Cod is one of the most important fish species in the Baltic Sea, but it is not doing well! Large areas of low-oxygen bottoms, decades of overfishing and failed management mean that the Baltic Sea cod stock is now facing an acute situation. In fact, it’s not so certain that there will be any cod here at all in the future.
Come to Ar on Gotland where the project “ReCod – release of small cod in the Baltic Sea” wants to test whether it is possible to help cod past the vulnerable egg stage and thus increase the number of small cod in the sea as part of strengthening the stocks.
Cod depends on the right salinity and oxygen level to reproduce. The cod eggs should float a little above the bottom, but the oxygen-poor bottoms and low salinity cause the eggs to sink to the bottom and die instead.
The recovery of cod in the Baltic Sea will require a wide range of measures – from reducing the effects of eutrophication to continued regulation of cod fisheries.
The measure that the ReCod project wants to test is whether it is possible to help cod past the vulnerable egg stage and thus increase the number of small cod in the sea as a step towards strengthening the stocks.
ReCod is a five-year project to catch live cod and allow them to spawn in specially adapted tanks. The cod fry will then be released in different locations in the Baltic Sea to see if they survive and if they can help save the cod stocks in the Baltic Sea.
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The ReCod project is funded and implemented by BalticWaters2030 in collaboration with Uppsala University.
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