Cod from the North Sea could be back on British dinner tables by next year.
It is believed North Sea cod could be deemed “sustainable” by then and could be certified for the first time by the Marine Stewardship Council blue label.
Decades of overfishing saw a peak of 270,000 tonnes of mature cod in the 1970s reduced to just 44,000 tonnes in 2006.
Last year, nearly 149,000 tonnes were recorded with conservationists saying the level should reach 165,000 tonnes for sustainable fishing.
Consumers have been reluctant to buy cod, but if it gets a blue label it is likely to push up demand as well as prices.
Fishing quotas are managed by the EU. If demand for North Sea cod rises, the price will go up because the need to maintain a sustainable level in fishing means only so many fish can be caught.
To qualify for MSC status, the environmental impact, management and stock levels must all be shown to be sustainable.
But the environmental impact and management are expected to pass the test because they are the same as those for haddock, which has already been certified. The certification is therefore expected to hinge on stock levels.
North Sea cod has already been removed from a list of fish to be avoided by the Marine Conservation Society which warned it should still be consumed “very occasionally”.
The society will reassess its position when fresh stock figures are available.
