Cod’s had its chips
Fish from North Sea ‘not sustainable’ as numbers fall
NORTH Sea cod may be off the menu yet again after a dramatic fall in their numbers.
Two years ago the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) said cod could be eaten with a ‘clear conscience’ because populations of the fish were of a healthy size.
But it is set to remove its ‘blue tick’ label from North Sea cod as fisheries are at risk of collapse.
The Marine Stewardship Council’s decision, based on scientific advice, is a blow to the fishing industry, which has been trying to avoid catching young cod.
But this failed to prevent cod numbers falling, with fewer fish surviving into adulthood over the past two years and warmer waters thought to be cutting numbers.
The Scottish Fisheries Sustainable Accreditation Group echoed the MSC’s concerns. Chairman Mike Park said: ‘The industry are concerned that, notwithstanding their best efforts to continue to rebuild North Sea cod, some developments are taking place that seem beyond their control.
‘That said, they are committed to introducing balanced and proportionate measures in an attempt to reverse the decline.’
Stocks in the North Sea peaked at 270,000 tons in the 1970s, supplying tens of thousands of fish suppers, but today 94 per cent of cod eaten in British homes is imported.
Despite recovering from their lowest point in 2006, stocks are predicted to hit only 81,755 tons next year. Scientists say anything less than 107,000 tons increases the risk of fisheries collapsing.
The MSC will remove its ‘blue tick’ label for sustainable fish for North Sea cod caught after October 24. Erin Priddle, its UK and Ireland programme director, said: ‘While this news is devastating for industry, it is a testament to the MSC standard working as it should – to pick up on threats to stock sustainability.
‘It is imperative that industry works collaboratively with fishery managers, non-governmental organisations and the wider seafood supply chain to introduce measures that will see this fishery once again achieve certification.’
North Sea cod gained MSC certification in 2017, when stocks were assessed as reaching 152,207 tons, the highest level since 1982.
Fishermen achieved this by staying away from cod-rich areas to avoid picking them up as bycatch, as well as using different nets and closing spawning areas to boats.
Customers who look for the ‘blue tick’ have helped to ensure that almost 40 per cent of the 115,000 tons of cod consumed in the UK carried this sustainable label.
Stocks were forecast to hit 180,990 tons last year but scientists from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea now estimate they will be much smaller.