Good Fish Guide

Mussel, mussels (Farmed)

Mytilus edulis

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 … Read more 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.

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 … Read more 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.

Octopus, Common

Octopus vulgaris

Octopus sustainability varies and needs significant improvement. Avoid all octopus caught in British waters. There is not enough information on populations here and no real controls on fishing to protect them. The better choice is common … Read more octopus from the Bay of Biscay, but even here there are concerns over fishing controls.

Octopus, Horned

Eledone cirrhosa

Octopus sustainability varies and needs significant improvement. Avoid all octopus caught in British waters. There is not enough information on populations here and no real controls on fishing to protect them. The better choice is common … Read more octopus from the Bay of Biscay, but even here there are concerns over fishing controls.

Oyster, Native, oysters

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.

Oyster, Pacific, oysters

Crassostrea gigas

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 a low-impact method of aquaculture 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 of Native Oyster are depleted and although management of the fisheries is good, the native oyster is still vulnerable to exploitation.

Oyster, Pacific, oysters (Caught at sea)

Crassostrea gigas

Oyster, Pacific, oysters (Farmed)

Crassostrea gigas

Plaice

Pleuronectes platessa

Plaice is a popular fish for consumption and is subject to high fishing pressure. The state of plaice stocks around the UK vary. Currently the best choice for plaice is from North Sea, where the stocks are assessed as healthy and fishing … Read more is at a sustainable level. However, as with all plaice fisheries, there is significant discarding of plaice and other species. To increase the sustainability of the plaice you eat, ask for 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, below 30 cm. If eating fresh from the sea, avoid plaice caught during their breeding season (January to March). Give plaice caught in electric-pulse trawl fisheries a complete miss. Alternatives to plaice are lemon sole, dab, flounder and megrim.

Pollack or Lythe

Pollachius pollachius

There is insufficient information available to evaluate stock biomass and fishing mortality for pollack. The best choice to make, in terms of selectivity, is handline-caught pollack from the southwest. For more information on line caught … Read more pollack from these waters see www.linecaught.org.uk. Avoid eating immature fish (below 50cm) and during its breeding season, January to April.

Pollock, Alaska, Walleye

Theragra chalcogramma

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 … Read more improved monitoring in these fisheries.

Pouting or Bib

Trisopterus luscus

Pouting (or Bib) is a short-lived species common in British inshore waters. It is not commercially fished and is usually only taken as bycatch. Their stock status is unknown, but recent research suggests stocks might be declining. … Read more Management of the species is lacking. When buying choose mature (over 21 cm) locally caught fish. Avoid eating fresh fish (not previously frozen) caught during their spawning season (March to April).

Prawn, Giant River, prawns

Macrobrachium rosenbergii

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. This large freshwater shrimp is native to … Read more the Indo-Pacific region, northern Australia and Southeast Asia. Body usually greenish to brownish grey, sometimes more bluish, darker in larger specimens. There are three male types: 'Small males' which , if conditions allow, change into bigger, 'Orange Claws' which in turn can become 'Blue Claws', whose striking second, claw-bearing legs may become twice as long as their body. Adult prawns can walk as well as swim and can climb up vertical surfaces (small waterfalls, weirs, etc.) and cross land. Farmed animals have escaped into the wild. The primary market for this species is for use in Chinese and Indian meals.

The giant river prawn is also known as the giant freshwater prawn or freshwater scampi. Freshwater prawn farming occurs in many Asian countries, the main suppliers to the UK market is Bangladesh. Freshwater prawn farming occurs in a similar way to warmwater prawn farming, however there are less environmental concerns as stocking densities and therefore organic pollution is reduced. Large extensive ponds are used, mangroves are not impacted by construction and there is no risk of salinisation of freshwater.The primary negative factor associated with the freshwater prawn sector in Bangladesh is that it is almost exclusively reliant on wild-caught post larvae; this practice leads to high levels of by-catch. Another negative aspect of the industry is that regulations are poorly enforced, since the government lacks capacity. A positive aspect of this industry is that production of freshwater prawns does not generally occur in mangrove areas and does not cause salination of the soil.

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 by-products 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.

Prawn, Northern prawns, Northern shrimp

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. A number of cold water prawn fisheries are 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.