Whitefish stocks hit historic lows in EU

Cod stocks have sunk to historic lows and are near commercial extinction in many European Union waters despite deep cuts in the fishing fleet and catch quotas, scientific evidence released in Brussels today showed.

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea said cod stocks in three key areas – including the Irish Sea “are at such low levels that we have to resort to recommending zero catches as a final line in the sand”.