Britain’s most valuable fish stock has lost its sustainable status after overfishing has driven mackerel stocks to the brink of collapse.

As of this weekend, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has warned people against purchasing mackerel caught in the North East Atlantic, which will no longer bear its “blue label”.

The body charged with assessing the health of wild fisheries said its decision came after stocks had crashed due in part to quotas that exceeded the best scientific advice.

Accounting for around a third of the seafood landed in the UK, the mackerel fishery is worth over £200m.

“This news will be a disappointment for the fishermen as well as for mackerel loving consumers,” said Camiel Derichs, Europe director for the MSC.

Endangered sharks being served up in British fish and chip shops Show all 6 1 /6 Endangered sharks being served up in British fish and chip shops Endangered sharks being served up in British fish and chip shops Scalloped hammerhead shark Scalloped hammerhead shark fins were among those found being sold by an Asian food retailer in the UK. These sharks are endangered, and in parts of the Atlantic Ocean, their populations have declined by over 95% in the past 30 years. Istock/Janos Endangered sharks being served up in British fish and chip shops Spiny dogfish In the samples of takeaway fish and chips sampled, spiny dogfish made up 90% of those sold under the names huss, rock salmon and rock eel. Doug Costa, NOAA/SBNMS Endangered sharks being served up in British fish and chip shops Shortfin mako shark Another vulnerable species found in the dried shark fins tested in the British Asian wholefood retailer was the shortfin mako shark. Istock/Alessandro De Maddalena Endangered sharks being served up in British fish and chip shops Blue shark Blue shark was also found on sale in UK shops. This species is not as vulnerable as the others but is still listed as "Near Threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Istock/Howard Chen Endangered sharks being served up in British fish and chip shops Nursehound Around a quarter of the sharks being sold in UK fishmongers were nursehounds, another relatively safe species that is nevertheless classified as near threatened. Mario Antonio Pena Zapatería Endangered sharks being served up in British fish and chip shops Misleading names in fish shops The scientists behind the study investigating the prevalence of endangered shark meat on sale concluded that shops must stop selling these species under "umbrella terms" that hide their true origin. Istock

“However, factors including declining stocks, quotas set above new scientific advice and poor recruitment have combined to mean that the fisheries no longer meet the MSC’s requirements.”

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) states that mackerel populations have been in freefall since 2011, dropping from a high of 4.79 million tonnes to 2.75 million tonnes last year.

Council experts advised that current catches must be cut by over two thirds to allow the stock to recover to a sustainable level over the next two years.

Despite these warnings, the EU and neighbouring nations have consistently set quotas far higher than ICES guidelines.

A landmark policy shift coming to force next year will mean EU nations are legally bound to set quotas within a “maximum sustainable yield”, which should aid the recovery of fisheries.

However, there have been concerns in the UK that the government will not match this target after Brexit, putting fish populations in British waters at risk.

When the news was first announced in February, many mackerel sector figures said they were confident the MSC certification would not significantly impact the market, and would be reinstated by the time vessels began targeting mackerel again in the autumn.

“We are hoping that would happen pretty quickly, and certainly before the fishery begins again,” Ian Gatt, chief executive of the Scottish Pelagic Sustainability Group, told Undercurrent News.

Mackerel’s MSC certification has flipped back and forth in recent years, previously losing it in 2012 only to have it reinstated four years later.

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Mr Derichs said he was confident that the relevant organisations would be able to work on a plan to improve the existing situation.

“There is already work underway to review the way mackerel stocks are assessed,” he said.