Experts believe the cod fishing reduction has improved the fishery's prospects. (Photo: O. Hjellestad)

Cod stocks slowly recovering

ICELAND
Wednesday, November 25, 2009, 01:20 (GMT + 9)

The Icelandic Marine Research Institute’s (IMRI) recommendations to restrict the cod fishing quota by one-third in 2007 were successful, said institute director Jóhann Sigurdsson. IMRI has just released the final report on its autumn 2008 fishery research mission.

Scientists found that last year’s cod stock might have been the highest long-term average since 1955. That year, cod consumption increased considerably as fishing technology took off.

“We definitely believe the reduction is delivering results,” Sigurdsson stated. “Now we just have to continue on the same path and then we will reap as we have sown.”

IMRI’s latest findings on the cod stock status are optimistic: its overall index was found to be slightly higher than last year’s. The controversial quota cut of 2007 is said to be the reason why the 2008 index was the highest since the annual research trips to measure the size of the cod stock started in autumn 1996, Iceland Review reports.

Although the first indicators for this year’s study thus far show levels below the long-term average from 1955, the figures remain higher than those of 1996.

Moreover, the cod stock shows that the amount of fish longer than 70 cm is higher this year than in 2008, when fish that long had not been observed in such large quantities since cod measuring first began. The numbers of longer fish are also higher compared to the 1985-2009 average.

Cod weight was also found to be above average in all age groups compared to findings in 2007. Average weight is now at or above the autumn research average from 1996-2009 for fish aged three and older.

Related articles:

- Govt institutes new cod quota policy
- Cod stock off Iceland on brink of collapse: scientists
- Cod quota increased by 30K tonnes

By Natalia Real
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com

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