For the past few months, I have been travelling around the UK meeting fishermen, marine conservationists, politicians, supermarkets bosses, and of course fish-eating members of the public.
You can find out all about my experience, and how it has changed the way I think about fish, in the Channel 4 series, Hugh’s Fish Fight, to be broadcast in January 2011.
fishfight.net is the website and campaign hub which will accompany the series and continue its work over the coming months.
It’s supported by a wide coalition of environmental NGO’s and, we hope, by a growing number of fishermen and policy makers too.
The first element of the campaign – and the first area where we are looking for public support – is the issue of discards at sea.
More elements to the campaign will follow in the New Year (we will be looking at aquaculture, particularly salmon farming, and also at the environmental issues surrounding the global tuna fisheries).
For now though, here is some background to our campaign to eliminate discards.
According to an EU paper in 2007, between 40% and 60% of all fish caught by trawls in the North Sea are being discarded.
Experts agree that the figure is at least as bad now as it was then. (We have settled on the figure of half, which many believe is conservative).
Discarding is not limited to the North Sea, it’s a massive problem throughout EU waters.
Some of these discards are undersized fish, and some of them are species for which there is currently little market.
But much of it is “over-quota” fish: prime cod, haddock, coley, whiting, plaice, and other major food species, for which the fishermen have run out of quota.
But in the pursuit of other fish for which they do still have quota, they cannot avoid catching large numbers of the “wrong” species. It’s an inherent problem in what is known as a “mixed fishery”.
The fish are being thrown away because to land them would be illegal. Only a tiny proportion of these fish will survive.
For obvious reasons, fishermen hate discards. Conservationists hate them too.
Even politicians don’t like them. But they are an unavoidable consequence of the current Common Fisheries Policy and the quota system.
The very same rules that have been devised with the aim of protecting stocks (principally quotas and minimum landing sizes) have become the reason that so much fish is being thrown back into the sea.
The CFP is under review and due to be reformed in the coming months. The fishfight campaign aims to influence this reform.
We do not seek to dictate policy, merely the consequences of policy. By signing up to our campaign you will be writing directly to the policy makers in Europe.
And you will help to ensure that a reformed CFP has the elimination of discards as a primary objective. Thank you so much for your support. Please spread the word!
Sign up here: http://www.fishfight.net
Hugh
If we are stuck in EU quota system, which seems likely, then the solution is to give quota to the vessels which can demonstrate no (or limited) byecatch and sustainable fishing methods. Place this burden upon the vessel owners (not the government who are not competent in these matters) and support this process with the readily available European Fisheries Fund monies.
How does the Environment Agency allow the dumping of waste fish directly into our oceans? Any other food business would have to dispose of their waste in a responsible way.
I am not an expert, but just a concerned member of the public. I have watched numerous programmes on TV about fishing, and I can only say I am appalled by the waste inherent in the quota system. Well done Hugh, and more power to your elbow! I can only urge everyone to forward the "Fish Fight" sign -up to as many people on their email list as possible, as I have.....there is power in numbers!
In the meantime, keep up the good work Hugh and co, and I'm looking forward to the programme in January!
We all agree, discards are not the way forward and don't help fishstocks, its easy to knock the quota system. But Hugh what is the answer? Our disappearing fishstocks need protecting and you have not suggested an alternative!
For User 448162: trawled fish die when they are in the nets, they basically suffocate and die whilst being brough to the surface. Fish caught by rods and long lines also die whilst being brought up to the surface, but the reason for this is their swim bladder is broken by the difference in pressure by being brought to the surface from the depths of the sea. The swim bladder in trawled fish can be left in tact as bringing them to the surface is a relatively slow process and the fish can adjust to the changing pressure but they have suffocated by the time they are landed on the boat. A marine biologist expert could well put me right here, and i would welcome and experts answer, I am merely relaying what has been said to me from various skippers and fishing folk.
I would like to ask the question: At what point does the fish die? Is it still while it's netted in the water?, when it's hauled in, or while it's waiting to be sorted through. If it's the latter, is there no way of having a "water" hold to keep more fish alive so it can be returned to the water alive if it's not required? Probably quite a naive statement, but sometimes the simpler solutions get "overlooked"??
My partner Matthew and myself, (Vicky) run a small fish processing factory in Staithes, (a little further up the coast from Whitby) and are currently involved in a campaign with the four remaining Skippers of trawlers in Whitby with our local paper, the Whitby Gazette - 'Fight for our Fleet' We have met with our MP Robert Goodwill and last friday we had a meeting where we had hope all our 6 MEPS would attend, unfortunately only 2 attended, Andrew Brons and Geoffrey Bloom. There were representatives from the Marine Management Organisation who insisted they would relay the comments and feelings to the Fisheries Minister richard Benyon, who has also confirmed he will meet with us prior to the Fisheries Council meeting in December. The meeting was covered by ITVs Calendar News. Bizarrely, the picture that accompanied the article in the Independant, covering Hughs Fish Fight, showed a young Richard Brewer, one of the four remaining Skippers in Whitby, who we are working with in our campaign. We would welcome any contribution from Hughs team and I am trying to contact Hugh to discuss the possibility of Hugh coming to the meeting that we have been promised with Richard Benyon. It is fantastic that Hugh is so passionate about this and we are extremely grateful for any publicity this brings us. Its good to know we are not alone!!
When I was studying Marine Biology at University I read the documentation on the common fisheries policy. What I read made my so angry at the people who let this happen so I am so glad that people like Hugh and his team are backing reform of CFP.
As I see it there is a major obstacle to the reform. This is the general public and their eating habits. So many people only stick with the same fish species when cooking. Salmon, cod and haddock for example. Where I live there is very little variety in fish species sold either in supermarkets or fishmongers. In order for fishermen to make a living out of selling everything they catch and at a good price (which I see as one of the possible ways in witch to reform the policy with caps on tonnage) people must be willing to buy what is caught.
Another problem to face is the trade within the EU of resources. Often the waters around the UK and the fish within them are traded in order for the UK to gain else ware. There is also the question of reviewing subsidies for the fishing industry.
I hope that through this campaign the damage can at least be decreased with little detrimental effect on the fishermen’s income. We all want change but hopefully it will not take away peoples livelihood. There will need to be a balance. Perhaps fish should not be so cheap in the first place. Or sold in supermarkets where waste is also prolific.
I live in north Co. Wexford on Ireland's east coast and have been an angler for close on 35 years. The inshore fishing grounds off my neighbouring county Wicklow used be a veritable aquarium now they are devoid of fish. 16 species of fish used to grow to specimen weight in these waters now only four do, and these surprise surprise are not commercially targeted.
Mussel dredging and unregulated whelk fishing has broken the food chain in the area. That backed up by boats fishing Dublin Bay Prawns further north has put the nail in the coffin, their discards of immature fish, over 50% has done the rest.
I grieve sometimes for my children and theirs, that they may not witness what I experienced as a teenager, I am only 49, seas resembling scenes from the blue planet. Then I get on with my small fight to bring biodiversity back to our inshore waters. Hence I campaign through my website, write to politicians, and occasionally make presentations to inform of the situation. The tide is turning, well done Hugh and to all people who highlight the idiocy that is modern fisheries management within the EU.
I personally don't think it's pointless, I think it's all about creating awareness and then finding a solution that will be of benefit to everyone and the fish