl
Capture area — North West Pacific (FAO 61)
Stock area — Western Bering Sea
Stock detail —
Western Bering Sea
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Prawn, King (whiteleg), prawns
Litopenaeus vannamei
Only buy king prawns from suppliers that can ensure their product is sourced from farms that comply with environmental standards for habitat protection and impacts of production. Organic farming standards ensures many such standards are … Read more met making organic farmed tiger prawns the best choice. Requirements for organic farms include utilisation of byproducts from human consumption fisheries for feed; habitat protection and restoration, limitation on chemical usage, limited stocking densities and strict health and feeding guidelines. Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), Global Aquaculture Alliance Best Aquaculture Practice (GAA BAP 2*, 3*, 4*)and GlobalGap certification ensures some of these standards are met. Look for the organic label on products or ask your supermarket if they have a buying policy for tiger prawns to ensure high production standards are in place, and environmental concerns addressed.
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Production country — India, Vietnam and Indonesia
Production method — Pond system, Intensive & Semi-intensive
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Prawn, Northern, prawns
Pandalus borealis
Northern prawn or shrimp (the names are often used interchangeably) are cold-water crustaceans, distinct from warm water species found in tropical waters. Increase the sustainability of the fish you eat by choosing only prawns taken in … Read more fisheries using sorting grids to reduce bycatch of non-target species. The Norwegian NE Arctic cold water prawn fishery is certified as a responsibly managed fishery by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). Several Canadian northern prawn fisheries are also certified to the MSC standard. Look out for the Blue tick logo on the packaging.
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Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — North Sea (Skagerrak and Norwegian Deep)
Stock detail —
3.a and 4.a
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Prawn, Tiger prawns (Farmed)
Penaeus monodon
Prawns are usually sold peeled, cooked and frozen or whole. Pop them in a curry or sling them on a salad. Their tails are used in traditional prawn cocktails - cocked over the side of the glass. The tiger prawn belongs to the largest of
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the prawn and shrimp family, the Penaeidae. Its lifecycle may be divided into 6 stages or phases, from embryo to adult, which it completes in one year. The age of sexual maturity varies from 5 to 11 months. They can live up to 2 years in the wild although farmed prawns are usually harvested at 6 months. Farmed prawn accounted for over 90% of the global consumption of prawn in 2013. King prawn is the most commonly farmed species accouting for over 3/4 of production, 99% of which comes from developing countries.
Only buy tiger prawns from suppliers that can ensure their product is sourced from farms that comply with environmental standards for habitat protection and impacts of production. Organic farming standards ensures many such standards are met making organic farmed tiger prawns the best choice. Requirements for organic farms include utilisation of byproducts from human consumption fisheries for feed; habitat protection and restoration, limitation on chemical usage, limited stocking densities and strict health and feeding guidelines.Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), Global Aquaculture Alliance Best Aquaculture Practice (GAA BAP 2*, 3*, 4*) and GlobalGap certification ensures some of these standards are met. Look for the organic label on products or ask your supermarket if they have a buying policy for tiger prawns to ensure high production standards are in place, and environmental concerns addressed.
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Production country — India, Vietnam and Indonesia
Production method — Semi-intensive and improved extensive
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