Fishing quota cuts could bring sector 'to its knees', chiefs warn

Fishing leaders say another proposed drop in the amount of cod the Scottish fleet can catch next year could bring the sector “to its knees.”

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), which produced data to shape quotas for the following year, revised its earlier data and suggested halving the number of Northern Shelf cod caught in the North Sea in 2025.

It comes as talks to decide next year’s catch limits, between the EU, the UK and Norway, take place in Brussels.

Chief executive of the Scottish White Fish Producers Association, Mike Park, has warned it could cause further ramifications.

He told STV News: “Cod is a commercially important stock for us. For every thousand tonnes caught that’s worth £4m to the fleet.

Scientists advise a decrease in North Sea cod quotas STV News

“The data we’re now looking at has gone from a 38% reduction to a 50% reduction, which is a big change.

“Cod is an iconic species. If people see the stock decreasing, then all sort of measures will be introduced to protect it, which may be essential at the time, but we have to be careful because it could bring the sector to its knees.”

Earlier this year, ICES suggested a reduction in catch should be applied to the Northern Shelf cod stock to protect and bolster numbers in the southern North Sea.

But on Friday, it announced that the reduction should be increased because of an error with the initial model.

An ICES spokesman said: “The main reason for this lower forecast is that the model predicts higher levels of natural mortality.

“As a result, fishing must be reduced even more, especially for the southern sub stock, to help rebuild it to a safe population level above the biomass limit.”

Last year deals worth nearly £400m to Scotland were reached, with quotas for six key North Sea fish stocks, including cod and haddock.

A final decision on quotas affecting the Scottish fishing fleet will be made in the coming weeks.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said: “We understand how disappointing it will be to fishers for changes to be made to the advice for Northern Shelf cod so close to the beginning of the annual negotiations process.

“We take our responsibility to balance the competing pressures on the marine environment seriously and will, as always seek to deliver the best outcome for Scotland’s fishing industry.”