Photo by Franki Chamaki

A wave of UK supermarkets is pulling back from northeast Atlantic mackerel amid growing concern over stock levels, after scientific advice called for a 70% reduction in catches to allow populations to recover.

Waitrose moved first, announcing on 26 February that it would suspend sourcing of fresh, chilled and frozen mackerel by 29 April – becoming the first UK retailer to do so. Tinned lines will remain available until existing stock sells through. All Waitrose mackerel is sourced from Scottish waters, and no timeline for resumption has been set. In the days following the announcement, M&S confirmed it had also stopped sourcing mackerel, while Sainsbury’s and Morrisons both confirmed they were reviewing their sourcing.

The science behind the decisions

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea advised in September 2025 that northeast Atlantic mackerel catches should be reduced by 70%, equivalent to a 77% cut on the 755,143 tonnes scientists estimated would be caught in 2025, to rebuild the stock to sustainable levels. In December, four coastal states – the UK, Norway, the Faroe Islands and Iceland – agreed to cut catches by 48%, a step forward but one that fell well short of scientific advice. From May 2026, northeast Atlantic mackerel will no longer meet Waitrose’s responsible sourcing requirements under the Sustainable Seafood Coalition’s codes of conduct.

Mackerel lost its MSC certification in 2019 following the breakdown of international quota-sharing arrangements. The Marine Conservation Society subsequently downgraded it in its Good Fish Guide – warning in April 2025 that stocks were near “breaking point” due to overfishing by countries including the UK and Norway – and the WWF has warned that catches have exceeded recommended levels by an average of 39% since 2010.

Jake Pickering, head of agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries at Waitrose, said: “Our customers trust us to source responsibly, and we are closely monitoring the fishery. We look forward to bringing mackerel back to our shelves once it meets our high sourcing standards.”

Conservation groups call for wider action

Conservation groups welcomed the moves and called on government to go further. Charles Clover, co-founder of the Blue Marine Foundation, noted that mackerel, one of the largest remaining commercial fish stocks in the northeast Atlantic, had declined 75% in the last ten years, warning that the crisis was “part of a wider failure to take scientific advice” and that last year more than half of UK catch limits were set above sustainable levels.

Hugo Tagholm, executive director of Oceana UK, said: “We’re delighted to see retailers showing up to restore UK seas and fish stocks. However, this cannot be solved by supermarkets or consumers alone – it is the government that sets catch limits and the government that is ultimately responsible for safeguarding UK seas, ocean wildlife, and fish populations. Right now UK government officials are meeting with other coastal nations to agree on a mackerel quota. They should be fighting for sustainable fishing and sending a clear message: we must end overfishing and rebuild fish stocks.”

Kerry Lyne, Good Fish Guide manager at the Marine Conservation Society, said the retailers’ decisions would ease pressure on the fishery, though recovery timescales were difficult to predict given wider environmental factors, adding: “Quotas set above scientific advice put both the marine environment and the future of the mackerel fisheries at risk.” A Defra spokesperson said the UK was “actively tackling overfishing to protect the long-term sustainability of our waters” while also working to protect jobs in fishing communities.

Industry pushback

Scotland’s pelagic industry responded with dismay. Robert Duthie, chair of the Scottish Pelagic Processors Association, said the Waitrose decision “fails to recognise the significant work and leadership the UK Government has demonstrated in making genuine progress to resolve the complex issues among the coastal states.” The Scottish Pelagic Sustainability Group argued that the problem lay with other countries “failing to show willingness to reach an agreement,” and Ian Gatt of the Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association criticised the timing, saying progress was being made in quota-sharing negotiations. The Scottish government also pushed back, questioning the sustainability standards of alternative stocks. Mackerel is the UK’s most important fishery by volume, with UK vessels landing more than 230,000 tonnes in 2024.

Sainsbury’s said that unless there was “clear and credible progress towards a sustainable international agreement” by its October/November purchasing window, it would not source additional northeast Atlantic mackerel. Morrisons said it would move all tinned mackerel to Chilean jack mackerel from a Marine Stewardship Council-certified fishery, while continuing to stock fresh northeast Atlantic mackerel only if it is not classified as ‘avoid’ by the Good Fish Guide.

Alternatives introduced

To replace mackerel, Waitrose will introduce MSC-certified Scottish hot smoked herring and peppered herring from April, alongside a hot smoked sweetcure seabass and MSC-certified frozen sardines in May. The retailer also announced it will become the first UK supermarket to sell 100% MSC-certified tinned sardines across its entire range.