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Cod, Atlantic
Gadus morhua |
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REASON TO AVOID
All North East Atlantic cod stocks are overfished, however stocks in the North Sea, Irish Sea, West of Scotland, eastern Channel, Baltic Sea, Greenland, Skaggerak, Kattegat, Norwegian coast and Faroes are the most depleted. Northeast Arctic (Barents and Norwegian Sea), Icelandic cod and the Celtic Sea are healthier. However, ICES recommends that fishing pressure on Icelandic and Celtic Sea stocks also be reduced. Avoid eating cod from stocks which are depleted and where fishing is at unsustainable levels. To help reduce the impact of fishing on fish stocks where fishing mortality is too high, the marine environment, and other marine species, choose line-caught cod where available. Longlining can result in seabird by-catch. Ask for fish caught using 'seabird-friendly' methods, see Fishing Methods for details.
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ADVICE / ALTERNATIVES
The best alternative to Atlantic cod is MSC certified Pacific Cod from Alaska. Avoid eating Atlantic cod from overfished stocks. Choose line caught cod from areas such as the Northeast Arctic or Iceland as these stocks are more sustainable and line-caught fisheries have a reduced impact on the environment.
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The following is a list of fish available to the UK and European consumer which have been given a rating of 5 and which MCS believes are most vulnerable to over-fishing and/or are fished using methods which cause damage to the environment or non-target species. The list is in alphabetical order not order of threat or impact. Select a species to find out more. Click here to download the 2008-2009 version of the MCS Pocket Good Fish Guide (Adobe PDF). A new version of this guide will be available soon. |
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| 1. |
Alfonsinos or golden eye perch |
| 2. |
Anchovy (from Bay of Biscay) |
| 3. |
Anglerfish or monkfish or goosefish (from North and Northwest Spain and Portuguese coast) |
| 4. |
Argentine or greater silver smelt |
| 5. |
Black Scabbardfish (from all areas except the Portuguese coast) |
| 6. |
Blue ling |
| 7. |
Brill (from all areas except Baltic Sea) |
| 8. |
Chilean seabass or Patagonian toothfish (from all areas except the South Georgia fishery) |
| 9. |
Cod, Atlantic (Wild caught from all areas except Northeast Arctic, Iceland, and Western Channel, Bristol Channel, Southeast Ireland and Sole) |
| 10. |
Dogfish or spurdog or rock salmon or flake |
| 11. |
Dublin Bay Prawn or langoustine or scampi (from Spain and Portugal) |
| 12. |
Eel, conger |
| 13. |
Eel, European |
| 14. |
Escolar or snake mackerel |
| 15. |
Greater forkbeard |
| 16. |
Grouper |
| 17. |
Haddock (from the Faroes and West of Scotland fisheries) |
| 18. |
Hake, European (Southern stock) |
| 19. |
Halibut, Atlantic (Wild Caught) |
| 20. |
Halibut, Greenland (from Northwest Atlantic and Greenland, Iceland, West of Scotland and Azores) |
| 21. |
Herring or sild (from West of Scotland, West Ireland, and Great Sole fisheries) |
| 22. |
Ling (except handline caught from the Faroes) |
| 23. |
Lobster, American (from Southern New England stocks) |
| 24. |
Marlin, black |
| 25. |
Marlin, blue (from Atlantic longline and purse seine fisheries) |
| 26. |
Marlin, Indo-Pacific blue |
| 27. |
Marlin, white |
| 28. |
Nursehound (from Bay of Biscay and Iberian stocks) |
| 29. |
Orange roughy |
| 30. |
Parrotfish |
| 31. |
Picarel |
| 32. |
Plaice (from the Western Channel, Celtic Sea, Southwest Ireland and West of Ireland stocks) |
| 33. |
Plaice, American or long rough dab |
| 34. |
Prawn, tiger (except organically farmed) |
| 35. |
Ratfish or rabbitfish |
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| 36. |
Ray, blonde |
| 37. |
Ray, sandy |
| 38. |
Ray, shagreen |
| 39. |
Ray, smalleyed (from Bay of Biscay and Iberian stocks) |
| 40. |
Ray, thornback or roker (from Bay of Biscay and Iberian stocks) |
| 41. |
Ray, undulate |
| 42. |
Red or blackspot seabream |
| 43. |
Redfish or ocean perch |
| 44. |
Roundnose grenadier |
| 45. |
Salmon, Atlantic (Wild Caught) |
| 46. |
Seabass (Pelagic Trawl only) |
| 47. |
Shark, leafscale gulper |
| 48. |
Shark, mako |
| 49. |
Shark, porbeagle |
| 50. |
Shark, siki or Portuguese dogfish |
| 51. |
Shark, tope |
| 52. |
Skate, common |
| 53. |
Skate, longnose |
| 54. |
Skate, Norwegain or black |
| 55. |
Skate, white |
| 56. |
Snapper, cubera |
| 57. |
Snapper, mutton |
| 58. |
Snapper, northern red |
| 59. |
Sole, Dover or common (from North Sea and Irish Sea) |
| 60. |
Starry smoothhound (from Bay of Biscay and Iberian stocks) |
| 61. |
Sturgeon, caviar (Wild Caught) |
| 62. |
Swordfish (Longline and Gillnet fisheries in Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, and Central and Western Pacific) |
| 63. |
Tuna, albacore (Longline and Trawl caught from the North and South Atlantic and the Mediterranean) |
| 64. |
Tuna, bigeye |
| 65. |
Tuna, northern bluefin |
| 66. |
Tuna, Pacific bluefin |
| 67. |
Tuna, southern bluefin |
| 68. |
Turbot (Wild caught) |
| 69. |
Tusk or torsk |
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