Fishery closure needed to save cod from brink of oblivion, warns WWF
Brussels, Belgium, WWF - the global environment network - today warned that if Member States ignore the advice issued by ICES today to close the fishery for the cod stocks in the North Sea, Irish Sea and West of Scotland, they will preside over the collapse of this valuable commercial species with drastic consequences for fish stocks and the communities that rely on them.
The message to fisheries ministers is the worst ever, as ICES is also advising zero catch for Irish Sea whiting, Southern hake and capelin in the Barents Sea..
According to ICES figures the number of young fish boosting cod populations in the North Sea in the first quarter of this year were the lowest they have been in twenty years and they have yet again advised that all cod fisheries are closed in order to allow stocks a chance to recover. WWF endorses ICES advice and today urged Member States to take precautionary action and close the cod fishery while investing the money which will be vital to assist fishing communities through this period.
WWF is frustrated by the lack of action taken by Member States to agree the implementation of the cod recovery plan which has been on the table since 2001. Temporary measures have failed to support recovery. WWF is endorsing ICES advice to develop recovery plans for plaice in the North Sea and for Northern hake.
'It is clear that the temporary measures agreed last year by the European Fisheries Council have been ineffective in bringing about the cod recovery that is needed for our commercial fish stocks. We are still waiting after a year for a long-term recovery plan to be agreed for cod and hake. Member states are left with no option but to take immediate and radical action to allow fish stocks to recover. Actions must include the provision of necessary transitional funding to support the fishing industry during this period of crisis. '. said Charlotte Mogensen, WWFs European Fisheries Policy Officer
For the past fifteen years, political pressure has led to quotas being set an average of 30 per cent above the recommendations made by ICES. Although some measures have been put in place to take the pressure off fish stocks, such as increased mesh sizes, decommissioning of the fleet and limiting days at sea, they have clearly not been enough. There is also the concern over the potential impact that climate change may be having on fish stocks, with changing water temperatures possibly leading to a shift in the distribution of some stocks including cod. However more information is needed on climate change impacts before we can allow fishing on what few fish are left.
“Ministers and politicians risk letting down European fish stocks, the industry and the communities that are dependent on them for their own short-term political gain if they refuse to act on this latest scientific advice. Only a drastic reduction in fishing effort in the short term, coupled with financial support for the fishermen will now guarantee the survival of the industry for years to come. Member States must take a long term approach and think about the consequences of the decisions they take over coming weeks and how this will affect generations to come” concluded Mogensen.
Editors Notes
ICES is the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, the organisation that coordinates and promotes marine research in the North Atlantic. ICES acts as a meeting point for a community of more than 1600 marine scientists from 19 countries around the North Atlantic.
ICES today recommended that fisheries which target cod in the North Sea, Skagerrak, Irish Sea and waters west of Scotland should be closed. To allow stocks a chance to recover, ICES has recommended that all fisheries targeting cod in these areas should be closed. These includes fishery for haddock, whiting, flatfish, shrimp and prawn (Nephrops).
The detailed advice on fish stocks in the Northeast Atlantic will be available on the ICES website ( )
For further information, please contact:
Charlotte Mogenson, tel +32 2 743 8807,