
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. 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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Ling
Molva molva

Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
Capture method — Gill or fixed net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
Capture method — Longline
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
Capture method — Beam trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
Capture method — Longline
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27) and Arctic Ocean (FAO 18)
Stock area — Northeast Atlantic and Arctic Ocean
Stock detail —
VI-IX, XII, and XIV, and in divisions III.a and IV.a
Lobster, European
Homarus gammarus
The very large claws of unequal size, along with the abdomen, are full of tasty white meat. Can be bought fresh or frozen. There are many popular lobster recipes including Thermidor and Bisque or of course you can boil, steam or grill it.
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Lobster is often boiled alive - The RSPCA recommend that lobster is placed in the freezer at 18 degrees C for 2 hours before boiling so it falls asleep and dies.
Stock levels for UK lobster are generally low or unknown and exploitation levels on them too high.
Do not buy lobster below the legal minimum landing size of 87mm carapace (front-shell length), or egg-bearing (berried) or large females which contribute most to the breeding stock (the larger the animal the more eggs she produces).
A national prohibition on the landing of berried lobster in England was introduced in 2017. There is currently no prohibition on the landing of berried or egg bearing or ovigerous lobster in Wales. Although there is a prohibition in Scotland on the landing of berried or egg-bearing velvet crab, no such restriction exists for female European lobster. The reduction in maximum landing size is however designed to protect larger breeding females as the number of eggs produced by an egg-bearing female is proportional to her size.
A ban on landing berried and v-notched lobster significantly increases the spawning potential and resilience of the stock.
Lobster potting is a more selective method of fishing than netting as undersized, egg-bearing females or immature animals can be returned to the sea alive. The lobster fishery in the Granville Bay Treaty Area, Jersey, is certified as an environmentally responsible fishery by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Jersey
Stock detail —
Granville Bay Treaty Area
Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — England
Stock detail —
Southwest
Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h (0-6nm)
Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — England
Stock detail —
Southeast and South
Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — England
Stock detail —
East Anglia
Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — England
Stock detail —
Yorkshire Humber
Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — England
Stock detail —
Northumberland and Durham
Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Scotland
Stock detail —
All Areas
Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Wales
Stock detail —
All Areas
Capture method — Gill or fixed net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
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 associated with large quantities of bycatch and discards of a variety of species.

Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Skagerrak and Kattegat
Stock detail —
3a (FU 3 and 4)
Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — West Scotland (North Minch)
Stock detail —
6a (Management Area C, FU 11)
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — North Sea (Fladen Ground)
Stock detail —
IVa (Management Area G: FU 7)
Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — West Scotland (South Minch)
Stock detail —
6a (Management Area C, FU 12)
Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — West Scotland (Clyde & Sound of Jura)
Stock detail —
6a (Management Area C, FU 13)
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Skagerrak and Kattegat
Stock detail —
3a (FU 3 and 4)
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — North Sea (Firth of Forth)
Stock detail —
4b (Management Area I: FU 8)
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — West Scotland (North Minch)
Stock detail —
VIa (Management Area C, FU 11)
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Celtic Sea and West of Scotland
Stock detail —
Labadie; Jones & Cockburn (Management Area M, FU 20;21)
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — North Sea (Moray Firth)
Stock detail —
IVa (Management Area F: FU 9)
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Celtic Sea and West of Scotland
Stock detail —
Irish Sea West (Management Area J, FU 15)
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Celtic Sea and West of Scotland
Stock detail —
Irish Coasts (FU 19)
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — North Sea (Farn Deeps)
Stock detail —
IVb (Management Area I: FU 6)
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — North Sea (Noup)
Stock detail —
4a (Management Area F: FU 10)
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — North Sea (Norwegian Deep)
Stock detail —
4a (FU 32)
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Celtic Sea and West of Scotland
Stock detail —
Irish Sea East (Management Area J, FU 14)
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — North Sea (Botney Gut to Silver Pit)
Stock detail —
4 b,c (Management Area H: FU 5)
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — North Sea (Off Horn Reef)
Stock detail —
4b (Management Area H: FU 33)
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Celtic Sea and West of Scotland
Stock detail —
Porcupine Bank (FU 16)
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Celtic Sea and West of Scotland
Stock detail —
Aran Grounds (FU 17)
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — West Scotland (South Minch)
Stock detail —
VIa (Management Area C, FU 12)
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — West Scotland (Clyde & Sound of Jura)
Stock detail —
VIa (Management Area C, FU 13)
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — North Sea (Devil's Hole)
Stock detail —
4b (FU 34)
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)
Mackerel
Scomber scombrus
When cooked the meat is really creamy and is full of omega-3 fatty acids. Mackerel is best eaten fresh and can be grilled, smoked or fried. It's rumoured to improve brain power so an ideal starter fish for the kids! A fast swimming silver
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and blue striped fish belonging to a group of fish called Scombrids, it's related to tuna. They swim around in huge shoals which feed on small fish and prawns.
The combined Northeast Atlantic mackerel is assessed as one stock, but comprises three spawning components (Southern, Western and North Sea). Based on the most recent scientific advice (September 2015), the stock is assessed as having full reproductive capacity but fishing pressure is too high and above the level required to maintain the stock at sustainable levels. To ensure the mackerel you buy is as sustainable as possible only source fish caught locally using traditional methods including handlines, ringnets and drift nets and from the MINSA North East Atlantic mackerel fishery, certified in May 2016 as a well managed and sustainable fishery in accordance with the MSC's Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Fishing. The Faroese Pelagic Organisation (FPO) North East Atlantic mackerel fishery was also certified by the MSC in June 2016.

