UK among nations condemned for 'epic' mackerel overfishing disaster

Source: The Guardian

UK among nations condemned for ‘epic’ mackerel overfishing disaster

Seafood companies and retailers threaten to boycott north-east Atlantic catch after two-decade failure to agree sustainable quotas

Karen McVeigh
@karenmcveigh1
Fri 17 Nov 2023 10.00 GMT
Last modified on Fri 17 Nov 2023 10.02 GMT

A coalition of British seafood companies and retailers, including Young’s, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Aldi and Waitrose, has condemned the “collective failure” of the UK, Norway and other states to reach agreement on the sustainable fishing of mackerel in the north-east Atlantic.

Lack of political agreement over a decade has led to an “overfishing disaster of potentially epic proportions”, conservationists say, leading to 44% more fish being caught than is sustainable.

The £1bn industry, the most economically important for the region, is being overexploited due to repeated failures of states to ensure the total catch is in line with scientific advice, say the coalition, the North Atlantic Pelagic Advocacy Group (Napa). Many members, including Youngs, have threatened to stop sourcing from the fisheries if sustainable management is not achieved.

This year, the Marine Conservation Society downgraded the sustainability rating of north-east Atlantic mackerel in its Good Fish Guide because of overexploitation. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) withdrew its blue-tick assurance of sustainability in 2019 for the same reason.

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Original Guardian link (registration required): https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/17/uk-among-nations-condemned-for-epic-mackerel-overfishing-disaster