Loads of Cod

[Shilbottler]

Abundance of cod on North Sea fishing grounds is backed by the scientific evidence | Scottish Fishermen's Federation



Abundance of cod on North Sea fishing grounds is backed by the scientific evidence7 March 2013.

Reports from Scottish fishermen of a huge abundance of cod in the North Sea is a direct result of a dramatic decline in fishing effort combined with the introduction of a number of conservation initiatives by the fishing fleet, says the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF).

With dramatic video footage being aired on some TV news bulletins today showing a large haul of cod being taken aboard the fishing vessel Budding Rose in the North Sea, the SFF says the scientific evidence is also backing the experience of fishermen on the fishing grounds. The skipper of the vessel, Peter Bruce, said that when the film was taken he was 20 miles away from the closed (to fishing) cod spawning area and was actually fishing for haddock.

He added: “I was in contact with another skipper who was 75 miles away having similar experiences and he had to land 10 tons of cod to Peterhead from his trip. The recovery in the cod stock is not by any means patchy."

According to Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics, the amount of fishing effort by the Scottish fleet has declined by a massive 70% between 2000 and 2011. Furthermore, the latest scientific figures from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) reveals that the spawning stock biomass of North Sea cod has increased by 250% from 2006 to 2012. Fishing mortality for cod (or the amount of fish being taken out of the sea) has declined by 43% between 2000 and 2011.

Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the SFF, said: “The decline in fishing effort and the amount of cod being taken out of the North Sea is quite dramatic and helps explain the relative abundance of fish that our fishermen are now finding on the grounds.

[ozzy37]

what a few good hauls......nice excuse to up the fishing and make sure they're all gone now still a shadow of how many fish there was 30 year ago

[canman]

Wonder how many other countries fishing our waters "tune in" to that information and think, champion, lets go there.

[lumpsucker]

Couple of boats get a few cod and all of a sudden there's plenty for everyone, let's catch em all! These people can't be trusted to run the fisheries. The science they claim to have used is not science at all if you examine who commissioned the research, the scant amount of evidence used and the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. It's as bad as tobacco companies claiming smoking isn't bad for your health, based on evidence they collected themselves. What a joke. I hope the people who make decisions on these issues can see through this kind of twaddle. The people who come up with this crap should be ashamed of themselves, unless they're completely deluded.

[big cod]

Its bull**** big style its all about getting more quota .

paul.

[Kev1n]

Ending the discards disgrace is a step in the right direction but there needs to be legislation to protect fish stocks. There has to be a way of controlling the fishing otherwise trawlers could claim they were fishing for one type of fish but ended up catching a hold full of cod instead. They cannot throw them back so have to land them. Where’s the incentive to avoid catching cod?
I’m not having a go at the trawlers, they have a tough job to do but need some help to make their industry sustainable.