Fried Fish

Dwindling Cod Supply Casts Doubt on the Future of Fish and Chips

Endangered.
Endangered. Photo: Shutterstock

Stock is dropping within the world’s largest cod fishery, and out of precaution, the total allowable catch for next year has just “been cut slightly from 1 million tonnes to 993,000 tonnes,” a move that signifies the price of fish in restaurants is about to increase, Fish2Fork reports. Breeding levels have decreased, leading to a smaller supply of fish in Russian and Norwegian waters, and a scientist tells the site that numbers could drop “as much as 25 per cent over the next two or three years.” The price of haddock, which is also used in fish-and-chip shops, has already increased, causing some proprietors to cut the menu item. Some argue that such changes are the result of natural fluctuations rather than overfishing, but in any event, it’s probably best to hit the local chippy while it’s still dealing in fillets. [Fish2Fork]

Dwindling Cod Supply Casts Doubt on the Future of Fish and Chips