Top Ten Swaps
The Sustainable Fish City: Top Ten Swaps have been devised with advice from expert organisations that contribute to the Sustainable Fish City working party (see the About page for more information).
We have also included tips on where to buy more sustainable alternatives, from top supermarkets that score consistently highly in the Marine Conservation Society sustainable fish supermarket survey. N.B. Waitrose also scores well in these surveys, but has so far not been able to provide information for this page. We will add more information when it is available. Click on the name of a fish below to find out more
Please feel free to use this information elsewhere, but if you do so, please let us know (fish@sustainweb.org) and please include a link to Sustainable Fish City: www.sustainablefishcity.net
Why swap?
There are lots of different species of tuna, a few of which are critically endangered and some of which are caught in ways that damage other marine life.
Top swaps for tuna
Try Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified albacore tuna – hand-caught in the Pacific Ocean. Albacore has very light, firm and delicately flavoured meat, and is available canned and in jars. Most canned tuna is skipjack, the most resilient species of tuna, with all stocks currently healthy – choose pole and line, handline or troll caught.
Where you can buy top swaps for tuna
- Co-op: MSC certified albacore tuna is available in tins.
- Marks & Spencer: Pole and line caught tuna is used in tins, sandwiches, salads and ready meals.
- Sainsbury’s: MSC certified albacore tuna available in most stores in tins and jars. All own-brand tinned tuna is pole and line caught.
Why swap?
Salmon is sometimes farmed very intensively, leading to serious environmental problems.
Top swaps for salmon
Why not try MSC certified Alaskan wild salmon. It's much leaner than farmed salmon, so be careful not to overcook it. Alternatively, look out for certified organic farmed salmon or Freedom Food farmed salmon. Or, for grilling or pan-frying, try mackerel (which is a healthy as well as a tasty choice).
Where you can buy top swaps for salmon
- Co-op: Freedom Food farmed salmon is available.
- Sainsbury’s: All Sainsbury’s wild salmon is MSC certified, available pre-pack and in tins. All own brand Responsibly Sourced Scottish Farmed Salmon is Freedom Food. Organic farmed salmon and MSC mackerel are widely available pre-pack (raw and hot smoked) and on counters.
Why swap?
Our love of this chip-shop favourite has led some haddock stocks to be over-fished. And haddock often swim with cod (see below), meaning that haddock fisheries may catch both fish.
Top swaps for haddock
Look out for MSC certified haddock from Scotland or Norway, or try a different firm, white fish such as coley (often sold as saithe), which has an undeserved reputation as something you feed to the cat but, when spanking fresh, is delicious.
Where you can buy top swaps for haddock
- Co-op: MSC Scottish or Norwegian haddock is available.
- Marks & Spencer: MSC Scottish haddock available in fresh fish and breaded ranges.
- Sainsbury’s: Line caught MSC certified haddock from Norway. Coley (fillets and marinated) on counters and fillets in frozen section.
Why swap?
Many stocks of Atlantic cod are overfished.
Top swaps for cod
Give cod a break and try a different white, flaky fish such as the delicate pollack (line-caught from Cornwall is a good choice), or the similarly named MSC certified Alaskan pollock. Coley (see above) is also a great alternative. If only cod will do, go for MSC certified cod from the Arctic, Atlantic & Pacific oceans.
Where you can buy top swaps for cod
- Co-op: MSC Norwegian cod is available.
- Sainsbury’s: MSC certified Alaskan pollock and MSC certified cod is widely available.
Why swap?
King or tiger prawns are usually farmed in the tropics, often very intensively and in ways which can seriously damage local communities and the environment.
Top swaps for prawns
Choose organic tiger prawns, or for a more local option, go for Scottish langoustines (also known as Dublin Bay prawns or scampi). Or look out for the smaller MSC-certified cold-water prawns from Canada. Like prawns, crab is as good with strong flavours like chilli as it is plain with lemon and mayonnaise.
Where you can buy top swaps for prawns
- Marks & Spencer: MSC cold water prawns and brown crab available.
