Atlantic cod

Gadus morhua

5: Avoid How we work out the ratings

What to check for

Location

Northern Shelf: Southern substock: All areas

Technical location

27 - Atlantic, Northeast, 7d: English Channel (East), 4b: North Sea (Central), 4c: North Sea (South)

Caught by

Bottom trawl (otter)

Rating summary

How we worked out this Rating

The Southern substock of Northern Shelf cod is below safe biological levels and fishing pressure is too high. There is no precautionary recovery plan in place. Therefore, this substock receives a critical fail for stock status and is a default red rating.In 2023, ICES carried out a benchmark of two cod stocks: North Sea, eastern English Channel and Skagerrak, and West of Scotland. As a result, the understanding of the stock structure has changed substantially. These two stocks were merged into one: North Sea, West of Scotland, eastern English Channel, and Skagerrak. However, this new stock has three substocks:Northwestern: West of Scotland (6a) and western part of the Central (4b) and Northern (4a) North SeaViking: the Skagerrak (3a.20) and the eastern part of the Northern (4a) and Central (4b) North SeaSouthern: the southern part of the Central (4b) North Sea and all of the Southern (4c) North Sea, and the Eastern English Channel (7d)As a result, the perception of these new substocks is different from previous years and is not comparable to previous advice, before the 2023 benchmark.There is some uncertainty in the new stock assessments and ICES has indicated that catches by substock should not be taken as area-specific advice. The three substocks have different spawning grounds and biological characteristics, such as growth and time of sexual maturity. During spawning season and when the cod are young the substocks are not believed to mix, therefore it is possible to assess spawning stock biomass for each individual substock. However, they do mix at other times of year and further research and genetic data is needed to improve estimates of fishing mortality and provide specific catch advice.Overall, ICES is confident that there are three substocks, and that they can estimate their individual biomass sizes, but cannot accurately estimate catches or fishing mortality at the substock level.In 2024, the observed catches for all substocks combined were 18% lower than the ICES estimates, compared to 2023 where they were 23% lower.This rating is for the Southern substock.This stock is assessed by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). The stock assessment defines reference points for fishing pressure (F) and biomass (B). For fishing pressure, there is a target to keep F at or below Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY). For biomass, there is no target. However, there is a trigger point (MSY BTrigger). Below this level, F should be reduced to allow the stock to increase. Because BMSY is not defined, the Good Fish Guide applies its own definition of 1.4 x MSY BTrigger.In 2024, the fishing pressure (F) was 0.59, which is 155% above the level associated with Maximum Sustainable Yield FMSY (0.231) but below the precautionary limit (Fpa, 0.464). The total estimated catch was 4218 tonnes. Therefore, estimated fishing pressure is too high and the substock is subject to overfishing.In 2025, the spawning stock biomass (SSB), was 9114t: below biologically safe limits (Blim, 14,002t). This substock is therefore in a severely depleted state, with a high risk of reduced recruitment.Because there is uncertainty about the degree of mixing between the substocks, ICES advises a precautionary approach that protects the weakest substock (the southern). ICES recommends that the Northwest and Viking substocks follow the MSY approach with precautionary considerations. Under these approaches, all substocks should have zero catch in 2026.If the advice is followed (MSY approach), the southern substock’s SSB is predicated to increase by 58% to 14,605t by 2027, which would be above Blim.Atlantic cod is listed by OSPAR as a threatened and/or declining species. Recruitment of young fish into the stock has been poor since 1998. This is likely owing to a combination of long-term overfishing, which reduced the stock to low levels, and rising sea temperatures. North Sea surface temperatures have increased by 1.68 degrees since 1960. Further increases are expected, and predictions indicate that the North Sea stock is unlikely to recover substantially as a result.Between 1975 and 2005, the size at which cod matures reduced from around 75cm to 45cm. This is likely to be, in part, fisheries-induced evolution, especially for male cod. Rising temperatures are also a factor, especially for female cod.

References

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European Commission, 2025. Agreed record of fisheries consultations between the united kingdom, the European union and Norway for 2026. Published 5 December 2025. Available at: https://oceans-and-fisheries.ec.europa.eu/news/eu-norway-and-uk-agree-fishing-opportunities-north-sea-2026-2025-12-05_en#:~:text=On%205%20December%2C%20the%20EU,fleet%2C%20worth%20609%20million%20euros.[Accessed on 09.12.2025].

