Good Fish Guide

Tuna, Pacific bluefin

Thunnus orientalis

Pacific bluefin tuna is at very low levels and is a Fish to Avoid. In 2010 the population size was just 1.7% of what it had been before fishing began. It has improved to nearly 5% since then, but is still far below safe levels. More needs … Read more to be done to make sure it recovers more quickly.

Tuna, skipjack

Euthynnus pelamis, Katsuwonus pelamis

Skipjack tuna sustainability varies. The Best Choice is caught by pole and line in the western and central Pacific and the Indian Ocean. Avoid all tuna caught by gillnet, as tuna gillnets can be several kilometres long and catch huge … Read more numbers of dolphins, sharks and turtles. The Western and Central Pacific skipjack tuna fishery is the biggest in the world, catching more than 1.5 million tonnes per year - more than a third of the world's tuna catches.

Tuna, southern bluefin

Thunnus maccoyii

Southern bluefin tuna is Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and is a Fish to Avoid. By 2009 the population had fallen to 1% of the size it was before fishing. It has now improved to 20%, but is still below safe levels.

Tuna, yellowfin

Thunnus albacares

Yellowfin tuna sustainability varies. The Best Choices are caught by pole & line, troll or handline (all of which involve fishing with a rod and line) in the Atlantic and the western and central Pacific. MSC-certified longline-caught … Read more yellowfin from the western and central Pacific is also a Best Choice. Avoid all tuna caught by gillnet, as tuna gillnets can be several kilometres long and catch huge numbers of dolphins, sharks and turtles. Also avoid yellowfin caught in the Indian Ocean by purse seine or longline unless it's come from a Fishery Improvement Project. Indian Ocean tuna fisheries are generally not very well controlled.

Turbot (Caught at sea)

Scophthalmus maximus

Turbot is a valuable bycatch species in trawl and gillnet and trap fisheries for flatfish (plaice and sole) and other demersal species. It is not subject to overfishing, but turbot catches consists of mainly immature fish. Management … Read more measures are combined with those for brill, which prevents effective control and could lead to high grading of the lower value species (brill) or overexploitation of turbot. Avoid eating fresh (not previously frozen) wild-caught turbot during its spawning season, April to August, and below the size at which it matures, 30 cm.

Turbot (Farmed)

Psetta maxima

The farming of turbot is a fairly recent development. Unlike open net pen fish farming such as salmon, turbot are farmed in enclosed land-based flow through systems that have little or no direct environmental impact. However turbot are a … Read more carnivorous species which require a high percentage of fishmeal and fish-oil in their diet, which makes them a net user of fish protein rather than a net provider. The wild fish on which they rely cannot be assured to come from a sustainable supply.

Tusk

Brosme brosme

Deepsea fish are biologically highly vulnerable to over-exploitation and have a low resilience to fishing. There is currently very little data on the deep sea ecosystem and fish stocks, thus it is almost impossible to manage deepsea … Read more fisheries sustainably. Any impacts will take a substantial amount of time to recover and recovery may not be seen for many decades. Deepsea fishing gear is often comprised of heavy bottom towed gear, which is extremely detrimental to the ecosystem, and can decimate productive deepsea areas such as seamounts and oceanic ridges. Static gear has less of an impact on the seabed but is still detrimental to fish stocks and can be easily lost; it will then continue to ghost fish for a long period of time, causing further detriment to deep sea stocks. Avoid eating all deepsea fish species.

Whelk, common whelk

Buccinum undatum

Whelk sustainability varies and needs significant improvement. Whelks fished in UK inshore waters are OK but more protection is needed for all whelk populations. There are a number of whelk options on our Fish to Avoid list so we recommend … Read more checking the product label for catch location. These molluscs can live a whopping 10 years and they don’t really move around too much. This means that they can be easily overexploited.

