The Scottish mackerel processing industry is celebrating the return of mackerel to the Marine Conservation Society’s (MCS) Safely Sourced Seafood List, which it hails as the essential guide to sourcing sustainable fish for UK consumers and restaurants.
According to the MCS, mackerel from the UK, Europe and Norway is once again a “good choice” for consumers. MCS advises that mackerel from other countries like Iceland and the Faroe Islands should be avoided.
In June the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) also reissued its 2014 advice to reveal the stock is at Full Reproductive Capacity and catches by the UK fleet are classified by ICES as Harvested Sustainably.
“This is great news for the mackerel fishing and processing industries; wider economy; and consumers,” said Ian McFadden, chairman of the Scottish Pelagic Processors Association (SPPA).
“The reclassification of mackerel as a fish consumers can eat regularly, without threatening the sustainability of the stock, is testament to the seven North East Atlantic fisheries, which came together to agree a management plan to safeguard the sustainability of the mackerel stock. Mackerel stocks spawn and spend most of their time within European waters and recent studies have shown the stocks are currently approaching their highest known levels.”
Mackerel is the UK’s largest fishery, SPPA said, worth around GBP 500 million (USD 816 million; EUR 642 million) and employing more than 2,000 people.
September 25, 2014
