BBC's Masterchef battered for 'blacklisting' cod

MasterChef has landed itself a whole heap of trouble by linking to what Scottish fishermen claim is the wrong advice about eating cod. Fishing crews are furious with the BBC show, reports the Times, for linking to the Marine Conservation Society website for advice on sustainable fish in the end titles. The MCS lists cod as a "fish to avoid", claiming that stocks in the North Sea, Irish Sea and west of Scotland are among the "most depleted". But the Scottish Fishermen's Federation says the advice is a kick in the teeth" for fishing crews. The SFF chief executive, Bertie Armstrong, said: "We've had a lot of bad reaction from skippers because Scottish fishing has tried extremely hard to be sustainable. Our beef about the Marine Conservation Society traffic light list of guidance is that it is superficial and illogical. If anybody buys fish in the United Kingdom then it has been fished within a quota and is entirely sustainable. That's the measure of it." He added: "MasterChef put a seal of approval on the Marine Conservation Society's list of fish to eat and our problem with that is that it is a superficial assessment. We think the Marine Conservation Society list of colours is superficial and misleading. It doesn't help." A spokeswoman for MasterChef said: "We are very keen to give out the right advice with regards to sustainable fish. We refer to the Marine Society guidelines but we appreciate this is an ever-changing situation and welcome any updated information based on new research and findings." She told the Scotsman that cod has not been banned from the show – it has been used as an ingredient in this series – and that the link to the MCS was "a guide for viewers to find out more information". Monkey hopes MasterChef's John and Gregg haven't taken too much of a battering.