Cod fishing quotas

A trawler heading out into the North Sea. In December the EU permitted an 11% increase in cod fishing here Photograph: Peter Dench/Corbis

Fishermen sorting out their nets. High-profile chefs have lobbied for restaurants to stock only sustainable seafood on their menus Photograph: Rex

White fish trawler fishing in the North Sea between Scotland and Norway. Islanders on Arran recently self-imposed a fishing ban after white fish stocks disappeared Photograph: Tina Norris/Rex

Scottish trawlermen on haul in their catch. The Sustainable Development Commission recently reported there was a lack of guidance from government on sustainable fish eating Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty

Cod fishermen clean their catch on the deck of their fishing boat. Cod is one of the fish to avoid in our sustainable eating guide Photograph: Jeffrey L Rotman/Corbis

A fishing boat returning with its catch caught off the Scottish east coast Photograph: David Cheskin/PA

Cod and haddock being lowered into the hold from a pair-trawled catch between Norway and the Shetland Islands in the North Sea Photograph: Maurice McDonald/PA

Workers at Peterhead fish market, Scotland, prepare boxes of fish for sale the following morning. Stock size is still reported to be low on cod, haddock and pollack. Other fish such as bluefin tuna have disappeared completely Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty

Workers at Peterhead fish market Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty