UK fish stocks are "teetering on the brink of collapse" due to overfishing "emptying our seas", industry officials have warned. The Labour government has been criticised for negotiating fishing quotas that exceed scientific advice, putting the future of sustainable seafood in the UK at risk. New data from the government's Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) shows that internationally-agreed catch limits exceeded scientific advice in 58% of fish populations this year.

Among the sites failing to meet the scientific advice included key cod and mackerel fisheries where scientists have called for fishing to be dramatically reined in to offset historic overuse. Izzy Ross, fisheries campaigner for Oceana UK, said: "Our iconic fish - cod, mackerel and herring - are teetering on the brink of collapse. This is not an accident, nor is it a surprise: it is the consequence of our actions."

She added: "It represents year after year of near-identical announcements: the science showing that catch limits are too high to sustain a healthy ocean, yet the UK government and others are ignoring the warnings.

"We are emptying our seas ... The ocean has an incredible ability to bounce back - but that resilience is finite, and as overfishing, the climate crisis and pollution converge, we cannot afford to wait. The government must urgently create a clear strategy to end overfishing, and act on it."

Jonny Hughes, fisheries policy lead at the Blue Marine Foundation, told the Express it was "beyond shocking that the government continues to treat the marine environment as an afterthought".

"They had countless opportunities to improve the sustainability of our fisheries, yet they repeatedly chose inaction," he said.

"At this point, it is impossible to view this as anything other than a deliberate decision, particularly when their much-touted fisheries management plans fail to include the essential tools needed to deliver effective management in practice."

Mr Hughes said Labour's decision to set catch limits above sustainable levels was "a deliberate sacrifice of the marine environment, the long-term future of vital fish stocks around the UK coast and the livelihoods of the small-scale fishing industry", all in the name of "short-term political game".

"Pandering and playing politics with a national asset is reckless, shameful and an unforgivable failure of leadership," he added.

"Scientists, conservationists and many inshore fisherman have long warned that current management approaches are failing to halt the decline of critical species.

"Despite this, the government has repeatedly resisted necessary sustainability measures. We are not just mismanaging our seas anymore, we are quite literally fishing our future away."

The foundation claims that 60% of stocks have exceeded the recommended levels on average over the past six years.

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: "We are committed to restoring our fish stocks to sustainable levels and supporting the long-term viability of the UK fishing industry.

"Our approach to setting catch limits is based on the best available scientific advice and we continue to work with other countries to reduce fishing pressure and strengthen management of stocks."