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Urgent Call to Save UK's Iconic Fish Stocks from Imminent Collapse
7 Oct
Summary
- Half of UK's top 10 fish stocks critically low or overexploited
- North Sea cod facing "zero catch" recommendation to protect stock
- Overfishing a "political choice" that needs urgent action to halt
According to a recent report by the conservation charity Oceana UK, many of the UK's key fish stocks are in a perilous state and could face "imminent" collapse without immediate action to halt overfishing. The report reveals that half of the UK's top 10 commercial fish stocks are either at critically low levels or are being overexploited, with fishing limits set above what the science recommends for sustainable fisheries.
North Sea cod, for which scientists have recently recommended a "zero catch" this year to protect the stock, has been overfished to critically low levels but is still being overexploited. Other leading fish stocks under threat include Southern North Sea edible crab populations, which are critically low, and North Sea herring and North East Atlantic mackerel, which are being overexploited.
Oceana UK's executive director, Hugo Tagholm, warned that overfishing is "a political choice" and called for UK politicians to bring in a plan to halt it in order to secure healthy seas and the future of the fishing industry and coastal communities. The charity argues that action is needed to support fishers and coastal communities that rely on these fish stocks.
