December 10, 2025
For Cod’s Sake: A Fishery on the Brink and How We Can Save It
BY: Natalie Pramuk
Topics: Sustainable Fishing
Despite clear warnings from scientists, policymakers have once again agreed catch limits for cod that exceed sustainable levels. In the recently signed agreement between the UK, EU and Norway, catch limits for the UK’s largest cod stock have been set over 10,000 tonnes above scientific advice – another nail in the coffin for a staple of British seas, unless action is taken soon.
Each year, the UK meets with other nations to decide the direction of fishing for the coming year – how much fish we catch, when, where, and how. These negotiations set catch limits for over one hundred fish stocks, shaping the future of our seas. They are, in theory, informed by independent scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), which assesses the health of fish populations and overfishing pressures.
But listening to the science is a choice and decision-makers have yet again chosen not to.
A stock at stake
Northern Shelf cod makes up most of the UK’s cod population – spanning much of north-west Europe, from the North Sea and eastern English Channel to western Scottish waters and down the Norwegian coast. It is made up of three interconnected groups, or sub-stocks: Southern, Viking and Northwestern.
Northern Shelf Cod is under enormous pressure from overfishing, with fish being caught faster than the population can replenish them. Over time, overexploitation of cod has led to dramatic population decline, leading us to this crisis state.
The southern sub-stock (in green on the map) paints a bleak picture. Since 2017, it has remained below the critical threshold at which it can maintain its population size. In fact, this sub-stock is so far below this threshold that we estimate that more than 407,000 adult cod would be needed to lift the sub-stock out of this crisis-zone: their absence clear evidence of overfishing. Cod in the Celtic and Irish Seas are even more depleted.
When a stock falls below this limit, the risk of collapse rises sharply, requiring governments to introduce urgent measures to protect it from overfishing. This, again, is a choice.
To protect this fishery, ICES advised that no cod from any of the three Northern Shelf sub-stocks should be caught in 2026, given that the three stocks mix together for most of the year. Had governments followed this advice, this vital cod population would have had its best chance to recover after almost a decade of overexploitation.
But this week, the UK, EU, and Norway failed to secure a zero-catch agreement, instead opting to catch 14,034 tonnes in 2026 – a serious risk.
A race to the bottom
This failure is not an isolated incident. For years, international fisheries negotiations have prioritised short-term catches over long-term sustainability. The result? As of 2024, a quarter of UK fish stocks were being overexploited, with 27% having critically low population sizes.
The fish in our seas belong to all of us – we know that thriving oceans underpin prosperous coastal livelihoods, flourishing wildlife, and resilience to the climate crisis. Yet year after year, opportunities to rebuild wild fish populations are swept aside, locking our seas into a cycle of decline.
Fishing negotiations should be driving a transition to sustainable fisheries management, committing to efforts that restore wild fish populations, support fishers and rebuild the resilience of our seas. Instead, governments continue to delay, disregard scientific advice and gamble with the future of our oceans.
It doesn’t have to be this way
Recovery is still possible – but only if governments choose a different path.
Ministers must commit to rebuilding fish populations, not just rubber-stamping their decline. That starts with listening to science, requesting robust recovery advice, and ensuring international agreements prioritise long-term ocean health over short-term political convenience. Any quota that does come to the UK for cod should also be distributed with clear conditions to catch it sustainably, not damage marine life further.
Every year of delay pushes cod and the communities that depend on healthy seas closer to the brink. A better future is within reach: thriving oceans, resilient fish stocks and sustainable fisheries that work for people and nature. But this requires the government to be bold, reject the status-quo, and embrace the science.
And at the heart of it, we don’t want to see this species disappear from our seas. Do it for sustainable fisheries, but also just do it for Cod’s sake.
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