British seas turning green, says watchdog

· UK fleets rise to meet ecological standards
· Greenpeace says flaws in labelling scheme remain
A fisherman unloads his catch in Scotland
A fisherman unloads his catch in Scotland. Photograph: Murdo Macleod

Britain's fishing industry is in line to become one of the greenest in the world, with a record number of fleets to be awarded coveted "eco-labels" for their catches of haddock, dover sole, herring and prawns.

The Marine Stewardship Council, which oversees the best-known environmental scheme for fisheries, said several of the UK's largest fleets were on course to join its labelling scheme, proving their environmental credentials .

By next year, the council estimates 275,000 tonnes of fish such as mackerel, haddock and sea bass caught by British trawlers will carry its trademark blue eco-label, making it possible for takeaways and supermarkets to begin selling "green" fish and chips and eco-labelled scampi.

At present, the only eco-labelled fisheries in British waters are small, niche industries catching seafood such as dover sole - one of the most threatened fish in British waters - langoustines and cockles, which currently account for just 4,580 tonnes each year.

The industry's drive towards environmental accreditation marks a profound shift in attitude after decades of open conflict with green campaigners over plunging fish stocks and illegal landings, particularly in the North Sea. It requires fisheries to agree to strict catch levels, protecting young and spawning stock, cutting the "by-catch" of non-target species and using only the correct fishing nets.

In parallel with the MSC programme, the Sea Fish Industry Authority has persuaded 437 UK trawlers - roughly 60% of the British fleet - to join a "responsible fishing" scheme similar to the red tractor quality mark used by farmers, although its environmental standards are weaker.

Trawlermen have come under intense pressure to take part in conservation schemes from companies such as Young's, the UK's largest seafood supplier, and supermarkets. Britain's biggest retailers, particularly Asda and Morrisons, have faced embarrassing campaigns of direct action, led by Greenpeace, over their sale of fish from depleted seas, and supermarkets are now competing to become the UK's greenest fishmonger, dropping threatened species such as skate, dover sole and swordfish from their counters.

Asda has pledged that by 2012, all its fish will be MSC-certified, while Sainsbury's has promised to double its range of eco-labelled seafood. Waitrose and Marks & Spencer already have very strict seafood policies, and ban unsustainable British-caught fish from their shelves. As a result, sales of eco-labelled fish in British shops jumped by 15% last year, to £110m.

Mike Parker, the deputy chief executive of Young's, which produces four-fifths of the eco-labelled fish sold in the UK, said that if these much larger fleets passed the MSC's assessment, up to half of all the wild-caught fish caught by British trawlers would become eco-friendly.

"That's highly significant," he said. "That would make the UK the most significant eco-fish market in the world."

The MSC's biggest coup has been to persuade two of Britain's largest fisheries - the Scottish fleets which catch roughly 200,000 tonnes of mackerel and herring in the North Sea and north Atlantic - to apply for its eco-label.

Several major prawn fisheries - now the industry's most valuable catch - have also applied. North Sea cod may follow after several Norwegian fleets applied to join the MSC, although Young's refuses to stock North Sea cod because it believes the fish is still far too threatened.

Currently, nearly all eco-labelled fish sold in the UK is shipped or flown into Britain from abroad, often from fisheries near Alaska, New Zealand and South Africa which have been criticised by Greenpeace. It accuses the MSC of being too lax, ignoring significant problems with "by-catch", where high volumes of other fish species are caught, and overlooking the damage caused by trawling on fragile seabeds. Greenpeace broadly supports the MSC, but is worried that the North Sea is still too threatened to allow its fish to be branded as eco-friendly.

Yet Robin Howes, chief executive of the MSC, said he believed the UK industry had reached a tipping point. He added: "I think sustainability has become part and parcel of the market. There's an awful lot of people in the industry who recognise the practices of the past aren't sustainable, and that that threatens their livelihoods."

Howes insisted the MSC was tougher than Greenpeace admits. He said the controversial hoki fishery in New Zealand had recently had its quota cut in half, while the council had refused to pass some fisheries, including one North Sea lobster fishery.

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