The assessment body Control Union Pesca said the North Sea cod fishery will need to undergo an expedited audit to reassess the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification following the recommendation for a 63 percent reduction in catch.

"I am almost certain that is going to happen to the fisheries we manage," Control Union Pesca Fisheries Officer Henry Ernst told IntraFish.

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) in Friday recommended a total allowable catch (TAC) limit of 10,457 metric tons in the North Sea cod fishery for 2020, a 70 percent cut from last year's quota of 35,357 metric tons.