I don’t know about you guys, but I love my Atlantic cod fish. Not the Black cod or Pacific Cod from the east coast of the USA. Or the variety of cods from ‘down under’. I mean the real Atlantic cod. The fish which is the foundation stone of the traditional British Fish and Chips. White meat, flaky and tasty. Its availability was under threat for many years but strict policing of fishing and catches meant that populations grew and it came back onto menus. It now seems that it may be off the menu again, as it is being mooted that the fish populations are too low to support sustainable fishing.
This is very sad and in the rifle target hairs are MSC, the organisation which examines fish stocks and certifies those that can support more fishing without significant harm. An independent organisation, the ICES – The International Council for Exploration of the Sea – has sounded a warning that cod numbers are so low that catches should be reduced by nearly two-thirds.
So MSC now have the information, are reviewing the facts and will give their opinion at the end of this month. If corroborated this would mean North Sea cod would no longer be available from the many retailers that abide by the MSC’s certification system to determine what fish they sell.
This will be an interesting one to watch because it all becomes embroiled in the Brexit mess. Already the French fishermen are shouting that if Brexit does occur, they won’t be able to fish in British waters. Could be good for the Brits and Cod, but there are huge ramifications on the industry as a whole, especially the hot potato of quotas and fishing rights.
Chris has lived in Pak Sha Wan, Sai Kung for many years. He has been in Hong Kong since 1982, and is now in the family business, Pacific Rich Resources.
He is passionate about preserving the oceans and his blog, where this article was originally published, came out of his frustrations in dealing with supermarkets and them not being responsible. So he’s blogging, and working with others, to try to create change through social media
Be the first to comment