Capture method — Handline
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Southern, Western & North Sea
Stock detail —
South West
Capture method — Pelagic trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Southern, Western & North Sea
Stock detail —
EU & Norway (MINSA)
Certification —
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) (Suspended)
Capture method — Purse seine
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Southern, Western & North Sea
Stock detail —
EU & Norway (MINSA)
Certification —
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) (Suspended)
Capture method — Handline
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
Capture method — Gill or fixed net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
Marlin, blue
Makaira nigricans
Atlantic blue marlin has been overfished for many years and is still below safe levels. Best avoided for now.

Capture method — Longline
Capture area — Atlantic (FAO 21,27,31,34,41,47)
Stock area — Atlantic
Stock detail —
All Areas
Meagre
Argyrosomus regius
Farmed meagre is emerging into the UK market. It is farmed in Mediterrean countries, mainly in Italy. Although it can be farmed in both land based systems and in open sea pens it is mainly farmed in the sea in open pens. As with most open
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intensive prouction the environmental impacts can include disease transfer and pollution issues, feed use and its sustainability is also a concern.
Farmed meagre is emerging into the UK market. It is farmed in Mediterrean countries, mainly in Italy. Although it can be farmed in both land based systems and in open sea pens it is mainly farmed in the sea in open pens. As with most open intensive prouction the environmental impacts can include disease transfer and pollution issues, feed use and its sustainability is also a concern.

Production country — Europe
Production method — Open net pen
Megrim
Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis
A common flatfish found in shelf seas throughout the northeast Atlantic. The best choice for this species is megrim otter trawled from the Northern North Sea and West of Scotland where the stock is assessed as healthy and as harvested
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sustainably. Avoid eating immature fish (less than 25 cm) and during their spawning season (January to April).
The best choice for this species is megrim otter trawled from the Northern North Sea and West of Scotland or Rockall where the stocks are assessed as healthy and as harvested sustainably. Avoid eating immature fish (less than 25cm) and during their spawning season (January to April).

Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Northern North Sea and West of Scotland
Stock detail —
4.a and 6.a
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Rockall
Stock detail —
VIb
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — West, Southwest Ireland, Bay of Biscay
Stock detail —
7.b-k, 8.a-b, and 8.d
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
Capture method — Beam Trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
Capture method — Beam trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — West, Southwest Ireland, Bay of Biscay
Stock detail —
7.b-k, 8.a-b, and 8.d
Monkfish, Anglerfish
Lophius piscatorius and Lophius budegassa
A fantastical-looking ugly fish with a very big mouth. Rests on the seabed until it snaps up prey attracted to a lure above its cavernous mouth. It doesn't have a strong fishy taste, and has been called 'poor man's lobster', but nowadays
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is an expensive fish in its own right. The tail is the most prized part for cooking and you can roast, steam, grill or use it in soups and stews.
There are two species of monkfish caught commercially in UK and EU waters, white bellied monkfish (Lophius piscatorius) and black bellied monkfish (Lophius budgegassa). Monkfish are long-lived and late maturing, making them vulnerable to fishing.
Gillnet caught fish tend to be larger and thus are more likely to be mature and therefore the more sustainable choice. There is a minimum marketing weight of 500g for monkfish in the EU, however this is unlikely to reflect the size of a mature fish. Monkfish mature at an average size of 70 cm, so always source fish from fisheries which select for fish at or above this size. For assurance of scientific co-operation, better environmental practices and experimentation with benthic release panels to reduce impact on bottom dwelling species ask for fish from vessels which are involved in the "Seafish Responsible Fishing Scheme" or from vessels involved in Project 50% and using more selective nets to reduce discards.

Capture method — Beam trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Southern Celtic Seas, Bay of Biscay
Stock detail —
7, 8.a-b and 8.d
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Southern Celtic Seas, Bay of Biscay
Stock detail —
7, 8.a-b and 8.d
Capture method — Gill or fixed net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Southern Celtic Seas, Bay of Biscay
Stock detail —
7, 8.a-b and 8.d
Capture method — Gill or fixed net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — North Sea, West of Scotland and Rockall, Kattegat and Skagerrak
Stock detail —
IIIa, IV, VI
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — North Sea, West of Scotland and Rockall, Kattegat and Skagerrak
Stock detail —
IIIa, IV, VI
Capture method — Beam trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
Capture method — Gill or fixed net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
Capture method — Trammel net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Southern Celtic Seas, Bay of Biscay
Stock detail —
7, 8.a-b and 8.d
Mullet, Grey, Thicklip
Chelon labrosus

Capture method — Beach seine
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
Capture method — Gill or fixed net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
Capture method — Ripping
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
Manacles Reef
Capture method — Gill or fixed net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — UK
Stock detail —
English Channel, North Sea
Mullet, Red, Striped red mullet
Mullus surmuletus

Capture method — Gill or fixed net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
Capture method — Beam trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — West of Scotland, Bay of Biscay, southern Celtic Seas, Atlantic Iberian Waters (Western Area)
Stock detail —
VI, VIIa - c, e - k, VIII, and IXa
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 —
IV, VIId, IIIa
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 —
IV, VIId, IIIa
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 —
IV, VIId, IIIa
Mussel, mussels
Mytilus edulis

Production country — England
Production method —
Mussel, mussels (Farmed)
Mytilus edulis
Best steamed with garlic, butter, lemon juice, white wine or other sauces. If cooked well they taste like the ocean with a hint of mushroom. The whole thing is eaten, apart from the shell and they can be eaten raw. Found in number on UK
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shores and shallow seabeds and are often viewed as a poor man's shelfish as they are so cheap. The shell is longer than it is wide and wedge-shaped and the inside is silvery.
Mussels are widely cultivated. Shellfish farming is a low-impact method of aquaculture and high quality water standards are required for cultivation of shellfish for human consumption. Mussel farming requires no feed inputs therefore farming of mussels is a good way of producing seafood. Also there are no chemicals used in mussel farming. As only naturally occurring spat are used for on-growing, escapes are not an issue. Rope grown or hand-gathered mussels, if taken from the wild, have a lower environmental impact than those harvested by mechanical methods such as dredging.

Production country — UK
Production method — Suspension culture
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 3,000m 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 (Ovoviparity) e.g. basking shark; Embryos develop within the mother and are provided with nutrients from a placenta (Viviparity) e.g. smoothhound. 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. Fins may fetch over 30 per kilo and a single basking shark tail fin can fetch up to 5,250 in Hong Kong. Blue sharks and other oceanic species are the preferred species taken.
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.

Capture method — Longline
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Celtic Sea and English Channel
Stock detail —
6 and 7
Capture method — All applicable methods
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Celtic Sea and English Channel
Stock detail —
6 and 7
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
Octopus, Common
Octopus vulgaris

Capture method — Beam Trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h
Octopus, Lesser
Eledone cirrhosa

Capture method — Demersal otter trawl
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail —
VIIe,f,g and h