A better catch: Waitrose becomes first UK supermarket to suspend mackerel sourcing over sustainability concerns

• Waitrose has become the first UK supermarket to suspend mackerel sourcing, taking a decisive stand against overfishing to safeguard the long-term health and sustainability of our oceans

• Sourcing of fresh, chilled and frozen mackerel to be suspended by 29 April 2026, with tinned mackerel following once the current stock has sold through

• Waitrose to launch alternative, responsibly sourced fish choices across smoked products, with similarly-intended health benefits to mackerel including omega-3

Waitrose has become the first UK supermarket to suspend mackerel sourcing to make a stand against overfishing and support long-term health and sustainability of fish stocks.* 

In September 2025, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), recommended that North-east Atlantic mackerel catches should be cut by 70% to help rebuild the stock to a sustainable level. 

In December, four of the Coastal States agreed to cut mackerel catches by 48%. While this is a step forward, it does not meet ICES advice. From May 2026, North East Atlantic mackerel will no longer meet Waitrose’s responsible sourcing requirements in line with the Sustainable Seafood Coalition’s (SSC) codes of conduct.* All Waitrose North East Atlantic mackerel is sourced from Scottish waters. 

Sourcing of fresh, chilled, and frozen mackerel will be suspended by 29 April 2026. Remaining tinned mackerel stock will be available until it has sold through.

Speaking at the Waitrose Food System Transformed Conference on the 26 February, Jake Pickering, Head of Agriculture, Aquaculture & Fisheries at Waitrose, said: “By suspending sourcing of mackerel at Waitrose we are reinforcing our ethical and sustainable business commitments, acting to tackle overfishing and protect the long-term health of our oceans and this crucial fish. Our customers trust us to source responsibly, and we are closely monitoring the fishery. We look forward to bringing mackerel back to our shelves once it meets our high sourcing standards.”

Waitrose is launching a new range of smoked fish from April to offer customers tasty alternatives - including Hot Smoked Herring, Hot Smoked Peppered Herring and first to supermarket innovation, Hot Smoked Sweetcure Seabass. Waitrose will also introduce frozen sardines in May as a certified sustainable replacement for frozen mackerel, offering similar rich flavour and nutritional benefits. The selection features:

• Waitrose Scottish Hot Smoked Herring, MSC certified 

• Waitrose Scottish Hot Smoked Peppered Herring, MSC certified 

• Waitrose Hot Smoked Sweetcure Seabass, supermarket first, ASC certified 

• Waitrose Hot Smoked Trout with Dill & Lemon, RSPCA assured

• Waitrose Frozen Sardine Fillets, MSC certified
  

Dr Joanne Lunn, Head of Health & Nutrition at Waitrose, says: “Whether it's sardines or herring from our new smoked fish range, we are bringing the same high quality and great taste our customers look for. These products offer a powerful nutritional profile and health benefits that mirror closely those of mackerel. They are natural sources of omega-3 which helps to maintain normal functioning of the heart, brain and vision, making it effortless to incorporate functional, nutrient-dense foods into your daily routine.”

Waitrose will maintain its long-standing relationship with its mackerel suppliers and continue to support the UK’s thriving coastal communities. Its new supply of herring, seabass, sardines and trout will continue to be sourced through current supplier partnerships. At present, there is no predetermined time-frame as to when Waitrose will start sourcing mackerel again.

Leading the way in sustainable tinned seafood, Waitrose has also announced plans to become the first UK retailer to sell 100% MSC certified tinned sardines, across seven different products.* 

From February onwards, customers will begin to see the new blue MSC eco-label across all tins of sardines, signalling an ongoing effort to provide ever-more sustainable and responsibly sourced seafood for customers. In addition, Waitrose will be the first UK retailer to have 100% of its sardines sourced from MSC-certified fisheries, both in canned formats and on the fish counters too. 

Marija Rompani, Director of Ethics & Sustainability at the John Lewis Partnership, says: “Responsible fishing is not a standalone issue for us - it sits within our wider Ethics and Sustainability commitments, including our net zero ambitions, zero deforestation goals, biodiversity protection and our work to set science based targets for nature.  We believe sustainable food production must balance climate action, nature protection and responsible fish sourcing is fundamental to protecting our oceans. We will continue to work closely with suppliers and industry partners to support the recovery and responsible management of fish stocks.” 

Notes to Editors

This announcement was made on 26 February at the Waitrose Food System Transformed Conference in Odney, Berkshire, attended by Waitrose suppliers, key NGO & certification representatives.

*This is North East Atlantic mackerel, Scomber scombrus species

*Site source: The Grocer

*All Waitrose sardines are moving to MSC certification. These products include: Waitrose Essential Sardines in Olive Oil drained 84g; Waitrose Essential Sardines in Water drained 84g; Waitrose Essential Sardines in Tomato Sauce 120g; Waitrose Essential Sardines in Sunflower Oil drained 84g; Waitrose Sardines Piccanti drained 84g; Waitrose Sardine al Limone drained 84g; Waitrose Sardine All'Olio drained 84g

Additional information and awards for Waitrose’s ethical & sustainable commitment to fish & seafood. 

Further Context:

• WWF, who coordinate the WWF Basket with most of the UK retailers, shared a position paper in November 2025 to say all UK retailers should stop sourcing mackerel with immediate effect. View Report.

• Ocean campaign group Oceana UK has said that while the 48% number is a considerable reduction, it should have been more aligned with ICES’s 70% recommendation. Source. 

• We scored in Tier 2 for The Snapshot 2024, Industry Benchmark on Decapod Crustacean Welfare. Report by Crustacean Compassion.

• We scored joint highest (with M&S) on Compassion in World Farmings Salmon retailer scorecard - highlighting all the work we do to ensure responsible and reputable salmon farming practices with the supply chain - seen here.

• We are consistently ranked as a top performer in the Business benchmark for Animal Welfare (BBFAW) achieving Tier 2 status in 2024 and 2025 for making animal welfare central to our business strategy  - seen here.
  

Additional information on new product launches:

• Scottish Hot Smoked Herring - Scottish, MSC certified & wild caught. 190g catch weight. Hot Smoked over beech & oak wood chips

• Scottish Hot Smoked Peppered Herring - Scottish, MSC certified & wild caught. 190g catch weight. Hot smoked over beech & oak wood chips.

• Hot Smoked Sweetcure Seabass - Farmed Mediterranean. Global Gap, ASC certified. 150g pack weight x 4 pieces. Sweetcure marinade of demerara sugar.

• Hot Smoked Trout with Dill & Lemon - Farmed Scottish. Global Gap, RSPCA, Select Farm. Skin on and boneless. 170g pack weight x 2 fillets. Hot smoked over beech & oak. 
  

About Waitrose

Run by over 45,000 passionate Partners, Waitrose has been serving customers for 120 years and offers extraordinary products in our 320 shops and on Waitrose.com. Inspiring food discovery, our expert Partners run almost 800 specialist food service counters in store, where customers can shop a variety of the best quality meat, fresh fish, dry aged beef, sushi, as well as cheese. Our Beer, Wine and Spirits team features the largest number of Masters of Wine of any UK supermarket and we sell nearly 3,000 different wines, beers, ciders, spirits as well as no and low drinks in our shops, on Waitrose.com and Waitrose Cellar. We are committed to selling products which have been responsibly sourced, grown using the very best sustainable farming methods, some of which are grown or trialled on our very own farm, the Leckford Estate. In 2024, Waitrose was granted the Royal Warrant of Appointment to be Grocers and Wine & Spirits Merchant to His Majesty King Charles III.