The study from ICES said that North Sea cod stocks are beginning to recover, with the spawning stock biomass of the species showing an improvement for the third year in a row. The study shows that cod mortality from fishing in the North Sea is at its lowest since 1971, that new fish are entering the ecosystem and that stock levels are up for the third year running.
Philip MacMullen, Head of Environmental Responsibility at Seafish, the authority on seafood, opined that the independent data show good improvements in stock levels are being made due to fishermen’s efforts to avoid catching cod. It also revealed new gear technologies and schemes such as Conservation Credits II and Voluntary Real Time Closures (VRTC), which reward fishermen with additional days at sea in exchange for responsible fishing behaviour. He also stressed that the North Sea cod stocks are not far below their long-term sustainable limits, and more time needs to be given to allow the measures currently in place to take full effect.
Dr Jon Harman, Development Director at Seafish, said that a public opinion survey demonstrate that efforts by retailers and fish processors and importers to source seafood sustainably are having an effect on the public’s awareness of what’s really happening in the oceans.
