Much of Scottish crab and lobster is ‘fish to avoid’, says sustainable seafood guide

Nine types of Scottish brown crab and lobster were reclassified in the guide, with eight classed as ‘fish to avoid’. Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images

Crab and lobster have been classed as “fish to avoid” by the Marine Conservation Society in its new UK guide to sustainable seafood, due to concern over whales getting entangled in Scottish fishing gear.

Monkfish from the North Sea and the west of Scotland, where populations have declined to their lowest since 2013, have also joined the guide’s list of “fish to avoid”, alongside most skates and rays. Skates and rays are in decline globally, with a third of species facing extinction due to overfishing.