Fisherman are throwing back thousands of pounds worth of fresh cod to rot in the sea after an emergency ban on catching them was imposed.

Yet fishermen battling the recession said the Sussex coast was “rife” with large stocks of the nation’s favourite fish.

A fishmonger said he was in the ridiculous position of being able to sell cod from Iceland and Norway, but not local waters.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs imposed the ban amid fears that the species was under threat from overfishing.

But Sussex fishermen and fish merchants claimed the Channel was swarming with cod.

Gregg Brownrigg, who owns the fishing boat Jennadore, based at Shoreham Harbour, said: "The Channel is rife with cod. They're a winter fish and have usually disappeared by January or February, but the sheer numbers mean there are still loads off our coast.

"What's happening is criminal.

“This weekend I threw back three or four boxes of cod, about £300 worth of fish, and that's just me.

“There are 60 or more fishermen in Sussex – that's nearly £20,000 being lost every day.

"It seems so wrong when there are people really struggling at the moment in desperate need of fresh fish at low prices, and yet we have it but can’t sell it.

"The ban is in place for the whole year. It’s bad enough as it is, but when it comes round to prime cod season in November and December it will really hit hard."

Mr Brownrigg, from Worthing, added: "Around 90% of the cod dies in the nets, it's very sad, they are perfectly good fresh cod and they have to be thrown back dead purely to play by the rules.

"They go to rot on the sea floor and then you end up catching them in your nets again days later and they're just a rotting mess of bones – it's such a waste.

"I'm making my living from Dover Sole at the moment. I'll come home with £200 worth but I've thrown away £300 worth of cod."

Peter Huxtable, manager of La Poisonnerie fish market at Shoreham said: "It's quite ridiculous - now I have to sell cod from Iceland and Norway despite the fact there are more cod than ever off the Sussex coast.

"I sell the cod for £12 or so per kilo whereas if the Shoreham fishermen were able to catch it I could sell it for £8 or £9.

"We have to go by the rules of scientists who seem to know little about what's actually going on in the water."

Nobody from DEFRA was available for comment.