" There are more fish in the sea than ever came out of it". Sadly, that biblical quotation no longer holds water as a result of over fishing, especially by foreign factory ships scouring the seabed.

In the nineteen-sixties fishermen were awarded an annual silver cup for the highest tonnage of cod caught by an individual trawler. That certainly couldn't happen now.

Talking to Devon trawlermen last summer they said that cod stocks have recovered slightly and mackerel shoals are at their largest for thirty years.

Catches of seabass, my favourite meal are restricted . The title 'seabass' is something of a misnomer as there are no fresh water species of bass. However, 'seabream' is correct for there are also species of freshwater bream.

Then there are our wild salmon (pictured). A cousin of mine, an eminent salmon fisher tells me that wild salmon are becoming fewer and smaller and for some years, fly and invertebrate life in rivers has dwindled probably as the result of agricultural chemical run off.

There may also be problems in the Atlantic such as water warming restricting the fishes diet as they prepare to swim up rivers to spawn.

I avoid eating farmed salmon. I disagree with the fact that what is essentially a wild free-roaming species is kept confined in pens with hundreds of others, thus supressing  natural instincts and fed on artificial foods.

I'm also concerned that any diseased fish escaping  captivity may infect wild salmon in the estuaries.

It will be interesting to hear if this spring's wild salmon run up our rivers shows any sign of increased numbers.