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.
You searched for ""
Swordfish
Xiphias gladius
A magnificent solitary predator, extremely fast swimming with a fearsome-looking, pointed sword-like bill for stunning its prey. It can gather speed up to 50mph and can reach up to 4.5m in length! Like sharks, swordfish are at the top of
…
Read more
the food-chain and play an important role in the marine ecosystem.
A number of swordfish fisheries in the Atlantic and Southwest Pacific have been certified as well managed and sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), so make sure to look for any products that carry their blue ecolabel. A very valuable commercial species, swordfish has been heavily exploited throughout its range and previously overfished, remaining heavily so in the Mediterranean. Improvements to management in other fisheries has recovered populations; with the North Atlantic, Western North Pacific, and Indian Oceans all having fairly healthy fisheries. The primary method of capture though, longlining, continues to impact on vulnerable species such as seabirds, turtles and sharks. Whilst there are measures in use to reduce these impacts, more needs to be done to ensure they are effective and that impacts to these species are minimised.
info
Capture method — Longline
Capture area — Atlantic, North (FAO 21) and Central (FAO 31) West
Stock area — North West & Central West Atlantic
Stock detail — Canadian and US certified fleets
Certification — Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
info
Capture method — Longline
Capture area — Pacific, South West (FAO 81) and Central (FAO 71,77)
Stock area — South West Pacific
Stock detail — Australia. Certified fleets only
Certification — Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
info
Tilapia
Oreochromis niloticus niloticus
Tilapia are omnivores, and as such have a low requirement for fishmeal and fish-oil in their diets, making them net producers of fish protein and therefore a valuable aquaculture species. . When buying farmed tilapia the best choices are … Read more fish farmed to ASC standards or fish farmed in closed systems. Both production methods reduce the negative environmental impacts (e.g. discharges, escapes, transfer of disease and parasites, habitat damage and water pollution or degradation) associated with other culture systems such as open net pen or pond systems.
info
Production country — Global
Production method — All
Certification — ASC
info
Trout, Rainbow
Oncorhynchus mykiss
Rainbow trout is the predominant farmed trout species as brown trout is mainly produced for restocking purposes. Wild sea trout populations are threatened in some areas. Only eat wild line-caught sea trout from well-managed fisheries, such … Read more as a rod & line fisheries. Avoid eating fresh sea trout caught during the breeding or spawning season from November to March inclusive. Rainbow trout is widely farmed in UK, mainly in freshwater. Farming takes place mainly in ponds or raceways with water being supplied from an adjacent river. Location of farms is determined by the proximity of a clean river to provide water. Trout are carnivorous fish whose feed relies on wild fisheries. Rainbow trout farmed in freshwater is a good choice.
info
Production country — UK
Production method — Freshwater pond without recirculation
info
Tuna, albacore
Thunnus alalunga
Albacore are a moderate sized tuna that are primarily sold as fresh or frozen steaks and can also be used raw as sashimi.
info
Capture method — Pole & line
Capture area — Atlantic, South (FAO 41,47)
Stock area — South Atlantic
Stock detail — All Areas
info
Capture method — Pole & line
Capture area — Atlantic, North (FAO 21,27) and Central (FAO 31,34)
Stock area — North Atlantic
Stock detail — All Areas
info
Capture method — Troll
Capture area — Atlantic, North (FAO 21,27) and Central (FAO 31,34)
Stock area — North Atlantic
Stock detail — All Areas
info
Capture method — Troll
Capture area — Atlantic, South (FAO 41,47)
Stock area — South Atlantic
Stock detail — All Areas
info
Capture method — Longline
Capture area — Pacific, South (FAO 81,87) and Central (FAO 71,77)
Stock area — American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji,French Polynesia, High Seas, New Zealand
Stock detail — Certified fleets only
Certification — Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
info
Capture method — Troll
Capture area — Pacific, North West (FAO 61) and Central (FAO 71,77)
Stock area — North Pacific
Stock detail — All Areas
info
Capture method — Pole & line
Capture area — Pacific, North West (FAO 61) and Central (FAO 71,77)
Stock area — North Pacific
Stock detail — All Areas
info
Capture method — Troll
Capture area — Pacific, South (FAO 81,87) and Central (FAO 71,77)
Stock area — South Pacific
Stock detail — All Areas
info
Tuna, bigeye
Thunnus obesus
Bigeye tuna is a relatively large species of tuna, though not as large as bluefin, which is able to tolerate colder waters than the smaller tunas and is commonly found at greater depths. Bigeye is often sold as fresh or frozen steaks and
…
Read more
is also used raw as sashimi.
