We know we’re not supposed to eat cod anymore, and that some tuna is off limits too, but do you know what you are allowed to eat? Look no further, we’ve got some great advice for you.
So, there's no need to feel guilty next time you have a fish supper.
Tuna
Why shouldn't I eat it?There are lots of different species of tuna, a few of which are critically endangered and some of which are caught in ways that damage other marine life.
What can I eat instead?
Try Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified albacore tuna – hand-caught in the Pacific Ocean. Albacore has very light, firm and delicately flavoured meat, and is available canned and in jars. Most canned tuna is skipjack, the most resilient species of tuna. Currently all stocks of skipjack are healthy – choose pole and line, handline or troll caught.
Where can I get it?
Salmon
Why shouldn't I eat it?Salmon is sometimes farmed very intensively, leading to serious environmental problems.
What can I eat instead?
Try MSC certified Alaskan wild salmon. It’s much leaner than farmed salmon, so be careful not to overcook it. Alternatively, look out for certified organic farmed salmon or Freedom Foods farmed salmon. Or, for grilling or pan-frying, try mackerel (which is a healthy as well as a tasty choice, containing nearly twice as many omega 3 fatty acids as salmon).
Where can I get it?
Haddock
Why shouldn't I eat it?Our love of this chip-shop favourite has led some haddock stocks to be over-fished. As haddock often swim with cod, this also means that haddock fisheries will catch both fish, leading to an even greater decline in cod stocks.
What can I eat instead?
Look out for MSC certified haddock from Scotland or Norway, or try a different firm, white fish such as coley (often sold as saithe) – which has an undeserved reputation as something you feed to the cat.
Where can I get it?
and fillets in frozen section.
Cod
Why shouldn't I eat it?Many stocks of Atlantic cod are overfished.
What can I eat instead?
Give cod a break and try a different white, flaky fish such as the delicate pollack (line-caught from Cornwall is a good choice), or the similarly named MSC certified Alaskan pollock. Coley (see above) is also a great alternative. If only cod will do, go for MSC certified cod from the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Where can I get it?
King/tiger prawns
Why shouldn't I eat it?King or tiger prawns are usually farmed in the tropics, often very intensively and in ways which can seriously damage local communities and the environment.
What can I eat instead?
Choose organic tiger prawns, or for a more local option, go for Scottish langoustine (also known as Dublin Bay prawns or scampi). Or, look out for the smaller MSC-certified cold-water prawns from Canada. Crab is another alternative – like prawns, it’s as good with strong flavours like chilli as it is plain with lemon and mayonnaise.
Where can I get it?
Plaice
Why shouldn't I eat it?Left to their own devices, plaice can live for 50 years or more, and they grow and reproduce very slowly – making them vulnerable to overfishing. Some beam trawl fisheries catch vast numbers of young plaice as ‘bycatch’, and throw them back into the sea, dead.
What can I eat instead?
More sustainable flatfish choices include flounder, dab or lemon sole (ask for fish caught by otter trawl or seine net). Or go for MSC certified plaice, or, for a real treat (it's on the pricey side), MSC certified Dover sole.
Where can I get it?
Swordfish
Why shouldn't I eat it?Big, slow-growing ‘game’ fish like swordfish are particularly vulnerable to over-fishing.
What can I eat instead?
Nothing similar fits the sustainability bill, but jig-caught squid stands up to strong flavours and is delicious grilled or on the barbeque – and ditto for mackerel.
Where can I get it?
Sea bass
Why shouldn't I eat it?Sea bass is commonly farmed in the Mediterranean, and is a carnivorous fish, raising the problem of fish-feed. Wild sea bass are often caught in pelagic trawls which can kill other sea life such as dolphins.
What can I eat instead?
A firm favourite on restaurant menus, sea bass is overfished in many places – and it’s often caught in pelagic trawls, some of which deplete fish stocks and can catch and kill other sea life such as dolphins. Look for line-caught or organically farmed sea bass, or try line-caught black bream, porgy or seabream.
Where can I get it?
Skate
Why shouldn't I eat it?Sadly the once ‘common skate’ is now critically endangered, and several other species of skates and rays are overfished.
What can I eat instead?
Nothing really compares to the soft, fibrous texture of skates and rays, but the smaller starry, spotted and cuckoo rays are generally considered a more sustainable choice. Bizarrely, circles of skate wing are sometimes sold as fake scallops – so a luxurious alternative could be diver-caught scallops.
Where can I get it?
Halibut
Why shouldn't I eat it?Another slow-growing, long-lived species that has been overfished to the point of being endangered.
What can I eat instead?
As an alternative, look for MSC certified Pacific halibut – or for something different but similarly meaty and very tasty, try red, grey or tub gurnard.
Where can I get it?
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