12 April 2012
Cod fishing must be banned to prevent the species from dying out in the North Sea, it is reported.
Scientists say a complete ban must be introduced throughout next year as other measures have failed, according to The Times.
The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, the official committee of European fisheries experts, will tell the Government on Friday that stocks of cod in the seas around the UK are still very depleted.
This is despite a European Union recovery plan for cod adopted in 2004 which limited catches and the amount of time boats can spend at sea, the committee will say.
