Scientists recommend "zero catch" for North Sea cod
The international scientists which advise governments on fish quota have today (Tuesday) recommended a "zero catch" limit for cod in the North Sea next year.
While acknowledging some uncertainty, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES), said that limiting all cod to accidental bycatch was the best way to protect a critically overfished genetic variant of the species.
In response to what it has called "fleet-ending" advice, the Shetland Fishermen's Association (SFA) has called for the UK, Norway and EU to break with scientific recommendations — and set out its own suite of "stock stability measures".
“Implementing zero catch quotas for cod would be fleet-ending madness," said Alison Kay skipper James Anderson.
"Governments cannot expect fishing businesses, surrounded by cod, to tie up for a year and still be here in 2027."
The SFA's proposal includes expanding closures for cod spawning grounds, sacrificing a third of North Sea haddock and whiting quota and volunteering more fish from the fleet to scientists for population studies.
"We're arguing for stability," said SFA executive officer Daniel Lawson.
"Advice is advice," he added. "You don't have to follow it at the end of the day."
The Scottish White Fish Producers’ Association called the zero catch limit "a mad proposal from an organisation that is fast losing any credibility".
ICES has been approached for comment.
The nub of scientific disagreement centres on how different genetic variants, or "substocks", of cod mix in the North Sea.
In its advice ICES says that two of the three cod substocks could support thousands of tonnes of fishing. The third "Southern" substock, however, is already likely to slip below recoverable levels without any catches.
"Given that ICES is not in a position to quantify the degree of mixing between substocks, an approach to protect the weakest substock has been taken," the advice reads.
• Read the full story in this week's issue of The Shetland Times, out Thursday 25th September.