We only sell wild-capture and farmed fish from sustainably and responsibly managed fisheries.

We will only sell fish that has been caught and sold legally. Offers of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fish will be rejected.

Our decision on whether a particular fish species is from a sustainable source will be made with reference to the Marine Conservation Society (MCS)’s grading on specific fisheries. The MCS grading scores, and the rationale behind them, can be found at http://www.fishonline.org. Only fish from fisheries with a grading of 1 to 4 will be purchased and served. There will be a continuous commitment by the Harbour Lights to try to lower the average MCS grade of the fish that it serves. A grading of 5 indicates an unsustainable fishery. The MCS’s grading for all the fish we sell will be displayed on our website and be available in the restaurant for any customer that requests to view it. A check will be made on a monthly basis to see if any of the fisheries we source fish from have been re-graded by the MCS. If a fishery is down-graded as a 5, then the Harbour Lights will immediately take fish from there off its menu.

It is realised that so many of our customers associate “Fish & Chips” with Cod and Haddock. Although stocks of these species are under pressure, if it is possible to source them from fisheries with a MCS grade of 1 to 4, then we will continue to sell them. Cod and Haddock will be sourced from fisheries with the lowest MCS rating.

We will always have a variety of other fish species on our menu and encourage our valued customers to experiment and try different fish. Similarly to the MCS, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) works to promote the trading and serving of fish only from sustainable fisheries. A consumer of MSC certified fish can have 100% confidence that they are eating fish from a sustainable and well managed fishery. The Harbour Lights will endeavour to always have at least two MSC certified fish on its menu, with the only reason for this not being the case being its non-availability. We will every 6 months review what different species of MSC certified fish is available on the open market and aim to increase MSC menu options as more viable supplies occur.

With world fish stocks threatened by an ever increasing population and ever more productive fishing methods, it makes no sense for fishermen to target fish in their spawning season. For that reason, despite its popularity and in line with MCS recommendation, the Harbour Lights will not purchase or serve fish roe products.

The Harbour Lights will always ask questions of its wild fish suppliers to confirm the exact species being sold, sea areas the fish were caught in and the catching methods employed and its farmed fish sellers as to the production method, country of origin and farming method.