Norway and Russia have just raised the 2010 catch limits and the good news is that the cod quota is up by 61,000 metric tonnes from 546,000 tonnes this year to 607,000 tonnes next year.

The quota increase comes on the heels of a late September report by Norway's Institute of Marine Research which has found that the Barents Sea cod population has increased significantly in the past few years.

Similarly, the haddock quota for 2010 has been set at 243,000 metric tonnes - an increase of 49,000 tonnes on the 2009 catch limits of 194,000 tonnes.

The Barents Sea fishing grounds are shared by Russia and Norway and this latest quota increase should see more Norwegian cod and haddock coming to the UK and Europe next year.

Just a few weeks ago Norway reported that illegal fishing activity in the Barents Sea had been greatly reduced thanks to the joint efforts of the Russian and Nowegian governments. Figures show that so called 'black fishing' had dropped by around 84 per cent from the 2005 levels. But it had been a serious problem at one stage. Between 2002 and 2005 it is estimated that the cod stock was overfished by 100,000 tonnes every year, mainly by international fishing rings from Russia and Norway. Thanks to successful policing and improved co-operation between the two countries illegal fishing of cod was down to an estimated 15,000 tons last year.

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