Mackerel 'no longer sustainable' choice for consumers due to overfishing says charity

However the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has now downgraded mackerel as “no longer a sustainable choice” due to overfishing.

In the latest Good Fish Guide mackerel caught in the Northeast Atlantic is amber rated, meaning improvements are needed, having previously been green rated since before 2011.

More mackerel is caught by UK boats than any other species.

The vast majority - over 220,000 tonnes in 2021 - is fished by Scottish boats and landed in Fraserburgh, Peterhead and Shetland, with a tiny fraction of the fish caught by handline boats in the south west.

Mackerel is also caught by nations including Norway, Iceland and the EU.

However the MCS says they are not working together to tackle overfishing and quotas have been higher than scientifically recommended limits since 2009.

In 2022 the combined catch limits set by all countries totalled 1.13m tonnes - exceeding the advice by 42 per cent.

Mackerel is also an important source of food for whales, dolphins, and tuna and the MCS says taking too much out of the ecosystem could have wider environmental impacts.

Charlotte Coombes, from the MCS, said: “The northeast Atlantic mackerel population has been declining since 2015, which is concerning. Fishing communities and wildlife depend on this species, but continued overfishing is putting both at risk.”

However Ian Gatt, from the Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association, said the MCS’s assessment needed to take into account what individual countries are doing. He said they fished for four weeks of the five month season with other countries going “flat out” when the fish move from UK into international waters.

Mr Gatt said: “It is not true to say the stock is in peril, it is in good shape. We are basically being judged by the poorest performing country.”

Mackerel caught by handline remains green rated, along with other “best choice” species including keta salmon, king fish and European hake.