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THE World Wildlife Fund has announced what many UK fishermen have been saying for years - North Sea cod stocks are in a much healthier state.
The WWF says that stocks of cod have risen by 52 per cent over the past few years and are now at a sustainable level. This is due to reductions in catch quotas and new conservation techniques which have cut the number of discards - fish thrown back dead into the sea.
North Sea catch quotas have been cut back severely for the past several years and a number of new conservation measures have been introduced, especially in Scotland.
However, not everyone is joining in the celebrations just yet. The marine biologist Callum Roberts, at the University of York, told the Independent newspaper: "Signs of improvement of North Sea cod stocks are encouraging. The sort of measures that they are undertaking in Scotland are good developments."
He added: "Although the trend is in the right direction, it's definitely too early to celebrate. That 150,000-tonne target does not really reflect the historic abundance of the population."
And the Marine Conservation Society said it was maintaining its advice not to eat North Sea cod. A fisheries policies officer, Melissa Pritchard, said: "Everyone is doing everything they can and we commend that, but, with fish stocks, it takes years to recover."
But the news was welcomed by Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation. However, for the past few years North Sea fishermen have been reporting abundant stock levels. The only trouble is that, until now, few people in authority have been prepared to listen.
Should fisheries be closed during breeding time to allow stocks to reach more sustainable levels?
