The European Commission has announced the complete closure of cod on the east side of the Barents Sea, an emergency measure adopted to safeguard the resource.

In view of the swift fall in the population and the imminent risk of the species disappearing, cod catches will be banned until December 2019, and this will affect all fishing vessels.

The EC has looked into the scientific evidence warning of this situation and has discussed measures with the Member States during a meeting of the expert committee.