Consumers urged to ‘completely avoid’ UK-caught cod as population plunges

Catches of cod being unloaded at the Peterhead fish market in Scotland. Consumers have now been told to avoid UK-caught cod. Photograph: Murdo Macleod/The Guardian

Consumers should “completely avoid” buying UK-caught cod, the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has said, as it warned that populations have reached a dangerous point of decline despite zero-catch recommendations.

The MCS, an environmental charity, publishes a Good Fish Guide to help consumers and businesses make sustainable seafood choices.