Proposed Atlantic (Rockall) Cod Fisheries Management Plan
The Atlantic (Rockall) cod FMP is one of 43 UK FMPs set out in the Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS). It sets out the policies and actions to manage the fish stock at sustainable levels, to improve the scientific evidence underpinning the stock and to improve management with other Coastal States.
Background
Stock
The prevailing view is that cod at Rockall is considered to be a distinct biological stock, not linked to neighbouring stocks. It should be noted that because of the lack of data on Rockall cod, the information we are able to provide in the FMP is of limited nature.
Location
The biological stock is found in ICES area 6.b (Rockall, North East Atlantic). For management purposes, there is one TAC area, denoted by COD/5W6-14. This includes UK, EU and international waters of ICES areas 6.b, 5.b west of 12°00' W, 12 and 14. The TAC is intended exclusively for by-catches, and no directed fisheries for cod are permitted under this TAC.
Figures 1 and 2 show the location of the ICES area, along with the known distribution of the cod stock within area 6.b, according to the latest available survey data.
Fishery
The fishery for Rockall cod began with a Shetland handline fleet in 1805, and developed further with the implementation of steam trawling in the mid-1850s, for which the main target at Rockall was cod.[4] However, more recently the importance of the commercial cod fishery has declined, and cod is now only caught as a bycatch of the trawl fisheries for haddock, anglerfish and squid. Consequently, when compared with many offshore commercial species, Rockall cod is a stock with a relatively limited amount of scientific knowledge, and (partly because of this) has seen substantial decreases in scientific advice for TACs in recent years.
The highest tonnage of cod at Rockall caught since 2015 is only just exceeding fifty tonnes, although this is understandable given that it operates under a bycatch only TAC, which is limited in size, and is not part of a targeted fishery. It is caught almost exclusively by demersal – targeting vessels.
Analysis was undertaken of the UK fishing fleet catching Rockall cod in UK waters. All Rockall cod caught between 2015-2022 were caught within ICES area 6.b, although further breakdown of the division on catch between 6.b.1 and 6.b.2 is unavailable. Between 2015 – 2022, the UK fleet landed, on average, 70% of the Rockall cod caught in area 6.b, with Scottish-registered vessels accounting for almost 100% of the tonnage landed. The EU fleet accounted for an average of 20% of the catch for the same period, almost all of which is attributable to Ireland. Norway accounted for, on average, the remaining 10% of the catch between 2015 – 2022, although their share has recently diminished and they recorded zero tonnes caught in 2021 and 2022.
Analysis of UK fisheries data shows that, between 2015-2022, trawls accounted for 95% of Rockall cod caught in area 6.b, with the rest made up predominantly by gill nets and entangling nets.
Table – Rockall cod caught by gear type used, for the UK fleet and non-UK fleet landing into the UK
| Gear Type | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trawls | 99% | 89% | 95% | 91% | 96% | 100% | 90% | 96% |
| Gill nets and entangling nets | 1% | 11% | 3% | 6% | 2% | 0% | 2% | 4% |
| Other | 0% | 0% | 2% | 3% | 2% | 0% | 8% | 0% |
Further analysis of the UK fisheries data using Seafish fleet segmentation[5] shows that Rockall cod is predominantly caught by the North Sea and West of Scotland (NSWOS) demersal over 24m fleet, which caught 78% of the Rockall cod tonnage landed between 2015-2022. The NSWOS demersal under 24m over 300kW fleet accounted for 13%, with the remaining catch split between gill netters and the NSWOS demersal seine fleets. Given the large distance required to travel to grounds, it is not surprising that larger vessels see most of the catch.
The average price per tonne (PPT) of Rockall cod has been steadily increasing, from around £2,000 in 2015 to £3,700 in 2022. The landed value of the species followed a similar trend, increasing from £35,000 in 2015 to £155,000 in 2019, before dropping off in 2020 and 2021, due to substantial dips in the tonnage caught. 2022 saw the landed value surpass the high in 2019, totalling nearly £200,000. This is due to a return to pre-pandemic levels of tonnage landed combined with a period-high price per tonne.
On average, 99% of Rockall cod caught were landed into the UK between 2015 - 2022, with only 1% landed outwith the UK. The largest foreign destination for Rockall cod landings is Spain, which landed an average of 1% of the total catch between 2015 – 2022, although it accounted for 4% of landings in 2022. Within the UK, the main landing district for the species is Ullapool, which landed an average of 68% of all Rockall cod tonnage between 2015 – 2022. Ullapool landed an even greater proportion of the catch in 2022, accounting for 89% of all Rockall cod caught for the year. Wick accounted for 12% of the Rockall cod tonnage landed between 2015-2022, although this figure dropped to 3% in 2022. The rest of the catch is split between other districts within the North of Scotland, mainly Mallaig and Peterhead.
Despite commanding a high price, Rockall cod does not represent a notable species for any of the fleets that catch it, or the ports that land it, due to the relatively small tonnages involved. Despite catching most of the tonnage landed, the species represents less than 1% of the NSWOS demersal over 24m’s total tonnage and landed value. This was also the case for all other fleets that caught the species, evidencing that no fleet is reliant on the species.
The same is true for the ports into which Rockall cod lands. Ullapool sees the largest share of Rockall cod, landing 71% of Rockall cod’s total landed value, yet attributes less than 1% of the port’s total landed value to the species. Scrabster lands around 10% of the Rockall cod landed value in the same period, but also attributed less than 1% of their total port landed value to the species.
As the Rockall cod fishery represents a very small proportion of the tonnage and landed value for the fleets and ports involved in catching it, it is unlikely that the species has any significant impact on their associated employment trends.
It is also relevant to consider the value of the Rockall haddock stock, which is subject to a separate FMP, and which is a commercially important species within UK waters, with a relatively stable landed value of around £6 million over the years. As Rockall cod and Rockall haddock are often caught together as part of a mixed fishery, and are difficult to separate out, management of Rockall cod needs to take account of the impact any management measures may have on the overall Rockall haddock fishery. This is explored in more detail under the ‘Fisheries Management’ section.
Contact
Email: FMPs@gov.scot