4 ms·

BBC debunks claim that there are 100 North Sea cod

43 points by 1gor 14y ago

danmaz74 14y ago
I really hope that this kind of ridiculous headlines get a much deserved backlash. It's the only hope to see fewer of them.
- Zenst 14y ago
  At least they avoided the term http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/codswallop.html http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/codswallop.html
iopq 14y ago
I hear there's only 3 humans left in the world. I mean adult humans* *a human reaches adulthood at age 115
- Zenst 14y ago
  I agree with you fully though who is the other person :). It is interesting though that any food product with fish does not have to state the age of the fish in the product, fish is fish and the only descrimination placed by food is that of there baby eggs in as caviar or the fish itself, no qualified as to the age of the fish is used. The only exception would be that of sammon and trout and then only because the fish physicaly changes.
danielhunt 14y ago
To be clear, this is a (welcome) debunking of the claim made by other newspapers, and not a direct claim by the BBC (which the title implies) edit I see the title has now been updated to better reflect the source
Heliosmaster 14y ago
Surprise surprise: journalism done bad!
dalke 14y ago
Betteridge's Law of Headlines: "Any headline which ends in a question mark can be answered by the word 'no'".
- sliverstorm 14y ago
  Can a headline which ends in a question mark always be answered by the word 'no'?
  - dalke 14y ago
    Now if only that were a headline.
- misnome 14y ago
  Please do explain further - I've not seen this referenced with it's name and description for quite some time on Hacker News! It is very rare!
  - dalke 14y ago
    Oh how witty! And droll!
ExpiredLink 14y ago
Greenpeace recently published a report on overfishing in Europe. This BBC article must be pure coincidence.
panacea 14y ago
21,000,000 isn't cause for celebration either. (I know that this article is about bad science reporting, but it needs to be said that if a third of the UK had a stereotypical meal of fish and chips one evening consisting of adult North Sea cod, there would be 0 left)
- Jabbles 14y ago
  You miss that an adult cod is ~80cm, ~20kg. This year's quota appears to be* 22000 tons of cod, giving 0.3kg per person in the UK. That's not a lot. *I tried to decipher this: http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/documentation/publications/poster_tac2012_en.pdf http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/documentation/publications/pos...
- pcowans 14y ago
  This is maybe a bit more encouraging though: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-18646660 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shet...
- Zenst 14y ago
  fish and chips in the UK has two interesting aspects to it. Down south if you ask for fish and chip by default you will get cod, though up north it is by default place or anything but cod and most shop don't even have cod due to catchment area's and fish types mostly available for transport. Was a odd one upon me first time in new castle when I asked for cod and chips. Another influence is the catholic tradition in these shore for having fish on a friday. That for many has risen to the trend of menu's having fish options on a friday and school meals and tends to focus most fish eating on a friday, nomatter the religion. As a whole the general fish stocks were and still are finely balanced though the whole change with regards to the EU and having fishing trawlers from EU countries in and around the UK fishing has had further impact upon the once rich fish stocks with the north sea feeling the impact. This and changes in ocean climate has impacted the fish into other area's due to water temperature and effects upon there food stocks. Were still learning about weather above the oceans and as to the weather enviroment aspect under water is one were we have even more to learn and its impact and effects on the natural habitats. So dont worry about the UK eating all the cod, social trends and impacts dictate we eat other fish and in general it depends on what part of the country you in as to what the popular fish eaten in that part is. I will also add that having eaten North sea cod and North atlantic cod in seattle that the atlantic cod was much tastier, at least to me. So don't panic we in the UK will not eat all the cod, though don't ask us about the pies :).
Zenst 14y ago
Either way you look at it, there stocks of cod are low in relation to past expectations. Overfishing, change in currents/migration of natural pasturing areas (not sure pasturing right term for fish but it is understandable). I will also say fair play to the bbc for avoiding a tabliod style headline of which a few have crept in in the past and in that I mean avoid the use of the term codswallop http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/codswallop.html http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/codswallop.html. One that would of been apt in the tabloid world.
- joshuahedlund 14y ago
  > stocks of cod are low in relation to past expectations The last two paragraphs indicate that stocks are recovering and are the best they've been in years.

43 points by 1gor 14y ago

I really hope that this kind of ridiculous headlines get a much deserved backlash. It's the only hope to see fewer of them.

Zenst 14y ago
At least they avoided the term http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/codswallop.html http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/codswallop.html

iopq 14y ago

I hear there's only 3 humans left in the world. I mean adult humans* *a human reaches adulthood at age 115

Zenst 14y ago
I agree with you fully though who is the other person :). It is interesting though that any food product with fish does not have to state the age of the fish in the product, fish is fish and the only descrimination placed by food is that of there baby eggs in as caviar or the fish itself, no qualified as to the age of the fish is used. The only exception would be that of sammon and trout and then only because the fish physicaly changes.

danielhunt 14y ago

To be clear, this is a (welcome) debunking of the claim made by other newspapers, and not a direct claim by the BBC (which the title implies) edit I see the title has now been updated to better reflect the source

Heliosmaster 14y ago

Surprise surprise: journalism done bad!

dalke 14y ago

Betteridge's Law of Headlines: "Any headline which ends in a question mark can be answered by the word 'no'".

sliverstorm 14y ago
Can a headline which ends in a question mark always be answered by the word 'no'?
- dalke 14y ago
  Now if only that were a headline.
misnome 14y ago
Please do explain further - I've not seen this referenced with it's name and description for quite some time on Hacker News! It is very rare!
- dalke 14y ago
  Oh how witty! And droll!

ExpiredLink 14y ago

Greenpeace recently published a report on overfishing in Europe. This BBC article must be pure coincidence.

panacea 14y ago

21,000,000 isn't cause for celebration either. (I know that this article is about bad science reporting, but it needs to be said that if a third of the UK had a stereotypical meal of fish and chips one evening consisting of adult North Sea cod, there would be 0 left)

Jabbles 14y ago
You miss that an adult cod is ~80cm, ~20kg. This year's quota appears to be* 22000 tons of cod, giving 0.3kg per person in the UK. That's not a lot. *I tried to decipher this: http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/documentation/publications/poster_tac2012_en.pdf http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/documentation/publications/pos...
pcowans 14y ago
This is maybe a bit more encouraging though: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-18646660 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shet...
Zenst 14y ago
fish and chips in the UK has two interesting aspects to it. Down south if you ask for fish and chip by default you will get cod, though up north it is by default place or anything but cod and most shop don't even have cod due to catchment area's and fish types mostly available for transport. Was a odd one upon me first time in new castle when I asked for cod and chips. Another influence is the catholic tradition in these shore for having fish on a friday. That for many has risen to the trend of menu's having fish options on a friday and school meals and tends to focus most fish eating on a friday, nomatter the religion. As a whole the general fish stocks were and still are finely balanced though the whole change with regards to the EU and having fishing trawlers from EU countries in and around the UK fishing has had further impact upon the once rich fish stocks with the north sea feeling the impact. This and changes in ocean climate has impacted the fish into other area's due to water temperature and effects upon there food stocks. Were still learning about weather above the oceans and as to the weather enviroment aspect under water is one were we have even more to learn and its impact and effects on the natural habitats. So dont worry about the UK eating all the cod, social trends and impacts dictate we eat other fish and in general it depends on what part of the country you in as to what the popular fish eaten in that part is. I will also add that having eaten North sea cod and North atlantic cod in seattle that the atlantic cod was much tastier, at least to me. So don't panic we in the UK will not eat all the cod, though don't ask us about the pies :).

Zenst 14y ago

Either way you look at it, there stocks of cod are low in relation to past expectations. Overfishing, change in currents/migration of natural pasturing areas (not sure pasturing right term for fish but it is understandable). I will also say fair play to the bbc for avoiding a tabliod style headline of which a few have crept in in the past and in that I mean avoid the use of the term codswallop http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/codswallop.html http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/codswallop.html. One that would of been apt in the tabloid world.

joshuahedlund 14y ago
> stocks of cod are low in relation to past expectations The last two paragraphs indicate that stocks are recovering and are the best they've been in years.