Atlantic cod

Gadus morhua

5: Avoid How we work out the ratings

What to check for

Location

Irish Sea

Technical location

Atlantic, Northeast, Irish Sea

Caught by

Bottom trawl (otter)

Rating summary

Irish Sea cod are below safe biological levels and there is no recovery plan in place to help the population recover. Therefore, it receives a critical fail for stock status and is a default red rating. Atlantic cod is listed by OSPAR as a threatened and/or declining species.Rating last updated August 2024.

Technical consultation summary

Irish Sea cod is below safe biological levels and there is no recovery plan in place to help the population grow back. In 2024 SSB is 8,266t, which is 63% below the target level (MSY BTrigger, 13,012t). It is below the point at which there is a risk of reproductive impairment (Blim, 9,364t). Therefore, it receives a critical fail for stock status and is a default red rating. Atlantic cod is listed by OSPAR as a threatened and/or declining species. In 2023, Fishing mortality (F) was was 0.0093, below FMSY (0.171). Irish Sea cod is therefore not subject to overfishing. There are a series of management measures in place, however, the stock is still in a relatively poor state and there is not appropriate recovery plan in place. Cod in the Irish Sea are a bycatch species, around 90% of catches are by trawlers fishing for haddock or Norway lobster, which is likely to cause some damage to the seabed. Bycatch is moderate and may include vulnerable species.

How we worked out this Rating

Irish Sea cod are below safe biological levels and there is no precautionary recovery plan in place. Therefore, it receives a critical fail for stock status and is a default red rating. Atlantic cod is listed by OSPAR as a threatened and/or declining species.This stock assessment is carried out annually by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). The most recent assessment was published in 2024 using data up to 2024. The next assessment is expected in 2025.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.The Irish Sea cod stock has been declining since the 1970s, when the spawning stock biomass (SSB) was over 45,000 tonnes. SSB reached an all-time low of 2,840 tonnes in 2009, increased to 9,270t in 2017 and has since declined again. In 2024 it is 8,266t - 63% of the target level (MSY BTrigger, 13,012t). It is below the point at which there is a risk of reproductive impairment (Blim, 9,364t). The stock is therefore in a very overfished state, and suffering reduced reproductive capacity.Fishing mortality (F) has been above levels associated with Maximum Sustainable Yield (FMSY, 0.171) for most of the time between the 1970s and 2000s. However, F has been declining since the late 1990s, and fell below FMSY in 2012. F in 2023 was 0.0093. Irish Sea cod is therefore not subject to overfishing.A new reference point, F eco, was introduced in 2022. F eco is a fishing pressure below MSY that is derived from sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and is updated annually. SSTs are an indicator of productivity of this stock. It is expected to provide a better yield and lower risk in the long term. In 2024 it was 0.14.ICES advises that there should be zero catch in 2025, as there are no catch scenarios that would rebuild the stock above Blim in the next year.Recreational removals were not included in the 2024 stock assessment owing to uncertainty around their calculations and selectivity patterns. Annual catches estimated for the recreational fleet are approximately 120–150 tonnes from 2017–2021, which is similar to commercial catches. Fishing mortality may therefore be higher than the assessment indicates, but this is unlikely to change the perception of the stock.

References

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