Fishermen fear ‘zero catch’ recommendation for cod could be ‘fleet-ending’

Fishermen have hit out at a “zero catch” recommendation for cod stocks for part of the North Sea, warning that implementing such a policy would be “fleet-ending madness”.

The sector insisted that implementing the “extreme advice” from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) “would be an irresponsible and hugely damaging thing for governments to do”.

They raised their concerns after the international advisory body said there should be “zero catch in 2026” for cod in the northern shelf area of the North Sea.

Phil Taylor, director of the marine conservation charity Open Seas, said it was “staggering that scientists now recommend a complete stop to cod fishing in the southern North Sea for 2026”.

He added that the recommendation “illustrates that years of taking too many fish and failing to rein in the ongoing problem of discarding juvenile fish and fish beyond quota have pushed this stock into serious trouble”.

But James Anderson, skipper of the Alison Kay fishing boat and chair of the Shetland Fishermen’s Association (SFA), said: “Implementing zero catch quotas for cod would be fleet-ending madness.

“Governments cannot expect fishing businesses, surrounded by cod, to tie up for a year and still be here in 2027.”

Arguing against further restrictions in the fishing quota, he said the SFA was instead proposing “a series of measures which will more successfully balance stock sustainability and economic stability until the various scientific uncertainties around cod are better resolved”.

Mike Park, chief executive of the Scottish White Fish Producers’ Association, also raised concerns about ICES recommendation.

He stated: “This is a mad proposal from an organisation that is fast losing any credibility.

“In the mixed fisheries that our vessels operate in, it is impossible to catch any fish without catching cod so this recommendation if implemented would wipe out the fleet at the stroke of a pen.”

He added that the recommendation “flies in the face of the commitment by North Sea countries to ensure the stock continues to grow”, which was “trying to deliver an output that protects the stock while at the same time ensuring the fleets in these countries can remain in business”.

Mr Park continued: “Governments will need to treat this advice with great caution as any acceptance of the advice could have very serious consequences indeed.”

However, Mr Taylor argued that “overfishing benefits no-one in the long run”, adding that “coastal communities along the North Sea coast have lost vibrant fishing industries because of poor management in the past”.

The Open Seas director added: “The government must learn from those mistakes from the past and ensure that decisions about this fishery are grounded in what makes sense for the ecosystem.”

He urged ministers to “ensure that they follow scientific advice” on fishing quotas, with Mr Taylor stating: “Any cod quota allocated in 2026 must only be given to fishing businesses that use camera-based monitoring to ensure all the fish caught are counted, and in ways that incentivise fishing methods that avoid juvenile bycatch altogether.

“These steps are already required under existing fisheries law. It is time for governments to meet their own legal obligations.”