Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vertebrate > bony fish (Actinopterygii) > Fish |
| Red List Status: | (Not Relevant) [(not listed)(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Gadus morhua |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Linnaeus, 1758 |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | (not listed) |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Large declines in UK waters. Vulnerable on global IUCN redlist but that was in 1996 so needs updating. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Species is highly vulnerable to over exploitation. |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | No |
| Justification: | This species would not benefit from untargeted management |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 1. Taxonomy established |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Policy conflict (detail in comments) |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Policy Conflict. This stock is in such a state of crisis that a total ban on all catches of Celtic Sea Cod is advised by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). TAC needs to be brought in line with scientific advice for the Celtic sea stock. Protection of juveniles could benefit the stocks in the long run. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Investigate the potential impact of spatial management measures to protect critical lifestages such as near shore nursery areas to facilitate stock recruitment (essential fish habitat).
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites:
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Determine the importance of some of the nominal spawning grounds e.g. eastern English Channel, Bristol Channel and neighbouring parts of the western English Channel, and North Sea).
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Targeted monitoring
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites: Eastern and Western English Channel, Bristol Channel
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Climate change will lead to the shift in distribution of cod to more northerly areas such as in the North Sea. Sub-regional effects will need to be taken into account in fisheries and protected area management plans and advice, and this may require changes in the spatial scales at which data are collected, reported and analysed in the coming decades.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Climate change adaptation
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites:
Comments:
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.