News

New ICES Cod Advice Highlights Flaws in the System

29 September 2025

New advice from ICES for a zero TAC in the iconic North Sea cod fishery is bound to capture headlines, […]

Ocean with David Attenborough: A Challenge

9 May 2025

The new film narrated by Sir David Attenborough has some important things to say, but some equally important things should be added to it.

New Fisheries Science Forum

11 January 2023

The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO) have joined together to create a new industry/science forum.

Developments within ICES

24 June 2022

The annual meeting between ICES and fisheries stakeholders (MIACO) was held recently in Copenhagen, with many joining the event online, including the NFFO.

PRESS RELEASE: Collaborative Fisheries Research

6 January 2022

The newly formed Fisheries Industry Science Partnership (FISP) Network, led by the Fishmongers' Company's Fisheries Charitable Trust, Fishing into the Future and the Fishing Animateurs, is encouraging the fishing industry to come forward with their ideas for scientific studies that address issues with data deficient fisheries and develop industry ideas that support the science used in decision-making in the UK.

High Profile Science Debunked: Trawling Carbon Impacts and MPA Benefits for Fisheries Food Production

10 December 2021

Major findings from two high profile scientific papers published in 2020 and 2021 on marine protected areas, fisheries food production and trawling carbon emissions generated by sediment disturbance have been comprehensively debunked.

Hilborn Eviscerates Flawed Report

22 November 2021

U.S fisheries scientist, Ray Hilborn has again applied his forensic approach to the latest “research” alleging global overfishing. We will let the man speak in his own words:

From Fisheries Science to Fake News

26 February 2021

Media coverage of the fishing industry carries its share of overexcited catastrophe narratives.

Fisheries science data collection programme calls on industry for support

19 November 2020

Volunteer skippers fishing out of England and Wales are needed to contribute to fisheries data usually collected by scientific observers. Current Covid-19 restrictions mean that Cefas fisheries observers are not able to board commercial fishing vessels to go to sea. This partnership with industry will build on pilots commencing this month with the Northeast trawl fleet, Southeast netter fleet and Southwest beamer fleet.

Important milestone in the use of fishermen’s information

17 October 2019

A report, recently published by ICES, marks an important milestone in the incorporation of information generated by the fishing industry itself into the stock assessment process. The report follows an important meeting of scientists and industry representatives earlier in the year, in Copenhagen, during which industry representatives described the many forms that industry/science partnerships are already taking and could take in the future.

North Sea Cod – Disappointment

1 July 2019

Disappointment is almost inadequate as a term to describe the news that once again the iconic North Sea cod stock is in trouble. After a decade and a half in which the stock has been slowly but steadily increasing, the biomass is again in steep decline.