October 28, 2015

Northern Atlantic cod making a comeback

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ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- With so many stories of imminent ecological collapse, mass extinctions and dwindling biodiversity, it's nice to get a little good news now and again.

According to researchers in Canada, the once-imperiled northern Atlantic cod is making a strong comeback. The latest numbers suggest the fish species' stock is once again nearing historical averages of several hundred thousand tons.

The latest analysis of northern Atlantic cod numbers off the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador was conducted by lead researcher George Rose, a biologist with at the Memorial University of Newfoundland's Fisheries and Marine Institute.

Numbers of northern Atlantic cod, particularly populations in the northwest off the coasts of the United States and Canada, began falling in the 1960s. Overfishing continued through the 1980s, until the fishing stock collapsed in the 1990s, bringing about stringent catch limits and concerted conservation efforts.

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