Close
SIGN THE PETITION
The UK Government keeps ignoring the science and allowing fishing of already overfished cod populations around the UK. Now, four out of our five UK cod stocks are at risk of collapsing. The West of Scotland cod population has already declined by 92% since 1981 and cod off the south coast of Ireland is down by 89% since 1968.
Blue Marine is launching a campaign to call on the UK Government to address the decline of Atlantic cod in British waters.
We are asking the British public to sign a petition urging the Government to better manage near-collapsed cod populations around the British Isles and set sustainable catch limits which will allow stocks to recover.
Join us and sign the petition to #BringBackBritishCod: https://bit.ly/bringbackbritishcod
Why must we #BringBackBritishCod?
We need to bring back cod for the health of our UK seas, our fishers, our coastal communities, our businesses and our economy. Cod is one of the larger fish that inhabit British waters, and they fulfil a critical role in the UK’s marine food chain. In 2020, by weight, cod was the fifth most landed species in the UK and the third most valuable. Cod fisheries support the livelihoods of many UK fishermen, especially those in coastal communities. Cod is also the most popular seafood species in food service in the UK and it is rated as the second most popular British dish by the public. We need healthy cod numbers in our waters to support commercial businesses particularly those in hospitality and the food sector that depend on cod.
Charles Clover, executive director of Blue Marine, launches the #BringBackBritishCod campaign, as he appeared at Edinburgh International Book Festival to talk about his latest book, Rewilding the Sea: How to Save Our Oceans.
Charles said: “Rewilding is only possible if there is enough biodiversity or habitat to regenerate naturally, and, simply put, time is running out for British cod. The Government cannot feign surprise when presented with these irrefutable facts – for every decade the science has been ignored, the stock population has plummeted – and we are now at risk losing one of the nation’s most iconic fish from our waters. We urgently need a cod recovery plan that must first address unsustainable catches.”
Finlay Pringle, a 14-year-old Scottish environmental campaigner agrees. He said: “We must reduce overfishing and create more No Take Zones in our seas to give marine species time and space to recover. It will be my generation that will suffer if we continue to allow ocean resources to be over-exploited. We are an ocean planet. All life exists because of the ocean. If the ocean dies then we die – so we must act now.”
REGISTER YOUR SUPPORT
British cod needs you! Sign the petition, to join our movement and share this page widely to make British citizens aware of the decline of cod and help us put pressure on the UK Government to address the cod crisis in our waters!
#BringBackBritishCod
Please copy and share the petition: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/618769
