British fish and chips on the brink of extinction unless 1 drastic measure is taken

Fish and chips could become a thing of the past unless drastic action is taken. British fishermen have depleted cod populations around the UK.

Scientific advisors have recommended a new 'rationing' plan for fishermen to reduce the number of cod they harvest and implement bans across fishing waters. This would allow the cod population to increase. The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has said that only 11 tons of cod should be caught in UK waters in 2026. This would be just 55,000 portions of fish and chips, or one serving per 1,200 people. The Copenhagen-based organisation provides independent guidance to the Government regarding sustainable fishing levels. It has been declared that cod numbers are critically low across much of the UK's fishing waters. The only area exempt from bans would be near Rockall in the northern Atlantic, where an 11-ton minimum has been suggested.

Included in ICES no-fishing recommendations for the first time are the eastern English Channel, the North Sea, and the western Scottish Waters.

Restrictions on the Celtic and Irish seas will remain in place. Last year's guidance recommended that fishermen catch 15,000 tons. Despite this, fishermen were permitted to catch 25,000 tons.

Only 46% of restrictions in Britain and its neighbouring countries aligned with ICES guidance last year. Cod numbers in Scottish waters have gone down by 92% since 1981. In the Celtic Sea, they've gone down by 89% since 1968.

Jonny Hughes from the Blue Marine Foundation told The Times: "This isn't scientists being unreasonable. This is the inevitable result of collapsing fish stocks.

"If you're Tesco, you get your cod from Iceland because you need a big, healthy supply, and the British fishing industry can no longer supply that."

"They [the fishing industry] could supply supermarkets if they allowed the cod to recover, but for reasons I will never understand, they appear hell-bent on preventing the recovery of their own profit margin."

Hugo Tagholm of Oceana UK cautioned: "No one wins if we continue to empty our seas. Stock after stock will follow cod, and once collapsed, these populations could take decades to recover. Act now, and we can restore our seas to thriving health. We need a clear strategy to end overfishing once and for all."

The Marine Conservation Society suggests that consumers consider hake, turbot, or haddock as sustainable alternatives to cod at fish and chip shops.