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Scientists still seek ban on cod catches
Frank Urquhart - furquhart@scotsman.com
The Scotsman
25th October 2003
International marine scientists, who are calling for a total ban on cod catches in the North Sea, yesterday claimed that it could take up to 12 years of closures before fragile stocks are restored to safe biological levels.
The advisory committee of the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) is recommending, for the second year in succession, a blanket moratorium on cod catches to save threatened stocks from collapse - effectively closing the entire North Sea whitefish fishery.
Scottish fishermen’s leaders claim a blanket ban, if backed by European Fisheries Ministers, would destroy the Scottish whitefish fleet and do nothing for conservation.
But yesterday ICES published a detailed report, setting out their case for a zero cod catch and a ban on other whitefish fisheries, including vital Scottish haddock and whiting landings, where cod could be caught as a bycatch.
The report bluntly warns that, despite a slight improvement in the estimated spawning stock, cod in the North Sea is still only one third its safe biological limit.
The marine scientists claim that the true value of the cod biomass, and fishing mortality rates, may have been skewed by a "suspected increase in the proportion of unreported landings" - clandestine catches of so-called blackfish.
ICES recommends that the cod fisheries in the North Sea, Irish Sea and West of Scotland waters should remain closed until an initial recovery of the cod spawning stock biomass has been proved.
"This will take at least five years and likely more," warns the report. "Some simulations put the recovery time as high as 12 years."
The report also offers little hope of a respite for the Scottish fleet’s other mainstay catches of haddock, whiting and plaice, despite a recent major boom in young haddock. It states: "The stock of haddock presently profits from a good year class recruiting into the spawning stock. The exploitation rate on this stock is uncertain and may still be too high.
"The spawning stock is expected to decrease rapidly due to the very low recruitment which followed the strong 1999 year class.
"The stock of whiting has shown a continued decline over time but appears to be increasing again due to the reduction in fishing mortality. However, it is considered likely that the whiting stock is still outside safe biological limits."
Hamish Morrison, the chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, rejected the ICES advice. He said: "The cod stock continues to cause concern, but its long decline seems to have been arrested and there is localised evidence of a small upswing in abundance. There must be a concern that the poor state of the stock is due to factors other than fishing pressure. Certainly the state of this stock does not justify the intemperate and quasi-political outburst by ICES.
"The outstanding 1999 haddock brood year has raised this stock to its most prolific since the early Seventies. A 100 per cent increase in quota is well within biologically safe limits."
Alex Salmond, the Scottish National Party MP for Banff and Buchan, condemned the ICES’ advice as "ludicrous".
He said: "Haddock is at a 30 year high and 80 per cent of Scottish whitefish stocks are in robust condition. The suggestion that the North Sea should be closed because cod is under pressure is ludicrous and unsustainable.
"What must happen is that the haddock, whiting, and prawn fishery should be decoupled from cod since there are plenty of areas of the North Sea which allow separation of the stocks, and quotas for these stocks should be set at an increased level."
Ross Finnie, Scotland’s Fisheries Minister, last night declared that the total closure of the North Sea was "politically unacceptable".
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