North Sea cod returning to the menu as stocks rise

Published on Saturday 15 May 2010 20:30

NORTH Sea Cod, the once-prolific tea-time staple that has been reduced to the brink of extinction by decades of overfishing, has now recovered to such an extent that diners should enjoy it again, according to one of the world's leading conservation charities.

In an endorsement of fishing methods by Scottish trawlers, among other vessels, the charity WWF said the fish was sustainable again in the shallow, cold waters off the north and east coasts of Britain.

Stocks had now risen 52 per cent since their low point four years ago because of cuts in European Union quotas and improved fishing methods which have led to less fish being put back into the sea.

Marine scientists said the recovery was real and the increase could prompt supermarkets into selling wild-caught North Sea cod again. Most cod currently on sale comes from Iceland and the Barents Sea.

Callum Roberts, a marine biologist at the University of York, said: "Signs of improvement of North Sea cods stocks are encouraging. The sort of measures that fishermen are undertaking in Scotland are good developments.

"But although the trend is in the right direction, it's definitely too early to celebrate."

EU ministers in Brussels successively cut annual catch quotas as stocks fell, but skippers also introduced smaller mesh sizes to nets and agreed to introduce cameras to prevent them throwing small fish overboard.

Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, said fishermen had learned from the mistakes of the boom days of the 1970s, when stocks were still plentiful but declining.

Orkney skipper Tom Harcus said he had not seen as much cod in the fishing grounds for 20 years. "I tend to think it comes in cycles but 20 years ago there were a lot of boats catching a lot of cod."