Disappearing cod - A resource squandered

THOUGH the perilous plight of the cod will not tug at the heart strings as vividly as polar bears starving because the ice fields are shrinking or the bloody corpse of a whale on the deck of a Japanese “research” vessel it is nonetheless confirmation that the our impact on the world around us is far too negative.

Because cod stocks are at an all-time low the traditional meal of cod and chips might become a thing of the past. This is little consolation to fishermen facing the sternest set of cuts yet imposed by the EU as they are already struggling to stay afloat.

What is evident though is that we need a completely new way of looking at how we manage our marine resources. Fishermen are being bankrupt, stocks are being decimated, technology is dominant and a great food resource is being squandered. We owe it to the future to be more imaginative and responsible.