Bigeye tuna is a large tuna species (up to 2.5m long!) which needs to be well managed to prevent it being overexploited. It's mainly caught in longline and purse seine fisheries. Bigeye tuna fisheries in the Western & Central Pacific and Indian Oceans are in a pretty healthy state but management needs to be improved to ensure it stays that way. The fishing pressure is bit too high in the Eastern Pacific fishery and bigeye stock in the Atlantic remains in a significantly overfished state. A lot of juvenile bigeye are caught in purse seine fisheries that target skipjack tuna which is used in tinned tuna. The accidental catch of vulnerable species like sharks is also of concern in longline fisheries. Smaller scale pole and line, and troll fisheries are more selective and represent the best choice.
info
Capture method — Pole & line
Capture area — Pacific, North West (FAO 61) and Central (FAO 71,77)
Stock area — Western and Central Pacific
Stock detail — All Areas
info
Tuna, skipjack
Euthynnus pelamis, Katsuwonus pelamis
Skipjack are a relatively small tuna (growing to a metre in length) and sometimes sold as 'bonito' though this is a different species of fish. Skipjack is primarily sold in cans.
info
Capture method — Pole & line
Capture area — Indian Ocean, Western (FAO 51) and Eastern ( FAO 57)
Stock area — The Republic of Maldives EEZ
Stock detail — Certified fleets only
Certification — Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
info
Capture method — Pole & line
Capture area — Indian Ocean, Western (FAO 51) and Eastern ( FAO 57)
Stock area — All Areas
Stock detail — All Areas
info
Capture method — Pole & line
Capture area — Atlantic, Western (FAO 21,31,41)
Stock area — West Atlantic
Stock detail — All Areas
info
Capture method — Pole & line
Capture area — Pacific, North West (FAO 61) and Central (FAO 71,77)
Stock area — Western and Central Pacific
Stock detail — All Areas
info
Tuna, yellowfin
Thunnus albacares
A big bulky tuna, though not as large as bluefin, found in tropical or subtropical climates. The tail and some fins are yellow, the rest of the body a glistening dark blue, silvery on the underside. Yellowfin can be canned, sold as steaks
…
Read more
or even raw as sashimi.
Yellowfin tuna is a large tuna species that is often sold as tuna steaks in the UK. The population in the Western & Central Pacific is in good shape at the moment. Stocks in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific are Ocean are doing reasonably well but catches have been too high in recent years, and the Indian Ocean stock is overfished and catches remain too high. Yellowfin is mainly caught in longline and purse seine fisheries. The accidental catch of vulnerable species like sharks is of concern in the longline fisheries. The catch rate of sharks and other vulnerable species in purse seine fisheries is low, but because the scale of these fisheries is so big, they can still have a large impact on these species. Purse seine fisheries can also catch a lot of juvenile tunas. Smaller scale pole & line, hand line and troll fisheries are more selective and a better choice. Some yellowfin fisheries are certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) as sustainable, well managed fisheries, so look for their blue ecolabel on tuna products.
info
Capture method — Longline
Capture area — Pacific, North West (FAO 61) and Central (FAO 71,77)
Stock area — Western and Central Pacific
Stock detail — Certified fleets only
Certification — Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
info
Capture method — Pole & line; Handline
Capture area — Pacific, North West (FAO 61) and Central (FAO 71,77)
Stock area — Philippines, Indo, PNG
Stock detail — Philippines, Indo, Vietnam, PNG EEZs
info
Turbot (Caught at sea)
Psetta maxima
Turbot is a valuable bycatch species in trawl and gillnet and trap fisheries for flatfish (plaice and sole) and other demersal species. It is not subject to overfishing, and is not in an overfished state, but turbot catches consists of … Read more mainly immature fish. Management measures are combined with those for brill, which prevents effective control and could lead to high grading of the lower value species (brill) or overexploitation of turbot. Avoid eating wild-caught turbot during its spawning season, April to August, and below the size at which it matures, 30 cm.
info
Capture method — Trap
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — North Sea
Stock detail — 4
info
Turbot (Farmed)
Psetta maxima
The farming of turbot is a fairly recent development. Unlike open net pen fish farming such as salmon, turbot are farmed in enclosed land-based flow through systems that have little or no direct environmental impact. However turbot are a … Read more carnivorous species which require a high percentage of fishmeal and fish-oil in their diet, which makes them a net user of fish protein rather than a net provider. The wild fish on which they rely cannot be assured to come from a sustainable supply.
info
Production country — Europe
Production method — Onshore open circuit system
Certification — Global Gap certified
info
