Waitrose suspends all mackerel sales, criticising UK government quotas as too high and taking a stand for ocean sustainability.
LONDON: Waitrose has suspended the sale of mackerel to take what it calls “a decisive stand against overfishing”.
The British supermarket chain said the move aims to safeguard the long-term health and sustainability of oceans.
It criticised current British government fishing quotas as being higher than levels recommended by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.
Sourcing of fresh, chilled and frozen mackerel will stop by April 29. Tinned mackerel will follow once current stock is sold, making Waitrose the first UK supermarket to take this step.
According to ICES, the Northeast Atlantic mackerel population is in a danger zone where reproduction is no longer guaranteed.
The biomass of spawning-age mackerel has plummeted from nearly 13 million tons in 2014 to less than 3 million tons in 2025.
In December, EU countries agreed to a 70% reduction in mackerel catches for the first half of this year compared to 2025.
This was slightly less than the reduction scientists had recommended.
The UK, Norway, the Faroe Islands and Iceland concluded a separate agreement the same month.
The EU criticised that accord, warning it could cause “irreversible” damage to the dwindling North Atlantic mackerel population.
