Atlantic cod

Celtic Sea cod scores a Critical Fail and the rating is a default red due to continued fishing pressure despite the stock having dangerously low reproductive capacity. There is no precautionary recovery plan in place.

This stock is assessed by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). Catches peaked in 1989 at over 19,000 tonnes, but have since declined. Celtic Sea cod is no longer a target species, but is caught as bycatch in haddock and whiting fisheries. Recent catches have averaged around 1,600 tonnes.

ICES advises that there should be zero catch in 2023 because the reproductive capacity of the stock or spawning stock biomass (SSB) is below minimum scientific levels needed to sustain the population (Blim). SSB in 2022 is 1,196 tonnes, while Blim is 4,200t. The stock is therefore in a severely depleted state.

Fishers in the Celtic Sea have a bycatch allowance. In 2021 landings exceeded allowable catches by 47% (1,360 versus the 644 tonnes allowed). Fishing pressure on the stock in 2021 was 1.05. This is higher than levels associated with Maximum Sustainable Yield (FMSY, 0.29) and close to the maximum limit (Flim, 1.13). The stock is therefore subject to heavy overfishing.

Discards of cod in the area continue to remain relatively high and accounted for more than 50% of the catch in 2021, largely due to small young fish being caught as bycatch.

If fishing pressure in 2023 matches the level in 2022, the stock is projected to increase by 1.5%. If scientific advice was followed, and there was zero catch, the stock is projected to increase by 162%. Recruitment of young fish into the stock has been very variable over time, but has been very low since 2012, with a small peak in 2014.

There are a number of management measures for this stock, but they are generally not effective and certainly have not achieved a recovery of cod in this area. There is currently no recovery plan in place.

Cod is not a target species in the Celtic Sea area, but is caught as bycatch in haddock fisheries. Cod is mainly caught in otter trawls and landed by Ireland, France, UK and Belgium. The EU has a multiannual plan (MAP) for stocks in Western Waters, which applies to this stock, but the MAP doesn’t contain any cod-specific measures. It does allow for the fishery to be closed if Blim has been reached, as is the case with this stock. The UK is not signed up to the MAP.

The main management measure is a limit on how much cod can be caught as bycatch (Total Allowable Catch, TAC). Landings have declined considerably in recent years from over 11,000 tonnes in 2012 to 1,300t tonnes in 2021. However, ICES recommends zero catch for this stock as it is at critically low levels. Therefore, management is not following scientific advice.

In 2021, the bycatch TAC was 805 tonnes. 627 tonnes was landed, but an estimated total of 1,360 tonnes, including discards, was caught. Therefore, the TAC is not being effectively enforced.

ICES projects that if haddock is fished at maximum sustainable levels in 2023, there will be 1,002 tonnes of cod bycatch. This would result in a very small cod biomass increase from 1,196t to 1,261t. It would keep the stock well below the point of reproductive impairment (Blim), which is 4,200t. Further reductions in haddock catch could allow slightly bigger increases in cod biomass. Therefore, the haddock fishery needs to be reduced in order to support recovery of the cod stock.

The TAC area does not relate directly to the stock area. Cod caught in the southern Irish Sea (division 7a South, rectangles 33E2 and 33E3) is considered to be part of this stock. On average, around 18% of Irish Sea landings have been reallocated to this stock over the past 5 years. This equates to 1.4% of official landings in divisions 7.e-k. When TAC and stock areas don't match, it could risk displacing fishing effort to areas outside of the TAC limit, but still affecting the stock.

Other management measures for cod include protections for spawning areas. This includes the Trevose Box - an area between Cornwall and Ireland (ICES rectangles 30E4, 31E4, and 32E3) that is closed to fishing during spawning season. Evidence suggests that the Trevose closure has been effective at minimising fishing, although there appears to be some Irish fishing activity in the area.

Technical measures include a minimum mesh size (MMS) for beam and otter trawlers in Subarea 7 and a Minimum Conservation Reference Size (MCRS) of 35 cm. As cod mature between 31 - 74 cm, this does not fully protect juveniles. There are restrictions to improve selectivity, and modification of gears to reduce cod bycatch. This includes square mesh panels with a large mesh size, which according to recent ICES reports should help to reduce cod catches. However, ICES also indicates that the effectiveness of these measures should be monitored.

In 2021, estimated discards accounted for over 50% of the total catch. This is higher than recent years, when it has been around 20%. Discarding has increased as TACs have become more restrictive. Most discards are juvenile fish aged 1 or 2. In 2021, around 80% of the total catch by number was 1 or 2 year old fish. Therefore, selectivity measures have not reduced the pressure on juvenile cod. Otter trawls accounted for 63% of discards whilst landing 71% of cod caught in the area. Beam trawls have a high discard rate, with 9% of landings but 21% of discards. Implementation of the landing obligation from 2019 and allocation of bycatch TAC had resulted in reduced discards but area misreporting is understood to continue.

Despite implementation of the above management measures, the stock status of cod in the Celtic area has not improved indicating that current management approaches are not effective.

In the UK, the Fisheries Act came into force in January 2021. The Act requires the development of Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) (replacing EU Multi-Annual Plans). Cod has been included in the Celtic Sea and Western Channel Demersal Fisheries Management Plan with a timetable for preparation and publication between 2023-2025.

FMPs have the potential to be very important tools for managing UK fisheries. They will set out the policies to secure the long-term sustainability of our fish stocks for current and future generations and can include (data allowing):

• Targets for fishing pressure and biomass, with effective management to meet them;
• Timeframes for stock recovery;
• Use of technologies such as Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) to support data collection, improve transparency and accountability;
• Consideration of wider environmental impacts of the fishery.

Most Celtic Sea cod is caught by otter trawls, which can cause damage to the seabed and may have bycatch of vulnerable species.

Demersal otter trawls accounted for over 71% of landings in 2020. They use doors to hold nets open that penetrate the seabed, resulting in the abrasion of habitat features. The ground sweeps and bridles of the trawl can have similar abrasive impact. However, the impact of trawling is not only related to the gear type and modifications but also the location and scale in which trawling occurs. For example, areas that are used to natural disturbance through tides and waves, are less sensitive to habitat impacts. Additionally, areas not used to mobile towed gears are typically more sensitive.

Around 9% of Celtic Sea cod catches are by beam trawls, which penetrate the seabed, resulting in the abrasion of habitat features and bycatch of benthic species such as corals and sponges.

Seine nets caught 11% of cod in 2020. This gear can have habitat impacts, although to a lesser extent than trawling. Bycatch of vulnerable sharks and rays has been reported for seine nets in the area.

Trawling is also associated with discarding of unwanted fish, i.e. undersized and/or non-quota and/or over-quota species. However, Celtic Sea cod is not targeted, but is caught as bycatch itself by the haddock fishery. Therefore, bycatch of other non-vulnerable species is not scored.

Trawl gears in the Celtic Seas have been observed to have a high bycatch of elasmobranchs, including vulnerable species. However, there is a lack of information regarding catch rates and there is low observer coverage. Therefore it is difficult to fully understand the impact of the fishery on ETP species.

The main mitigation measures are Marine Protected Areas, some of which are designated for benthic features. If those MPAs were found to be subjected to bottom trawling, we would consider it a default red rating unless there is evidence (e.g. environmental impact assessment) indicating the activity does not damage the integrity of the site.