Editing Atlantic cod (section)

===Northeast Atlantic cod===
[[File:Atlantic cod landings eastern.jpg|thumb|418x418px|Reported landings of Atlantic cod (''Gadus morhua'') in the eastern Atlantic for each of the 16 populations/management units. Data source: ICES.]]
[[File:NEAcodBiomass.png|thumb|Estimated biomass of the Northeast Arctic cod stock for the period 1946–2012, in million tons: Light blue bars represent the immature fraction of the stock, while the darker blue bars represent the spawning biomass.<ref>Arctic Fisheries Working Group of [[International Council for the Exploration of the Sea|ICES]], published in the ICES Report AFWG CM 2013, ACOM:05. The estimation method was standard [[virtual population analysis]].</ref>]]

The Northeast Atlantic has the world's largest population of cod. By far, the largest part of this population is the Northeast Arctic cod, as it is labelled by the [[International Council for the Exploration of the Sea|ICES]], or the Arcto-Norwegian cod stock, also referred to as ''skrei'', a Norwegian name meaning something like "the wanderer", distinguishing it from coastal cod. The Northeast Arctic cod is found in the [[Barents Sea]] area. This stock spawns in March and April along the Norwegian coast, about 40% around the [[Lofoten]] [[archipelago]]. Newly hatched larvae drift northwards with the coastal current while feeding on larval [[copepod]]s. By summer, the young cod reach the Barents Sea, where they stay for the rest of their lives, until their spawning migration. As the cod grow, they feed on [[krill]] and other small crustaceans and fish. Adult cod primarily feed on fish such as [[capelin]] and [[Atlantic herring|herring]]. The northeast Arctic cod also show [[Cannibalism (zoology)|cannibalistic]] behaviour. Estimated stock size was {{cvt|2260000|t|ST}} in 2008.

The North Sea cod stock is primarily fished by [[European Union]] member states, the United Kingdom and Norway. In 1999, the catch was divided among Denmark (31%), Scotland (25%), the rest of the United Kingdom (12%), the Netherlands (10%), Belgium, Germany and Norway (17%). In the 1970s, the annual catch rose to between {{cvt|200000|and|300000|t|ST}}. Due to concerns about [[overfishing]], catch quotas were repeatedly reduced in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2003, ICES stated a high risk existed of stock collapse if then current exploitation levels continued, and recommended a moratorium on catching Atlantic cod in the North Sea during 2004. However, agriculture and fisheries ministers from the [[Council of the European Union]] endorsed the EU/Norway Agreement and set the total allowable catch <!-- (TAC) --> at {{cvt|27300|t|ST}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://portunusgroup.com/products/atlantic-cod/|title=Our Products: Atlantic Cod|work=portunusgroup.com|access-date=22 November 2013}}</ref> [[Sustainable seafood advisory lists and certification#Guides and advisory lists|Seafood sustainability guides]], such as the [[Monterey Bay Aquarium]]'s [[Seafood Watch]], often recommend environmentally conscious customers not purchase Atlantic cod.

The stock of Northeast Arctic cod was more than four million tons following [[World War II|World War&nbsp;II]], but declined to a historic minimum of {{cvt|740000|t|ST}} in 1983. The catch reached a historic maximum of {{cvt|1343000|t|ST}} in 1956, and bottomed out at {{cvt|212000|t|ST}} in 1990. Since 2000, the spawning stock has increased quite quickly, helped by low fishing pressure. The total catch in 2012 was {{cvt|754131|t|ST}}, the major fishers being Norway and Russia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://standardgraphs.ices.dk/download/HandlerDownload.ashx?year=2013&EcoRegion=137491&Species=44515|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325115725/http://standardgraphs.ices.dk/download/HandlerDownload.ashx?year=2013&EcoRegion=137491&Species=44515|title=ICES Stock Database Disclaimer|access-date=25 March 2014|archive-date=25 March 2014}}</ref>