More than half of the UK’s biggest restaurant chains are using seafood from overfished areas of the sea or failing to be transparent about the origins of their fish and shellfish, according to a new survey by a marine conservation charity.



Popular family diners Ask, Harvester, Wagamama, Cafe Rouge, Chiquito and Frankie & Benny’s all attracted the lowest (red) sustainability ratings, while Bella Italia came bottom overall (with just 1.5 red fish).

Sea bass, whitebait, cod and king prawns are among the types of seafood served up by the restaurants from fisheries rated “avoid” by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) or for which the source is unclear.

The findings were drawn up by Fish2fork, the online restaurant guide, in a joint project with MCS to assess a dozen of the biggest restaurant chains serving at least four species of seafood. The chains boast a total of more than 1,800 branches and serve thousands of tonnes of seafood each year.

Seven of the chains failed to reach the basic level of sustainability on seafood that Fish2fork and MCS believe to be the minimum standard. But high street chains Yo! Sushi and Pret A Manger were hailed as the most sustainable, following “highly responsible” approaches to buying seafood. Yo! Sushi, which serves more species of seafood than any of the other chains surveyed, was given a Fish2fork 4 blue fish rating while Pret achieved an excellent 4.5 blue fish. Under the Fish2fork rating system, 4 and 4.5 blue fish are the highest ratings yet achieved, out of a maximum of 5.

“Working with Fish2fork, MCS aims to make the UK the first sustainable seafood nation in the world. MCS advice on seafood sustainability has already influenced major supermarkets to adopt sustainable sourcing policies and the restaurant sector needs to follow suit,” said Sam Fanshawe, Marine Conservation Society chief executive. “We’re very encouraged that major high street chains like Pret A Manger and Yo! Sushi are leading the way, demonstrating that sustainable seafood is good for business as well as the environment.”

Italian-style chain Bella Italia and French-style Cafe Rouge are both part of the Casual Dining Group. A spokesperson said: “All our fish at Bella Italia and Café Rouge comes from sustainable sources and none are species designated as endangered. This is an important issue that we take very seriously. We take great care in choosing suppliers, who share our values and are as committed to this issue as we are. We will be engaging directly with the MCS to ensure they are aware of our current position, which isn’t reflected in these results.”



Table Table and Hungry Horse achieved a 2.5 blue fish rating while Zizzi, with 1 blue fish, was found to exceed minimum expectations.



Tim Glover, co-founder and managing director of Fish2fork, added: “We believe the sector as a whole should be putting much more effort into sourcing practices and the information given to customers. Diners want to eat with a clear conscience, to know that their menu choices are not further damaging our hard-pressed seas.”



