BRITISH sea bass stocks are so low they may never recover, experts have warned.

Fisheries experts say crisis stricken British sea bass populations should not be caught for an entire 12 months to prevent a further population crisis.

Advice from the International Council For The Exploration Of The Sea confirmed fears the bass population has slipped to dangerously low levels.

Imposed measures by the European Union last year have improved spawning of juvenile fish but have not prevented further declines in population.

But scientists say the population of bass inside British waters will not begin to improve unless fishing is banned for the entirety of 2017.

A spokesman for the Marine Conservation Society said: “The population has now slipped to dangerously low levels.

“It is at risk of not recovering properly.”