Whiting

Merlangius merlangus

Whiting are mainly a bycatch species and fisheries suffer from high discard rates. Even whiting above the minimum size (27cm) have been observed to be discarded, due to their low market value and sometimes due to quota restrictions. Where … Read more whiting is taken in trawl fisheries for Nephrops or Dublin Bay prawns, which are less selective for whitefish, discarding rates can be as high as 80%. The mandatory use of more selective fishing gears is required to reduce the amount of whiting being discarded if the fisheries are to become sustainable. Ask for, and only eat, whiting from trawlers using approved methods to improve selectivity and reduce discards. Avoid eating immature fish (less than 30cm), and fresh (not previously frozen) fish caught during the spawning season (March-April).

Winkle, winkles

Littorina littorea

Winkles are gastropod molluscs (having a one-piece coiled shell) that graze on a range of algae. They occur throughout the UK, although they are rare in the Channel Islands and the Isles of Scilly. Winkles form a traditional part of a … Read more seafood platter. Traditionally they are not collected during a month with no R in it. Winkles spawn in the spring and early summer from March until June. Live winkles will need washing in lots of cold water then soaking in a little salted water for 30 minutes before boiling. Boiled in plenty of water, they take 3-4 minutes to cook.

Most winkles are collected or gathered by hand, which is a selective method of harvesting that causes less habitat disturbance. Minimum landing sizes for winkles vary between regions, but selecting larger, mature winkles (over 2cm) allows for them to have spawned. There are no stock assessments for winkles and it is highly likely that the harvest is under-recorded. Choose winkles harvested by hand-gathering methods in areas which are well managed.

Witch, Witch flounder, Torbay sole

Glyptocephalus cynoglossus

Fisheries for witch in EU waters outside 6 miles are unregulated, i.e. there is no Minimum Landing Size or other measures specified. Witch are generally taken as bycatch in trawls targeting whitefish. In some coastal areas of England and … Read more Wales, MLSs are enforced, e.g. Cornwall and North Western and North Wales Inshore Fishery Conservation Authorities prohibit the landing of witch below 28 cm. Avoid eating immature fish (less than 28cm) and fresh fish caught during the breeding season (March-September). Choose fish landed in Cornwall or North West Wales where available.

Wolffish

Anarhichas lupus

There are three species of wolffish: Atlantic (or common), spotted, and northern. Atlantic wolffish, confusingly sometimes referred to as catfish, Scotch halibut, Scarborough woof, or devil fish, are the most widespread and commercially … Read more valuable. They are sometimes given the title of Britain's Ugliest Fish, owing to their protruding teeth, and are also known for the anti-freezing properties of their blood. It is considered to be a keystone species, regulating populations of sea urchins and other invertebrates. As well as being used for food, they can be a source of fish oil and their thick skin can be used as leather.

Wrasse, Ballan

Labrus bergylta

Ballan wrasse (Labrus bergyllta) is widespread in the European region. There are currently no species-specific population data for this species. The fish are found mainly in inshore waters (10-20 m depth) around rocks, offshore reefs and … Read more amongst seaweeds, feeding on crustaceans and molluscs. The species is a protogynous hermaphrodite. All individuals are born females, and they change sex when they are between four and fourteen years old. Females spawn in a nest built of algae by the male in a rocky crevice, and the male guards the nest for one to two weeks until the eggs hatch. Fish are sourced for human consumption and industrial use. It is suggested that the increasing exploitation and shipping of live wrasse from the South West of England to Scotland in recent years, is only necessary because localised Scottish wrasse stocks have already been depleted by the demand from salmon farms.

On land wrasse hatcheries are producing fish for use as ‘cleaner fish’ species for the control of sea lice within salmon farming. On land hatcheries, within closed recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). RAS aquaculture provides a low-impact farming method. Globally, these facilities often utilise existing buildings or previously converted land. They operate as indoor facilities closed off from the natural environment and reuse >90% of the systems water. The production of wrasse relies heavily on the capture of wild broodstock, which may not be sustainable. There is limited information on the status of wrasse species or the impacts wrasse fisheries have on local populations.

Wreckfish

Polyprion americanus