Farmed Cod at Tescos

[wurzel]

Hello Norm B,

 

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Hi Wurzel, I believe the grand banks were fished to almost extinction

 

Like most of the world, you believe wrong.

 

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Look at the North Sea herring, that's proof enough.

 

I don't think it proves any thing.

[seaside]

Hello Norm B,

 

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Hi Wurzel, I believe the grand banks were fished to almost extinction

 

Like most of the world, you believe wrong.

 

............

 

"If John Cabot were alive today, he would not recognize Georges Bank. Instead of a sea swarming with majestic cod, he would find dogfish. Instead of flounder, he would find skates. Instead of a fishermen's dream, he would find a nightmare". US Congressman Gerry Studds 1991

 

The guys at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center have a rather nice document at

http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/history/stories/...h/grndfsh1.html

which is worthy of a read if one wishes to get a good read on the GB fishery.

 

I think it rather telling that once environmental groups sued the US federal government, claiming that the Commerce Department didn't enforce its own rules mandating that overfishing of resources should not be allowed to occur the Department set in motion sweeping new management plans intended not only to control fishing effort, but also to rebuild groundfish stocks.

 

Perhaps it will take legal action here to achieve, if nothing else, the ostriches take their heads out of the sand and at leat, recognise the issue, but of course, in an ideal world, this would be an absolute no-brainer.

[wurzel]

Hello Seaside

 

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If John Cabot were alive today, he would not recognize Georges Bank. Instead of a sea swarming with majestic cod, he would find dogfish. Instead of flounder, he would find skates. Instead of a fishermen's dream, he would find a nightmare". US Congressman Gerry Studds 1991

 

 

So how come a freind of mine working on a Portugueise fishing boat during 94 95 saw plenty of cod in catches from the Georges Bank and the Flemish Cap area of the Grand Banks.

 

I have no doubt that stocks were hit hard but I am sure the hole issue was over dramatised, as is the state of North Sea stocks.

[seaside]

Hello Seaside

 

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If John Cabot were alive today, he would not recognize Georges Bank. Instead of a sea swarming with majestic cod, he would find dogfish. Instead of flounder, he would find skates. Instead of a fishermen's dream, he would find a nightmare". US Congressman Gerry Studds 1991

So how come a freind of mine working on a Portugueise fishing boat during 94 95 saw plenty of cod in catches from the Georges Bank and the Flemish Cap area of the Grand Banks.

 

I have no doubt that stocks were hit hard but I am sure the hole issue was over dramatised, as is the state of North Sea stocks.

 

Extracts from a paper by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador

 

The Banks have been continuously fished since that time by fleets from England, France, Spain, Portugal and later Newfoundland, Canada and the United States.

 

The number of nations participating in the Grand Banks fishery continued to rise through the 1950s and 1960s, and it soon became evident that more stringent fisheries conservation measures were necessary. By 1977, Canada had declared a 200-mile exclusive economic zone and imposed strict controls on fishing inside this zone.

 

About 10 percent of the Grand Banks, known as the Nose and Tail, were beyond Canada's 200-mile limit. In 1979 the conservation of the northwest Atlantic fish stocks outside the 200-mile limit became the responsibility of The Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO).

 

Despite the conservation measures in place for the fisheries on the Grand Banks, several species declined drastically through overfishing.

 

By 1995, all major cod and flounder fisheries on the Grand Banks were closed.

 

So I guess your mate got there just before the shop shut.

[Leon Roskilly]

In some places there are good cod populations, but they are very localised.

 

They have been included in the fishing ban, with the expectation that these cod would spread out and re-populate the overfished areas.

 

But it now appears that these are sub stocks, existing in localised places, and seemingly with no intention of moving out to colonise othe areas.

 

That is a source of contention to local fishermen who have good stocks on their doorstep, localised to a particular bay perhaps, but are not allowed to fish them becoause of the overall ban.

Edited April 15, 2006 by Leon Roskilly

[wurzel]

Hello Seaside

 

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So I guess your mate got there just before the shop shut.

 

Pahaps, but there was still plenty of cod.

 

Hello Leon

 

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In some places there are good cod populations, but they are very localised.

 

Sounds like the North Sea. but every now and again when conditions allow they have exeptional breeding years and spread into other areas or over flow those localised areas, I have not seen any proof that fishing effort has much to do with it.

 

I was told by a fishery scientist recently that it is rare to find a cod more than 10 years old, this was after a cod of about 15lb had hit the deck and I asked him how old it was, about 4 years old was his reply.

so it don't take a lot of working out that if they don't have a good spawning year for 10 years, as is the case of the cod in this area, you won't have many cod, whether you fish for them or not.

[sam-cox]

What has always bothered me is that as I know what fresh fish look like I know that most fish in super markets is crap! so I know what fresh fish looks like but I know nothing about other products, so how good is their meat ect?

[glennk]

All the more reason to shop locally. Check out the local butchers instead.