A PLANNED surge in
Atlantic cod farming will help offset a plunge in wild
stocks from Canada to Norway, the world's top producer
of farmed salmon said yesterday.
Nutreco, the Dutch food group,
forecast that farmed output of North Atlantic cod could
rise to 600,000-700,000 tonnes by 2015, slightly less
than current consumption of wild cod, from almost zero
in 2002.
Nutreco is the biggest producer of
farmed Atlantic salmon, accounting for about 18% of
total world output of about one million tonnes.
Reid Hole, Nutreco's director of food
safety, said the group aimed to produce about 100,000
tonnes of farmed cod in Norway by 2010 and would start
in 2004 with about 3000 tonnes. Other fish like haddock
could be candidates for farms, he said.
Cod stocks are at the lowest levels
ever recorded in some parts of the north Atlantic, and
last month European Union fisheries ministers agreed
swingeing cuts in North Sea quotas, angering fishermen
who fear bankruptcy.
Scotland's Cod Crusaders - three
campaigning wives of fishermen who fear their husband's
jobs will be among 40,000 lost because of EU cutbacks -
yesterday called for the branding of freshly-caught
North Sea fish to highlight its quality, as is done with
Scotch beef.
The women called on the Scottish
Executive to back their idea, allowing shoppers to
support Scots fishermen.
