Hugh's Fish Fight

[weetoonboy]

Hugh from River Cottage (Channel 4) is running a petition to stop the amount of wasted fish that are caught and thrown back dead due to E.U. quotas being fulfilled. They can still catch the fish, the fish are still dead, they just cant keep them. They get fed to the gulls.

Sign up here

http://www.fishfight.net/

There must be a better way of preserving the fish stocks.

[ionnsaigh]

God I have no idea... Personally I don't eat fish, however my family do... I know lots of livelihoods, are dependent on the Fishing Industry. So yes, anything that preserves income, must be fully supported, regardless of my own personal feelings on the matter.
The dead fish aren't entirely wasted however ... another wildlife species benefits. I may be wrong however.. what I understand is that fish numbers are in general decline. So in that respect, unnecessary deaths only serve to dilute existing stocks.

[weetoonboy]

Its pretty obvious the current system of quotas cant be the most beneficial way to increase fish stocks. Must be better to limit the number of days at sea and for the boats to lan all they catch.

And it must keep fish prices high, simple supply and demand. At a time when a lot of families struggling to maintain healthy eating it seems such a waste.

[Sweltered]

Where has he been for the last 20 years? This is not a new phenomenon.

Of course the fishermen can't be compensated, there's no money for that. It was all given to the farmers

[weetoonboy]

Where has he been for the last 20 years? This is not a new phenomenon.

Of course the fishermen can't be compensated, there's no money for that. It was all given to the farmers

It not a new phenomenon but I think its a worthwhile campaign. He has the profile to raise awareness of what is actually happening and how the legislation is put in place by faceless unelected politicians.

No-one is asking for the Fishermen to be compensated, just a change to their way of working, it must be more sustainable if they can land the fish they catch. Throwing them back in the sea, does not benefit the fish or the fishermen.

[Reidiboy]

I for one would love to see an end of discards but I cant see any way round it.

This practice of dumping fish has been going on for years and theres more factors involved other than vessels not having quota to land the fish caught.

Its only within the last 3-4 years that the volume of fish being discarded has increased due to legislation being put in place meaning that fish buyers could also be prosecuted for buying the so called "blackfish" that was being landed "over quota".

[Sweltered]

No-one is asking for the Fishermen to be compensated,.

Yet.