Fisheries experts call for zero catch for Northern Shelf cod

The Angling Trust has called on governments to follow the science after ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Seas) advised a precautionary zero-catch approach for Northern Shelf cod in 2027.

The advice covers cod across the North Sea, eastern English Channel, West of Scotland and Skagerrak, and follows a major scientific review which confirms that Northern Shelf cod comprise three separate spawning populations.

For sea anglers, the warning will feel all too familiar. Cod fishing has long been central to coastal communities and winter angling around Britain, yet many once-reliable fisheries have declined sharply over recent decades.

“This latest scientific advice underlines just how far we still have to go to protect North Sea cod populations and ensure their long-term sustainability,” said Hannah Rudd, Head of Marine at the Angling Trust, the representative body for English and Welsh anglers. “We are calling on governments to follow the science ahead of the annual negotiations.”

The recent Northern Shelf Cod Tiger Team report identified three distinct spawning populations — Southern, Northwestern and Viking cod. Although the fish mix outside the spawning season, they return to separate spawning grounds, meaning the decline of one local population cannot simply be offset by stronger fish elsewhere.

The Southern cod population is of greatest concern. Occupying much of the southern and central North Sea, including waters historically important to UK recreational sea anglers, it has remained below critical biological limits for several years. Survey data points to low abundance, weak recruitment and little evidence of strong year classes coming through.

“Recreational sea anglers have witnessed first-hand the decline of many traditional cod fisheries over recent decades and understand the importance of protecting spawning populations where they remain vulnerable,” Rudd said.“The Tiger Team’s findings reinforce what many anglers have long argued: healthy local fisheries depend on healthy local stocks.”

While some northern populations are in a stronger position, ICES says uncertainty over where stocks mix means fishing could still affect the most depleted component. Its precautionary advice is therefore designed to give vulnerable cod the best possible chance of recovery.

The Angling Trust believes the findings strengthen the need to rebuild stocks to abundance, rather than merely avoid further decline. Bigger, healthier fish populations are more resilient to warming seas, changing marine conditions and poor recruitment, it says.

“At a time when our seas are facing increasing pressures from climate change and wider ecosystem change, rebuilding fish stocks to healthy and productive levels has never been more important,” Rudd added.“Abundant fish populations are inherently more resilient to environmental change than depleted ones, and that resilience will be critical for the future of both marine ecosystems and sustainable fisheries.”

A central recommendation from the Tiger Team is greater investment in genetic monitoring and stock identification. Scientists currently cannot reliably identify which spawning population an individual cod belongs to once the fish mix, making it difficult to develop management that protects weaker local stocks while allowing sustainable fishing elsewhere.

“We support continued investment in genetic monitoring, stock identification and improved science so that management can become more spatially targeted in future,” said Rudd. “Rebuilding abundant and resilient cod populations should remain a shared goal for fisheries managers, commercial fishers, scientists and recreational anglers alike.”

For anglers, the message is clear: cod recovery remains far from assured. But better science, stronger protection for spawning populations and management rooted in local realities could yet help restore the world-class sea angling opportunities that once defined so many parts of the UK coast.