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North Sea cod back on the menu, marine body says North Sea cod back on the menu, marine body says
(about 1 hour later)
North Sea cod has been taken off the Marine Conservation Society's (MCS) list of fish to avoid eating.North Sea cod has been taken off the Marine Conservation Society's (MCS) list of fish to avoid eating.
The UK charity had previously said cod should not be eaten because stocks were only slightly above sustainable levels.The UK charity had previously said cod should not be eaten because stocks were only slightly above sustainable levels.
It now says cod can be eaten as an occasional treat - perhaps once a week - and has removed it from its red list of endangered fish. But it says it can now be eaten as an occasional treat following a recovery in numbers and having been removed from its red list of endangered fish.
The new guidance follows a recovery in North Sea cod numbers and a planned increase in the EU quotas for the fish. Samuel Stone, from MCS, said the announcement was a "milestone", but work in the area was "not done yet".
But the MCS warned that nine other stocks of cod remained on its list and said more work was needed to improve their numbers. The MCS warned that nine other stocks of cod remained on its endangered list and said cod may never fully recover to their peak numbers of the 1970s and early 1980s.
And it said cod may never fully recover to their peak numbers of the 1970s and early 1980s. Those nine endangered stocks now need "some of the attention that North Sea cod has had", the MCS added.
What cod remains at risk?
'Years of sacrifice''Years of sacrifice'
North Sea cod numbers collapsed during the 1980s through a combination of sustained overfishing and changes to the environment.North Sea cod numbers collapsed during the 1980s through a combination of sustained overfishing and changes to the environment.
But the MCS has upgraded the fishery from red to amber, which means it is showing signs of improvement.But the MCS has upgraded the fishery from red to amber, which means it is showing signs of improvement.
It said strict limits on catch sizes over the past 10 years were helping numbers to recover and said it could now be eaten about once a week as a treat. It said strict limits on catch sizes over the past 10 years were helping numbers to recover and North Sea cod could now be eaten about once a week as a treat.
MCS fisheries officer Samuel Stone said: "It's fantastic to see this fishery finally off the red list. Mr Stone said it was "fantastic to see this fishery finally off the red list".
"Years of sacrifice and a lot of hard work have led to population increases above dangerously low levels. "Years of sacrifice and a lot of hard work have led to population increases above dangerously low levels," he said.
"Whilst this certainly is a milestone for North Sea cod, the job is not done yet. "Whilst this certainly is a milestone for North Sea cod, the job is not done yet. Efforts of recent years need to continue in order for the fishery to head towards the green end of the spectrum."
"Efforts of recent years need to continue in order for the fishery to head towards the green end of the spectrum." Mr Stone said the fish needed to increase above precautionary levels and fishing levels need to be reduced to a level where fish stocks will not be depleted.
Mr Stone said the fish needed to increase above precautionary levels.
'Important role''Important role'
Fishing levels also need to be reduced to a level where fish stocks will not be depleted. Don Tyler, a fish merchant at Billingsgate Fish Market, said customers would feel the benefits from the announcement.
Currently all cod stocks in UK waters are being fished in excess of this level, which is required by law by 2020 at the latest, Mr Stone said. He said cod sold in the UK had been coming from the Atlantic in the last few years but - following a meeting with Scottish fisherman this week - North Sea cod would soon make a return.
He also said greater efforts were needed to restore the nine cod stocks in the north east Atlantic that remain on its red list. "The trade will win and the British public will win, because they will get a better product at a more reasonable price," he added.
Cod stocks still on the red list:
"These nine cod stocks now need some of the attention that North Sea cod has had over the last decade in order to turn things around," Mr Stone added.
"Whilst these stocks are far smaller than the North Sea stock, they still play a very important role in the local marine ecosystem and greater efforts are needed to recover these stocks."