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Fancy fish for your supper?

Follow the MCS Good Fish Guide

Whilst sailing in Scotland’s beautiful waters, if you are thinking of doing a bit of fishing or buying fish for your supper then it is worth checking out the advice from the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) Good Fish Guide. 

In 2002 the MCS published the Good Fish Guide which aimed to educate consumers about how fish were produced and to provide advice on which fish to choose and when.  You can still download their pocket Good Fish Guide, but there is now a web based version with information on which fish to eat, which to avoid, minimum landing sizes, maturity and purchasing choices for 150 fish species (www.fishonline.org).  Before casting that fishing line though, just check that you are not in a No-Take-Zone first (see below!)

If it is all too much to remember then the Good Fish Guide has been put into song by the Oxford Band, Stornoway.   You can listen to this snappy song on www.myspace.com/stornoway and it can also be downloaded from eTunes or iTunes with profits going to the MCS.

For more useful advice and information on minimum landing sizes visit:

www.ssacn.org  Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network - Give Fish A Chance (GFAC)

www.solwayfish.org.uk/downloads  Solway Fish - Sea Angling Booklet

Both the websites above list the minimum landing sizes for fish commonly caught in Scotish waters. This is in tabulated form, so easy for quick reference.

No Take Zones

In Scotland, Lamlash Bay has become the UK's first community Marine Conservation Area, with a no take zone proposed on the North side of Lamlash Bay, Arran. This is currently under consultation. For more information visit:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/04/18144031/0

On the Scottish East Coast the St Abbs and Eyemouth Voluntary Marine Reserve operates a voluntary no take policy.

Since 2003 there has also been a 4 kilometre squared no take zone on the East coast of Lundy Island in North Devon.

For more information visit: http://lundynotakezone.org/