The average cost of a portion of fish and chips in Britain has risen sharply to around £11, up from £6.95 five years ago, as overfishing of cod and haddock combines with sanctions on Russian fishing firms to squeeze supply. The traditional Friday-night takeaway is becoming increasingly unaffordable, prompting some chip shops to substitute cod and haddock with alternatives such as octopus, dogfish and saithe, though these too face supply problems or require costly processing.

Cod and haddock have historically come mainly from the Barents Sea, jointly managed by Russia and Norway, where this year's joint quota of 285,000 tons is the lowest since 1991 amid the worst cod spawning levels since 2000. EU sanctions on major Russian fishing firms Norebo and Murman Seafood, plus a UK ban on Russian-flagged vessels docking, have cut Russian haddock imports from nearly 3,000 tons in 2022 to just 237 tons this year, pushing Britain towards pricier Icelandic supplies, which cost 56.8% more. Saithe and pollock, once touted as cheaper substitutes, have proven unreliable or unpopular, with saithe imports down 94% and Jamie Oliver's pollock fish fingers long discontinued.