MCS lowers ratings for some hake and coley fisheries
The story at a glance
The Marine Conservation Society’s 14 October 2026 Good Fish Guide update lowered European hake ratings from green to amber for the North Sea, Celtic Seas and Bay of Biscay. MCS cited declining stocks and increased fishing pressure.12
Coley caught in the North Sea, West of Scotland, Rockall and Skagerrak received a red rating, with MCS citing population decline and no recovery plan. The changes do not apply to every fishery for either species.12
The story in brief
What you need to know
- For hake, the downgrade covers specified fisheries in three regions, not every catch. Cornish hake with MSC certification remains green-rated, according to the Good Fish Guide. The distinction matters when interpreting a rating by species name alone.12
- The red coley rating is likewise tied to catches from named areas: the North Sea, West of Scotland, Rockall and Skagerrak. MCS’s stated concerns are population decline and the absence of a recovery plan for this fishery.1
- The guide lists Icelandic coley as a Best Choice. That is a further qualification to the warning: the update is about the sustainability of particular fisheries, rather than a blanket rating of all coley.1
- MCS ratings can vary according to where and how fish are caught, and whether a catch is certified. The guide’s different ratings for hake and coley illustrate why the fishery and fishing method need to be considered alongside the species.12
- MCS also revised its assessment methodology. The available reporting does not quantify how much the downgrades reflect changes in fishery conditions and how much reflect the revised method.1
Conservation context
Why this matters
The updated ratings signal concerns about stock trends and fishing pressure in named fisheries, while the retained green and Best Choice ratings show why broad claims about either species would be misleading. For practitioners and shoppers, the source and method of a catch are central to interpreting the guide.12
The developing story
What happens next
The available reporting does not set out what recovery measures may follow for the coley fishery or when further assessments will be made. The evidence behind each changed rating, and the effect of the revised methodology, remain questions for follow-up.1
Established evidence
What we know
- The Guardian’s report and MCS guide support the reported changes and show that ratings differ by fishery and source.12
- ICES provides separate advice for the saithe stock spanning the North Sea, Rockall, West of Scotland and Skagerrak. It sets a 2027 catch ceiling and projects a rise in spawning-stock biomass; this is not a direct assessment of MCS’s fishery-specific rating.3
- MCS’s stated reasons for the downgrades include stock or population decline and fishing pressure; for coley, it also identifies the lack of a recovery plan.1
Open questions
What we don't know
- The available sources do not detail the stock-assessment data and management evidence underpinning each changed rating.1
- They do not separate the contribution of changing fishery conditions from that of MCS’s revised assessment methodology.1
- The reporting does not identify what recovery measures, if any, will be introduced for the UK-area coley fishery described as lacking a recovery plan.1
Source coverage
