Grimsby is strongly linked with the sea fishing industry, which once generated wealth for the town. At its peak in the 1950s, it was the largest and busiest fishing port in the world. As a result of the Cod Wars with Iceland, this industry has been in decline for many years. In 1970 around 400 trawlers were based in the port, by 2013 only 5 trawlers remain based there. By comparison, 15 vessels are used to maintain offshore wind farms in the North Sea. The town still has the largest fish market in the UK, but most of what is sold
Murray cod of this fact, are of great concern. Murray cod were originally the most common large native fish in the Murray-Darling basin. Contrary to some fishery department literature, the first serious declines in Murray cod were caused by extremely severe overfishing. In the latter half of the 1800s and the early 1900s, Murray cod — very large, very long-lived fish — were caught in unimaginable numbers by both commercial and recreational fishermen. For example, one commercial fishing operation commenced on the Murray River near Echuca in 1855, targeting Murray cod over hundreds of kilometres of river, and yet within eight years,