EU, 2023. Council Regulation (EU) 2022/109 of 27 January 2022 fixing for 2022 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in Union waters and for Union fishing vessels in certain non-Union waters. Available at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32023R1324. [Accessed on 09.12.2025].

Hiddink, J., Jennings, S., Sciberras, M., Szostek, C.L., Hughes, K.M., Ellis, N., Rijnsdorp, A.D., McConnaughey, R.A., Mazor, T., Hilborn, R., Collie, J.S., Pitcher, C.R., Amoroso, R.O., Parma, A.M., Suuronen, P. and Kaiser, M.J. 2017. Global analysis of depletion and recovery of seabed biota after bottom trawling disturbance. PNAS. 114:31, pp. 8301-8306. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1618858114 [Accessed on 09.12.2025].

ICES, 2022. Workshop on Stock Identification of West of Scotland Sea Cod (WK6aCodID; outputs from 2021 meeting). ICES Scientific Reports. 4:5. 24 pp. Available at: http://doi.org/10.17895/ices.pub.10031. [Accessed on 16.07.2024].

ICES, 2023. Stock Annex: Cod (Gadus morhua) in Subarea 4, divisions 6.a and 7.d, and Subdivision 20 (North Sea, West of Scotland, eastern English Channel, Skagerrak). ICES Stock Annexes. 35 pp. Available at: https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.pub.22633843. [Accessed on 09.12.2025].

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Kynoch, R., Fryer, R. & Neat, F., 2015. A simple technical measure to reduce bycatch and discard of skates and sharks in mixed-species bottom-trawl fisheries. ICES J Mar Sci,72(6):1861

Marshall, C.T. Macdonald, P. Torgerson, E. Asare, J.L. Turner, R., 2021. Design, development and deployment of a software platform for real-time reporting in the west of Scotland demersal fleet. A study commissioned by Fisheries Innovation Scotland (FIS). Available at http://www.fiscot.org/

Marty, L., Rochet, M., & Ernande, B., 2014. Temporal trends in age and size at maturation of four North Sea gadid species: cod, haddock, whiting and Norway pout. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 497, 179-197. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps10580.

MMO, 2025. UK National North Sea Cod Avoidance Plan. Document No: V4. Update: Jan 2025. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69650464e8b93f59c3aecce7/UK_National_Cod_Avoidance_Plan_-_Updated_Jan_2026.pdf [Accessed on 09.12.2025].

OSPAR, 2021. List of Threatened and/or Declining Species and Habitats: Cod. Available at: https://www.ospar.org/work-areas/bdc/species-habitats/list-of-threatened-declining-species-habitats/fish/cod [Accessed on 09.12.2025].

Scottish Government, 2022. Publication - Minutes. Offshore MPA Fisheries Measures: West Shetland Shelf - 27 January 2022. Available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/offshore-mpa-fisheries-measures-west-shetland-shelf-27-january-2022/ [Accessed on 16.07.2024].

Scottish Government, 2023. Publication - Consultation paper: Clyde cod spawning closure Spring 2024/25: consultation. Published: 30 June 2023. Available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/consultation-clyde-cod-spawning-closure-spring-2024-25/ [Accessed on 16.07.2024].

Sguotti, C., Otto, S.A., Frelat, R., Langbehn, T.J., Plambech Ryberg, M., Lindegren, M., Durant, J.M., Stenseth, N.C. and Möllmann, C., 2019. Catastrophic dynamics limit Atlantic cod recovery. Proc. R. Soc. B.: 286. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2018.2877.

Silva, F., Ellis, J. & Catchpole, T., 2012. Species composition of skates (Rajidae) in commercial fisheries around the British Isles and their discarding patterns. J Fish Biol., 80:1678–1703

van Denderen, P. Bolam, S., Hiddink, J.G., Jennings, S., Kenny, A., Rijnsdorp, A., and van Kooten, T., 2015. Similar effects of bottom trawling and natural disturbance on composition and function of benthic communities across habitats. Mar Ecol Prog Ser. 2015;541:31–43

Sustainable swaps

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