Fishermen fear conflict at sea as cod ban takes effect

They are concerned the infiltration by large trawlers will lead to possible conflict with British fishermen and have severe long-term effects on already depleted fishing stocks.

The mayday call from the region's fishermen comes in the wake of an emergency ban on cod fishing in parts of the North Sea.

The ban announced by Brussels is a drastic attempt to prevent the complete collapse of threatened fish stocks.

Emergency powers, which take effect for 12 weeks from February 14 in spawning areas off Scotland, Norway, Denmark and Holland, come on top of swingeing cuts in cod quotas.

Richard Brewer, director of the Anglo-Scottish Fish Producers Association at Whitby, said he did not object to the moratorium in the spawning areas if it meant preserving the industry.

But he said the knock-on effects would have serious consequences on the estimated 300 trawlermen in the region, who already feared for their livelihoods.

He said: "The ban will not affect us directly, as boats from this region do not venture out to the areas affected by the ban.

"But trawlermen from countries like Denmark, Norway and Holland are going to be under pressure to fish elsewhere.

"It will mean that the boats that work that area are going to be working our coast while the ban is in force. This will put tremendous pressure on the existing stocks in our waters.

"And while 12 weeks may not seem like a long period the damage that could be done in that time could have serious long-term effects on stocks in our waters."

Scientists have said the ability of the cod species to reproduce is under threat.

The spawning stock of North Sea cod is estimated at about 60,000 tonnes, while the desired level is put at 150,000 tonnes.

The crisis in North Sea cod fishing has been apparent for years and supplies have been so short fishermen have been unable to land their permitted quotas. In December, EU fisheries ministers agreed to a quota reduction of about 40 per cent