Check out our related reads:Currently, four of the five UK cod stocks are at risk of collapse. It’s a complex process – some of these stocks may also be shared with other countries – but it’s clear that existing quotas are pushing fish populations to the brink. The problem, Hughes explains, is that when cod stocks collapse, they become a ‘choke’. Elsewhere on the planet, there are more than 200 species of cod – almost all of which live in the cold saltwater of the northern hemisphere. Each year, the Uk consumes around 115,000 tonnes of cod each year, with 15,000 tonnes of the foodstuff originating from the North Sea.