Fishermen fighting restrictions which mean they can only catch one cod have hit out at claims that there is a shortage.

The National UnderTen Metre Fishermen's Association was formed last week at a crisis meeting in Hastings, to campaign against cod quotas introduced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Quotas introduced by Defra allow the crews of small fishing boats to land only one cod a day.

The 300 fishermen in Sussex say the catch restrictions will leave their livelihoods in ruins, while letting larger businesses haul in huge amounts of cod.

Neil Messenger, a former fisherman and now a fishmonger on Brighton seafront, said: "I've always fished. My family has fished here since the 1500s.

"There is more cod this year than there has been for a long, long time. It's the commonest fish in the sea for the last 12 months.

"There are so many variables and you can never say what will happen this time next year.

"Only 25 years ago at this time of year everyone would be eating herring. Now there's less fish but more variety. A lot of cod is wasted because if you accidentally catch over the limit you have to throw it back."

He said it was easier to sell smaller cod because you get two fillets from a small fish, whereas people don't want to buy the chunkier pieces from a larger fish.

Paul Bennett, of Fish, at Shoreham Harbour, said "Fisherman say there are lots of small cod around and last year was a good year too."

Roy Brown, of Bardsley's Fish and Chip Shop in Baker Street, Brighton, who has started No Cod Wednesdays in his shop to save the dwindling numbers of cod stocks, said: "I get Norwegian line-caught cod which is frozen at sea.

"The line caught cod is very different from the netted cod and it is more expensive to buy."

Angus Radford, a district inspector for the Marine and Fisheries Agency, said fishing boats were regularly inspected.

His team monitors the vessels on landing and the Navy boards the vessels at sea to carry out checks.

Mr Radford said: "I'm not a scientist but there are certain areas of the Channel where cod has congregated thickly, particularly between Beachy Head and Dungeness.

"The cod are the 2005 year class which hasn't yet had the opportunity to spawn.

They won't spawn until 2008/2009."