- Sainsbury’s: Organic prawns and MSC certified Canadian cold water prawns in pre-pack section. Scottish langoustines are on counters and dressed crab is in pre-pack in some stores.
Why swap?
Left to their own devices, plaice can live for 50 years or more. They grow and reproduce very slowly, making them vulnerable to overfishing. Some beam trawl fisheries catch vast numbers of young plaice as ‘bycatch’, and throw them back into the sea, dead.
Top swaps for plaice
More sustainable flatfish choices include flounder, dab or lemon sole (ask for fish caught by otter trawl or seine net). Or go for MSC certified plaice, or (for posh) MSC certified Dover sole.
Where you can buy top swaps for plaice
- Co-op: All plaice and sole is MSC certified.
- Marks & Spencer: Sells lightly dusted dabs and lemon sole using otter trawl and twin rig methods.
- Sainsbury’s: Sainsbury’s sells lemon sole in pre-pack and on counters in most stores. Dab is on most fish counters, with plans to increase availability throughout 2011.
Why swap?
Big, slow-growing 'game' fish like swordfish are particularly vulnerable to over-fishing.
Top swaps for swordfish
Nothing similar fits the sustainability bill, but jig-caught squid stands up to strong flavours and is delicious grilled or on the barbeque – and ditto for mackerel.
Where you can buy top swaps for swordfish
- Sainsbury’s: MSC certified mackerel is widely available in pre-pack (raw and hot smoked) and on counters.
Why swap?
Sea bass is commonly farmed in the Mediterranean, and is a carnivorous fish, raising the problem of fish-feed. Wild sea bass are often caught in pelagic trawls that can kill other sea life such as dolphins.
Top swaps for sea bass
Look for line-caught sea bass or organically farmed sea bass, or try line-caught black bream, porgy or seabream.
Where you can buy top swaps for sea bass
- Marks & Spencer: Line caught sea bass available when in season.
- Sainsbury’s: Line caught sea bass and black bream on counters when available.
Why swap?
Sadly, the once “common” skate is now critically endangered, and several other species of skates and rays are overfished.
Top swaps
Nothing really compares to the soft, fibrous texture of skates and rays, but the smaller starry, spotted and cuckoo rays are generally considered a more sustainable choice. Bizarrely, circles of skate wing are sometimes sold as fake scallops, so a luxurious alternative could be diver-caught scallops.
Where you can buy top swaps for skate
- Sainsbury’s: Dived scallops are available on fish counters in a limited number of stores.
Why swap?
Halibut is another slow-growing, long-lived species that has been overfished to the point of being endangered.
Top swaps
As an alternative, look for MSC certified Pacific halibut – or for something different but similarly meaty and very tasty, try red, grey or tub gurnard.
Where you can buy top swaps for halibut
- Sainsbury’s: Sainsbury’s sell farmed halibut as an alternative to wild.
Top Tips for Top Ten Swaps
|
Look out for the Marine |
For farmed fish, Freedom |
Top Tip: Look for the eco-label
Look out for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) eco-label, showing that the seafood is from a certified sustainable source. See: www.msc.org
Top tips on buying farmed fish
For farmed fish, Freedom Food and Organic certified are a good option. Click on the logos to find out more.
Join us in calling for a sustainable fish future!
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Fish Fight
“I have been travelling around the UK meeting fishermen, marine conservationists, politicians, supermarkets bosses, and of course fish-eating members of the public. It has changed the way I think about fish.”
We're working on it
So can you!
Caroline Bennett - Moshi Moshi
"I am determined to do something about the way we fished the seas. We know the problems, we don’t even need any additional information to know how to fix them: we just have to get on and do it. No excuses."
We're working on it
So can you!
Raymond Blanc, Chef Patron, Le Manoir Quat'Saisons
“Good ethics should be part of everyday business. Many restaurants and caterers in this are helping to protect our precious marine resources. They should get rightful recognition and inspire others to do the same.”
We're working on it
So can you!
|
|
|
