Our campaign #BringBackBritishCod supported a parliamentary petition urging the UK government to negotiate sustainable catch limits for UK cod stocks at the 2022 EU/UK fish negotiations – limits that would allow UK cod populations to recover.
The UK government has consistently ignored the science and allowed fishing of already overfished cod populations around the UK. Now, four out of our five UK cod stocks are at risk of collapsing. The West of Scotland cod population has already declined by 92 per cent since 1981, and cod off the south coast of Ireland is down by 89 per cent since 1968.
We need to bring back cod for the health of our UK seas, our fishers, our coastal communities, our businesses and our economy. Cod is one of the larger fish that inhabit British waters, and they fulfil a critical role in the UK’s marine food chain. In 2020, by weight, cod was the fifth most landed species in the UK and the third most valuable. Cod fisheries support the livelihoods of many UK fishermen, especially those in coastal communities.
It is also the most popular seafood species in food service in the UK, and is rated the second most popular British dish by the public. We need healthy numbers in our waters to support commercial businesses particularly those in hospitality and the food sector that depend on the fish.
The campaign ran in the lead-up to December negotiations. As well as engaging influencers and ambassadors, it was supported by a paid and organic social media campaign, seen more than 5.8 million times. British actor Jude Law narrated a #BringBackBritishCod film, which was seen more than 2.8 million times. Blue Media put its powerful press contacts to use, with a leading OpEd in the Guardian and supporting stories placed in the Financial Times and The Independent.
The petition gained more than 10,600 signatures, surpassing the amount required for a government response. In that response, the Conservative government admitted that – despite its intention in annual negotiations with Norway and the EU being to set catch limits within sustainable numbers – scientific advice was exceeded in more than half the limits set for 2023. This set the ground for an intervention on the matter by our Blue Legal unit.
