Atlantic cod

A number of Atlantic cod fisheries have been MSC-certifiedMSC Certified:
Fisheries that comply with the Marine Stewardship Council assessment criteria and are certified. Fish products with the blue MSC label are caught by sustainable fisheries. since 2010. Other fish caught in these fisheries are MSC-certified haddock and pollock. Cod can be caught with a variety of gear, including: bottom trawl, gillnets, longline, fishing rods and Danish seines.

The cod fishery is of economic importance mainly to the Danes, Norwegians and Russians. Much of the cod that is sold in the Netherlands comes from the Barents Sea, Skagerrak or Icelandic waters. Since 2017, a large part of the cod catch from the North Sea was MSC-certifiedMSC Certified:
Fisheries that comply with the Marine Stewardship Council assessment criteria and are certified. Fish products with the blue MSC label are caught by sustainable fisheries.. In 2019 this certificate was withdrawn because the North Sea stock collapsed.

Skrei

When cod migrates to Norwegian coastal waters from January to April to reproduce, it is referred to as “Skrei”. This name comes from an old Norse word that means migrate. The meat is lean because of the energy the fish used for reproduction.

The status of the Atlantic cod in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean is severely concerning. The different cod stockStock:
The fish of a particular species reproducing in the same area in the same period. s have decreased since 2006. In the following years the stocks have fluctuated and has gotten lately to an all-time low. This is mainly due to the high fishing pressureFishing pressure:
Fishing pressure is a result of the fishing effort/amount of fishing on a stock, which determines the fishing mortality. Fishing mortality is the share of the fish stock that dies annually as a result of fishing. on the species. Atlantic cod is vulnerable to overfishing because they mature late and spawn in schools.

The capture methods used vary. These include [demersal-otter-trawls], gillnetsGillnets:
A fishing technique whereby passing fish get caught in the meshes with their gills. The net stands vertically on the bottom or hangs on buoys in the water column. The by-catch of species such as porpoises and dolphins is a problem related to gillnets., longlineLongline:
Also known as line fishing. A fishing method in which lines and hooks are used. fishing and [danish-seines]. The Atlantic cod fisheries are economically important for Denmark, Norway and Russia. A lot of cod that is being sold in the Netherlands, is caught in the Baltic Sea, around Iceland and Skagerrak.

Fish in season 

Fish is in season when the spawning period has ended, as the quality is then at its best.

The Atlantic cod stockStock:
The fish of a particular species reproducing in the same area in the same period.  near Greenland is decreasing. After a history of severe overfishing, the fishing pressureFishing pressure:
Fishing pressure is a result of the fishing effort/amount of fishing on a stock, which determines the fishing mortality. Fishing mortality is the share of the fish stock that dies annually as a result of fishing. is on a sustainable level at the moment. However, it is uncertain how this will develop in the future.

Fisheries using [demersal-otter-trawls] cause significant and irreversible damage to the seabed and the marine ecosystem. The bycatchBycatch:
Species caught next to species targeted for fishery. By-catches can consist of non-commercial species and species that are too small, and can be kept (this part is sometimes called by-product) or thrown back into the sea (discards).  rate of other species caught in this fishery is unknown, this requires more research to be done.

Fisheries in Greenland are managed by catch restrictions. The effect of the management system is partly effective, improvements need to be made.

Fish in season 

Fish is in season when the spawning period has ended, as the quality is then at its best.