MSC has suspended its certification of the Eastern Baltic cod fisheries after assessments found that fishing activities may not be sustainable. All cod caught in the fishery after 17 December 2015 is now uncertified.
The suspension was explained as “the 2015 benchmark stock assessment provided no advice on stock status or reference points, and is not robust or appropriate for a harvest control rule. ICES advice shows that the stock has over recent years decreased, whilst the TAC adopted for 2016 is slightly higher than the TAC recommended by ICES.”
Eastern Baltic cod has been in a deteriorated condition for at least eighteen months. In May 2014, ICES classified the stock as data-limited. The cod have become skinnier in recent years and are characterised by poor growth. Moreover, environmental conditions and food availability have become worse.
The suspension will likely cause problems for the industry throughout the supply chain. Contracts between fishermen, POs, supermarkets, processors may specify a certain volume of certified cod, which cannot now be supplied. Other cod stocks are still certified by MSC, as well as the Western Baltic spring spawning herring in the Baltic.