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 "european lobster"
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).
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Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Jersey
Stock detail — Granville Bay Treaty Area
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Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail — 7e, 7f, 7g, 7h (0-6nm)
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Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail — 7e, 7f, 7g, 7h
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Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — England
Stock detail — Southwest
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Capture method — Gill or fixed net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail — 7e, 7f, 7g, 7h
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Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — England
Stock detail — Southeast and South
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Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — England
Stock detail — East Anglia
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Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — England
Stock detail — Yorkshire Humber
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Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — England
Stock detail — Northumberland and Durham
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Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Scotland
Stock detail — All Areas
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Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Wales
Stock detail — All Areas
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