Atlantic cod

Gadus morhua

5: Avoid How we work out the ratings

What to check for

Location

Celtic Seas (southern), English Channel (west)

Technical location

Atlantic, Northeast, Bristol Channel, Celtic Sea (North), Celtic Sea (South), English Channel (West), Southwest of Ireland (East), Southwest of Ireland (West)

Caught by

Bottom trawl (beam), Bottom trawl (otter), Hook & line (handline), Net (demersal seine), Net (gill or fixed)

Rating summary

The Celtic Sea cod population is at dangerously low levels, and there is no plan in place to help it recover. Therefore, it is Fish to Avoid.Rating last updated: January 2023

Technical consultation summary

Default red rating: Celtic Sea cod is at dangerously low levels, below the point at which its ability to reproduce is compromised, and fishing pressure is too high. The scientific advice is that there should be no catches of this stock in 2023, but it continues to be caught as bycatch alongside haddock and whiting in the area. There is no recovery plan in place and management measures have not effectively protected or improved the stock. Atlantic cod is listed by OSPAR as a threatened and declining species in the area. Most Celtic Sea cod is caught by otter trawls, which can cause damage to the seabed and may have bycatch of vulnerable species. Some Celtic Sea cod is caught by beam trawls, which have significant impacts on the seabed, including damage to vulnerable marine habitats. Beam trawls can also have high bycatch, including vulnerable species. Some Celtic Sea cod is caught by seine, which can cause damage to the seabed and have a bycatch of vulnerable species including skates and rays.

How we worked out this Rating

Celtic Sea cod scores a Critical Fail and the rating is a default red due to continued fishing pressure despite the stock having dangerously low reproductive capacity. There is no precautionary recovery plan in place.This stock is assessed by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). Catches peaked in 1989 at over 19,000 tonnes, but have since declined. Celtic Sea cod is no longer a target species, but is caught as bycatch in haddock and whiting fisheries. Recent catches have averaged around 1,600 tonnes.ICES advises that there should be zero catch in 2023 because the reproductive capacity of the stock or spawning stock biomass (SSB) is below minimum scientific levels needed to sustain the population (Blim). SSB in 2022 is 1,196 tonnes, while Blim is 4,200t. The stock is therefore in a severely depleted state.Fishers in the Celtic Sea have a bycatch allowance. In 2021 landings exceeded allowable catches by 47% (1,360 versus the 644 tonnes allowed). Fishing pressure on the stock in 2021 was 1.05. This is higher than levels associated with Maximum Sustainable Yield (FMSY, 0.29) and close to the maximum limit (Flim, 1.13). The stock is therefore subject to heavy overfishing.Discards of cod in the area continue to remain relatively high and accounted for more than 50% of the catch in 2021, largely due to small young fish being caught as bycatch.If fishing pressure in 2023 matches the level in 2022, the stock is projected to increase by 1.5%. If scientific advice was followed, and there was zero catch, the stock is projected to increase by 162%. Recruitment of young fish into the stock has been very variable over time, but has been very low since 2012, with a small peak in 2014.

References

Eigaard, O.R., Bastardie, F., Breen, M., Dinesen, G.E., Hintzen, N.T., Laffargue, P., Mortensen, L.O., Nielsen, J.R., Nilsson, H.C., O'Neill, F.G., Polet, H., Reid, D.G., Sala, A., SkOld, M., Smith, C., Sorensen, T.K., Tully, O., Zengin, M., Rijnsdorp, A.D., 2016. Estimating seabed pressure from demersal trawls, seines, and dredges based on gear design and dimensions. ICES Journal of Marine Science, Volume 73, Issue suppl 1. Pages i27-i43. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsv099.EU, 2019. Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on the conservation of fisheries resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02019R1241-20220806 [Accessed on 13/12/2022].EU, 2020. Regulation (EU) 2020/123 of 27 January 2020 fixing for 2020 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 from: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32020R0123&from=EN [Accessed on 4.11.2021].Froese, R. and Pauly, D. (Editors), 2022. Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua. Available at : https://www.fishbase.se/summary/gadus-morhua.html [Accessed on 13/12/2022].Hiddink JG, Jennings S, Sciberras M, Szostek CL, Hughes KM, Ellis N, et al., 2017. Global analysis of depletion and recovery of seabed biota after bottom trawling disturbance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Aug 2017, 114 (31) 8301-8306; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1618858114.ICES, 2007. EU request on Trevose closure - ICES special request. Available at: https://www.ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication Reports/Advice/2007/Special Requests/EC Trevose closure.pdf [Accessed on 4.11.2021].ICES, 2022. Cod (Gadus morhua) in divisions 7.e-k (eastern English Channel and southern Celtic Seas). In Report of the ICES Advisory Committee, 2022. ICES Advice 2022, cod.27.7e–k. https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.advice.19447898. [Accessed on 12.12.22].ICES, 2022. EU standing request on catch scenarios for zero-TAC stocks; cod (Gadus morhua)in divisions 7.e–k (Celtic Sea). In Report of the ICES Advisory Committee, 2022. ICES Advice 2022, sr.2022.09d. Available at https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.advice.21456339 [Accessed on 23.01.2023].ICES, 2022. Working Group for the Celtic Seas Ecoregion (WGCSE). ICES Scientific Reports. 4:45. 1413pp. Available at http://doi.org/10.17895/ices.pub.19863796 [Accessed on 23.01.2023].Kynoch RJ, Fryer RJ, Neat FC. 2015. A simple technical measure to reduce bycatch and discard of skates and sharks in mixed-species bottom-trawl fisheries. ICES Journal of Marine Science, Volume 72, Issue 6, July/August 2015, Pages 1861–1868, https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsv037.Silva FJ, Ellis JR, Catchpole TL., 2012. Species composition of skates (Rajidae) in commercial fisheries around the British Isles and their discarding patterns. J Fish Biol. 80:1678–1703. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2012.03247.x.UK Government, 2022. Joint Fisheries Statement. November 2022. Available at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1119399/Joint_Fisheries_Statement_JFS_2022_Final.pdf [Accessed on 23.01.2023].van Denderen PD, Bolam SG, Hiddink JG, Jennings S, Kenny A, Rijnsdorp AD, 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 541:31-43. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11550.