Can Fish Farming Save Depleted Cod?
Date: 07-Feb-07 Country: UK Author: Simon Rabinovitch But fish farms are putting cod back in North Sea water, at least within enclosed sea pens, easing the strain on wild fisheries and, fish farmers say, protecting a species that would otherwise be fished into extinction. Off the Shetland Islands in northeast Scotland, Johnson Sustainable Seafoods is providing what it says is a model of good farming practice. Given more space to roam around their pens and fed a natural diet, the Shetland cod farm has won the backing of Britain’s Organic Food Federation. “Fish farming can be the saviour,” said Karol Rzepkowski, managing director of the company. “It takes a little bit of left-field thinking, having the right ethic and the right ethos, and it can be done right,” Rzepkowski said. RESTOCKING THE WATERS? The Shetland farm expects to harvest 2,500 tonnes of cod this year and aims to double its output in 2008. Other producers include Pan Fish in Norway, which recently acquired Marine Harvest t
