DIRE MACKEREL STOCK WARNING – PRINCES COMMITS TO MSC-CERTIFIED CHILEAN MACKEREL

Dire mackerel stock warning – Princes commits to MSC-Certified Chilean mackerel. Princes Group strengthens its responsible sourcing commitments with MSC-Certified Chilean mackerel sourcing initiative. Princes Group will now source MSC-certified Chilean Mackerel, in a further step in a multi-species move towards MSC-certified seafood.

Princes MSC-certified Chilean Mackerel will be available in Tesco and Sainsbury’s stores from October 2025, as Princes halts sourcing of mackerel for its brand from the controversial Northeast Atlantic pelagic fishery. The range will roll out to more retailers in the UK and Netherlands in 2026.

Given recent developments to the status of Northeast Atlantic Mackerel (Scomber Scombrus), Princes is taking a leading position in the market, changing all of its Princes brand mackerel products to Chilean mackerel (Trachurus murphyi), or Jack mackerel as it’s commonly known.

This species meets the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) sustainability standards, which considers fish stock health, ecosystem impact, and the effectiveness of fishery management. The move reinforces Princes’ commitment to certified sustainable wild caught seafood whilst environmental NGOs* criticise overfishing of the species across the North Atlantic.

David McDiarmid, Corporate Relations Director at Princes, said:

“We are committed to providing more independently certified sustainable seafood available to shoppers. Consumers want reassurance that the fish they are eating has been sourced sustainably and MSC certification is the best way of doing this.

We have been an active member of the North Atlantic Pelagic Advocacy Group (NAPA) on Northeast Atlantic mackerel since its inception. Along with other brands and retailers we have long called on Coastal States to agree quotas in line with scientific advice and implement a long-term science-based management plan. To date there has been insufficient tangible progress, and we now have NGOs warning of stock collapse. Princes warned that a lack of progress meant we would actively consider alternative supply sources and this is proof of action.”

As part of the internal process to transition mackerel supply, Princes undertook a comprehensive product review and consumer panelling which fully endorsed the move to Jack mackerel.

Additionally, mackerel fillets in olive oil will be upgraded to feature 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil, with tomato sauce, spicy tomato and sunflower oil variants in the range scheduled to be available in Tesco and Sainsbury’s stores from October 2025. Its mackerel sold in the Netherlands in Princes brand will also move to the Chilean MSC source.

George Clark, Programme Director UK and Ireland at MSC, said:

“Seeing a brand like Princes taking these steps to ensure UK shoppers have access to more certified fish and seafood choices is significant. This announcement demonstrates the company’s continuing commitment to expand it’s range of MSC labelled products and introduces a new, certified species to UK consumers.

“With Northeast Atlantic mackerel yet to regain its MSC certification, this shift represents a clear market signal of the need to provide certified sustainable choices for UK shoppers. It is critical  that we see real progress for Atlantic mackerel soon, and our hope is that there will to be even more choice for those consumers looking to ‘buy blue’ when they’re out shopping for their seafood as a result.”

In 2021, Princes announced that it was committed to source and sell 100% of its UK Princes branded tuna from MSC certified sustainable fisheries by the end of 2025, building on the prior milestone of 100% of its tuna being ‘responsibly sourced’, at the end of 2021.

The roadmap that Princes set out has achieved milestones, with 25% of its tuna was MSC-certified by the end of 2023 and through continued commitment reached 50% in 2024. Princes NL achieved 100% MSC-certified tuna sourcing, at the end of 2022.

* https://www.mcsuk.org/news/mackerel-in-decline/

* https://fischratgeber.wwf.de/species/scomber-scombrus-s-colias/