Our initial opinion of the scores of Halcyon when engaged in cuttlefish potting for Good (quality of the fish); clean (sustainability) and fair on a five point scale from worst (1) to best practice is given in the table below.

Halcyon, in our opinion, does well on quality, fairness and, for sustainability, on the selectivity of the fishing method and the wider environmental impact. The main area where it doesn’t do well is Sustainability, sub-category ‘State of Stocks’. Here it scores ‘2-poor’ which will be typical of many UK (and other) fisheries. This is because, while stocks are generally not believed to be in danger of collapse, no limits or targets have been set that are consistent with the FAO Code of Conduct. This lies outside the power of individual fishermen to resolve. We nevertheless support the fishery because we believe that if more people implemented trapping rather than trawling, the sustainability of fisheries would improve.

For details of how these scores were derived, including the incorporation of ICES and MCS FishOnline data, follow the link below for ‘Chapter and Verse’, or click on documentary for an account and images of the fishery. If you are wondering why we support fisheries with apparently low scores read this explanation.