BT.com
25 September 2015
Conservationists have taken North Sea cod off a red list of “fish to avoid” eating, as the ailing fishery begins to show signs of recovery. The fishery, which collapsed in the 1980s as a result of overfishing, has risen above dangerously low levels for the first time after years of reduced fishing and efforts to avoid catching cod in mixed fisheries, the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) said.
The signs of improvement have led the MCS, which assesses seafood on a traffic light system and a 1-5 rating where one is the most sustainable, to raise the fishery to an “amber” rating and a level 4 recommendation it should be eaten only very occasionally. But the conservation group warned cod may never return to its pre-collapse glory days and more effort was needed to boost its populations to healthy levels.
MCS fisheries officer Samuel Stone said: “It’s fantastic to see this fishery finally off the red list. Years of sacrifice and a lot of hard work have led to population increases above dangerously low levels.”