Collapsing fish stocks prompt experts to advise 'zero catch'

CONSERVATIONISTS have called for action to tackle collapsing fish stocks in the North Sea as scientists advise there should be “zero” fishing of cod next year.

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The latest advice from the International Council for Exploration of the Sea (Ices) recommends “zero catch” quotas be set in 2026 for all cod stocks in the “Northern shelf” - an area covering the English Channel, North Sea up to Norway and the west of Scotland.

Cod in the southern region of the Northern shelf is in a particularly serious state, with 61% declines in the stock in the past decade, while the northwestern region around Scotland has seen a 37% decline, and stocks in the Viking area off Norway have fallen 23% since 2015, data from Ices show.