WWF claims Britain's cod population threatened

July 20, 2000
Web posted at: 11:47 AM EDT (1547 GMT)

LONDON (Reuters) -- Britain's staple dinner of fish and chips was under threat on Thursday after the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said cod could become an endangered species.

The WWF said the extinction of cod in Britain's waters would put several thousand jobs at risk.

"This isn't just a threat to ocean wildlife, it's a threat to our cultural heritage," WWF campaign director Matthew Davis said in a statement.

"The commercial extinction of fish stocks could jeopardize the jobs of the 15,000 full-time and 3,500 part-time fishermen in the UK," he said.

The WWF is calling for the creation of "fishing-free zones" to enable fish stocks to regenerate.

Fisheries Minister Elliot Morley, reacting to the WWF alarm call, told BBC Radio: "Cod is not quite in the giant panda category but it is certainly under pressure.

"We do need to take urgent action in relation to cod. That is why for the first time we introduced a cod recovery program in the Irish Sea involving fishermen, scientists and fisheries managers to try and do something about falling stocks."

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