Scientists Call For Cod Fishing Ban, Industry Angry

October 18, 2004

Release from: Reuters

LUXEMBOURG - Cod stocks in Europe's northern waters are on the verge of extinction, scientists said on Monday, calling for a blanket ban on fishing in 2005.

In an annual report, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea said hefty cuts in cod catches were not enough to stop overfishing and that fishing grounds should be shut in certain areas.

"There is still no clear sign that cod stocks in the North Sea, Irish Sea and west of Scotland are making a recovery," ICES General Secretary David Griffith said in a statement.

"A further problem that scientists face is substantial under-reporting of catches of cod which makes it difficult to get a true picture of the state of these stocks."

For the third year running, the Copenhagen-based body has called for a ban on cod fishing. The EU has always rejected this idea on the grounds that this would devastate remote coastal areas that depend on fishing for their community livelihood.

Instead, EU fisheries ministers have restricted the number of days trawlers may go out to sea, in tandem with tough cuts in the amount of cod -- a dinner staple -- that may be caught.

The EU executive Commission uses ICES advice as the basis for its proposed cuts in annual fishing quotas, usually watered down by EU ministers at a marathon meeting every December.

ICES is also calling for a ban on hake fishing in the Bay of Biscay, an area of particular interest for Spanish trawlermen.

At the start of 2004, the Commission proposed a long-term recovery plan for hake that puts a limit on the number of days that trawlers can spend at sea, as well as cuts in their catch.

EU fishermen reacted angrily to the report, knowing it is likely to mean another fight against hefty quota cuts for 2005.

"The (ICES) advice is as useful as an ashtray on a Harley Davidson," Lorcan O'Cinneide of the Irish Fish Producers' Organization told Reuters. "It is simply not do-able."