The ministers meet every December to fix the catch limits, and they usually try to talk up quotas for their fishermen. This year, though, the EU's head office has warned of disastrous consequences unless governments accept stringent cuts. Substantial cuts are also recommended for monkfish, haddock and whiting. EU officials acknowledged the proposed cuts would have a severe impact on fishing communities but said there was no other choice. Stocks need to be rebuilt.
Scientists believe North Sea cod is one of the species under greatest threat.
They say drastic protection measures are needed to prevent fishing communities there from facing a similar fate to those on Canada's Atlantic seaboard. There, the government imposed a moratorium on fishing in the early 1990s because of depleted stocks, throwing thousands out of work.