Overview
- Britain’s Marine Conservation Society updated its Good Fish Guide to rate every UK-caught cod as unsustainable and to tell shoppers to avoid domestic cod.
- The group says cod numbers have slid since 2015 due to heavy fishing and warmer seas that hinder breeding and young fish survival.
- The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea has advised that no cod should be caught in the North Sea and nearby waters in 2026.
- The UK government cut cod quotas by 44% for 2026 after talks with the EU and Norway over shared stocks.
- The update also downgrades trawled scampi and mackerel, steering buyers to pot- or creel-caught scampi and noting retailers like Waitrose plan to stop selling mackerel by April 29.