The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has urged people to avoid buying eight of nine brands of crab and lobsters caught by fisheries, due to “poor management”.
The charity released its annual Good Fish Guide, which found that Shetland brown crab was the only 'best choice' option in the UK.
Its research found that many crab and lobster populations were suffering, and in some areas, there are concerns of entanglement of whales in the ropes attached to pots.
There are potentially many more such incidents than previously thought and the data is limited on how often and where they occur.
The MSC argued that a change in management measures could prevent entanglements, including limiting potting depending on migration patterns or supporting the use of innovations like rope-less pots to remove the risk entirely.
“Crab and lobster fisheries in the UK must be properly managed, with scientific assessments to monitor populations, catch limits, and measures to prevent whale entanglement,” the report suggested.
The report also found that the levels of cod, whiting and haddock caught in the Celtic Sea demonstrated the challenges the UK species faced from by-catch between species.
The GoodFish Guide revealed that the level of Celtic cod and whiting was “dangerously” low, which was affecting reproduction rates. Scientists recommended that cod should not be caught at all in this area.
It suggested stronger management and enforcement measures be put in place to help the species reach or stay at healthy levels, while ecosystem-based management looking at all species caught together could address many of these issues, supported by remote electronic monitoring with cameras (REM).
REM could be used to inform management decisions by providing the data needed to understand the full impact of fishing activities.
The guide also recommends avoiding skates and rays, as management strategies in place at the moment have led to overfishing of the species and are “insufficient”.
The government is currently consulting on a new legislative framework for managing local fisheries, known as the Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS), and introducing a number of Fishery Management Plans (FMPs). These should provide a new overarching policy direction for UK fisheries.
The Future Fisheries Alliance (FFA) is also calling for all administrations to set out a climate-smart fisheries strategy for UK fisheries management, with time bound commitments to provide a clear path to climate recovery and reaching net zero by 2050.
This would see goals to reduce the UK fleet’s carbon emissions, and protect 'blue carbon' habitats from activities that damage them.
The FFA, a collaborative project between the MCS, WWF and the RSPB, is calling for the UK governments to strengthen the current draft of the JFS, which is due to be published at the end of the year.
Clara Johnston, fisheries policy manager at the MCS, said: “For a thriving industry, future food security and the health of our ocean, it’s crucial that the UK governments seize the new opportunities posed to fix our fisheries.
“The latest Good Fish Guide ratings - where all new UK ratings are either amber or red rated - illustrate the urgent need for transparency and better management if we’re to recover fish stocks in UK seas.”
Charlotte Coombes, Good Fish Guide manager, added: “Currently, there are 656 ratings available on the Good Fish Guide, with 148 on the Best Choice list. However, there are 161 Fish to Avoid.
“With all new UK ratings to the Guide being either amber or red rated, it’s clear that we need interventions to turn the fate of the UK’s seas around.”
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