The Cod Story

A careful analysis of national catch, effort and price data from several countries for the most important fish species around the Baltic has shown that the increase in cod catches in the late 1930s cannot be explained by fishing effort indicators (e.g., nos. of boats, hooks, motorized vessels) or technological development and that it is most likely due to an increase in cod abundance. This increase is consistent with the development of new cod fisheries in Estonia in these years (Meyer and Kalle, 1950). Only with the onset of the war a marked increase of cod catches from the Baltic was reported (Meyer, 1952a, b). It may be said that the 

Part of the increase in cod catches in the 1950s and 1960s can be attributed to an intensifying fishery discovering a new resource. This seems to be even more the case when including the catches of the USSR and Poland, which have not been recorded by the official 

ICES statistics, but can be found in Thurow (1974). Both the Polish and the USSR-catches were reported from 1955 onward in these statistics, starting each with nearly 40 0001 and increasing rapidly in the following years. Other reports (as detailed in Thurow (1974)) provide the catches of the USSR and Poland and give in combination with the ICES-statistics a more complete picture. It becomes apparent from this information that the fisheries have been in operation during the war and with a short interruption (Fig. 18.3) resumed thereafter, and gradually reached the magnitude as reported officially for 1955. 

Indeed, in the 1970s another marked increase in the cod catches is notable and coincides with a relatively sudden increase in the stock abundance, which is evident from the 

FIGURE 18.4 Cod landings and relative strength of Baltic Inflow. Data on hydrography based on Matthaus and Nausch (2003) and Matthaus (2006), landings data from the Bulletin Statistique (1909 1972) and Bulletin Statistique (1972-2005). 

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