US EditionFish and Chips Fears as Scientists Say 'Catch No Cod in 2026'
Scottish fishing groups warn zero cod catch advice could end fleets and criticize ICES for scientific uncertainties despite a 61% decline in southern Northern Shelf cod stocks, data shows.
- On Sep 23, 2025, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea advised a `zero catch` for Northern Shelf cod for 2026, which Mike Park, SWFPA chief executive, called `a mad proposal` warning it could devastate Scottish fleets.
- Scientific assessments say North Sea and west-of-Scotland cod have joined collapsed stocks, with Ices data showing a 37% decline in the north-western region around Scotland since 2015.
- The Shetland Fishermen’s Association rejects ICES advice and proposes keeping the 2026 TAC at 2025 levels, citing procedural delays, technical errors, and uncertainties, while warning that zero quotas would be fleet-ending madness.
- Annual political quota talks often exceed scientific advice, complicating zero-catch adoption as fishing businesses warn UK, EU and Norwegian governments that tying up vessels for a year risks ruin.
- Attention is now turning to mackerel, with ICES advice due later this month and conservation campaigners urging countries to follow science as recovery could take decades.
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Fish and chips fears as scientists say 'catch no cod in 2026'
North Sea cod in 'grave danger of collapse' International Council for Exploration of the Sea said
Cod stocks collapse sparks fears for future of Milford Haven fishing
COD stocks across northern European waters are in such steep decline that scientists have called for a “zero catch” quota in 2026. The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has warned that North Sea cod numbers have fallen by more than 60% in the past decade, while other areas around Scotland and Norway show similar declines. The advice means no cod should be taken if the species is to recover. Not much cod left in Milford …
Sheltland fishers reject zero cod quota - Scottish Business News
Shetland Fishermen’s Association (SFA) has proposed maintaining the 2026 Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for Northern Shelf cod at 2025 levels, in response to ongoing uncertainties in assessments of the stock. Advice published yesterday by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) proposes an outrageous ‘zero catch’ for cod quotas next year, but has been marred by procedural delays, technical errors and scientific uncertainties…
SWFPA Slams ICES Over ‘Mad’ Zero Cod Catch Advice - Scottish Fishing Industry - The Fishing Daily - Irish, UK and European Fishing Industry News
SWFPA chief Mike Park condemns ICES zero cod catch advice as “mad”, warning it could devastate Scottish fleets The Scottish White Fish Producers’ Association (SWFPA) has issued a sharp rebuke to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) following its latest recommendation for a zero catch of Northern Shelf cod in 2026. Mike Park, chief executive of the SWFPA, described …
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