Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certificates for North Sea cod are about to be suspended after an alarming drop in stocks, considering North Sea cod had been believed to be in a healthy condition. The suspension affects all MSC certified fisheries targeting the North Sea cod stock.
This decline in cod has taken place in spite of industry initiatives to minimise catches of juvenile fish, and these measures to improve selectivity and avoid spawning grounds were key to North Sea cod being MSC certified back in 2017.
The causes of the decline are unclear. Scientists suggest it may be a result of factors, such as rising sea temperatures driven by climate change, and fewer young cod surviving into adulthood for the last two years running.
“The decline in the North Sea cod stock is a worrying development, with the latest stock models suggesting that the fishery has not recovered as well as previously thought,” said MSC UK and Ireland Programme Director Erin Priddle.
“The MSC programme was established to recognise and reward sustainable fisheries and is designed to identify when certified fisheries are not performing as they should against our Standard. The independent auditors have now examined the latest advice and concluded that this drop in the stock – below the safe biological level – coupled with a recommended sharp cut to quotas and management shortfalls means that the North Sea cod fishery no longer meets the MSC Standard.”
The Scottish fishing industry has committed to five-year Fishery Improvement Project to return the stock to health.
“The industry are concerned that notwithstanding their best efforts to continue to rebuild North Sea cod some developments are taking place that seem beyond their control. That said, they are committed to introducing balanced and proportionate measures in an attempt to reverse the decline. We will be liaising closely with managers to ensure that these measures apply to all vessels operating within the mixed demersal fishery,” explained SFSAG Chairman Mike Park.
The fisheries affected by this suspension are the DFPO Denmark North Sea & Skagerrak cod & saithe fishery, the Norway North Sea demersal fishery and the Scottish Fisheries Sustainable Accreditation Group (SFSAG) North Sea cod fishery.
The suspension will become effective as of 24th October 2019. Cod caught by these fisheries caught after this date will not be eligible to be sold with the blue MSC label.
“While this news is devastating for industry, it is a testament to the MSC Standard working as it should: to pick up on threats to stock sustainability, as is the case with North Sea cod. It is imperative that industry works collaboratively with fishery managers, NGOs and the wider seafood supply chain to introduce effective measures that will see this fishery once again achieve certification,” Erin Priddle said.
“Now, more than ever, we need co-ordination and cooperation for the sustainability of our oceans and the marine life within.”
