Marine Conservation Society Updates Good Fish Guide

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has updated its Good Fish Guide with Brexit sparking interest to swap the traditional UK top five favourite fish for new choices.

Megrim from Rockall, Northern North Sea and West of Scotland; North Sea line and trap-caught or UK farmed turbot; line-caught pollack from the Celtic Sea; lemon sole, seine netted from the North Sea and eastern English Channel and queen scallop, traditionally caught in the Fal Estuary in Cornwall, all appear on the Good Fish Guide green-rated Best Choice List.

"Although they may not trip off the tongue like cod, mackerel and plaice, these could, and should be, the fish supper of the future," says Bernadette Clarke, MCS Good Fish Guide Programme Manager. "UK consumers tend to stick to their tried and tested Top Five – both in taste and familiarity but not always sustainability. Cod, tuna, salmon, haddock and prawns, from the right sources are all OK, but there's so much more to explore and the new additions to the Best Choice list are a good place to start."

The MCS Best Choice Top 10

1. Dab, seine netted in the North Sea
2. Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Certified hake from Cornwall
3. MSC certified herring from Irish, Celtic and North Seas, SW Ireland and Eastern English Channel
4. Mackerel, handlined in the southwest of England, and MINSA (Mackerel Industry Northern Sustainability Alliance) North East Atlantic MSC certified
5. Megrim from the Northern North Sea and West of Scotland
6. UK rope-grown mussels
7. Brown crab from Devon Inshore Potting Area, Western Channel
8. Queen scallops from the Fal Estuary, fished by trad. sail and oar method
9. Pollack handlined from the Celtic sea
10. Sole, Dover from the Western Channel

MCS says that there are some very good reasons for going local aside from complicated economics: lower food miles and carbon footprint; fresh fish can be tastier and better quality; good for the local economy; more choices; better traceability so you get what you pay for.

The MCS Good Fish Guide Fish is available at: www.goodfishguide.co.uk.