Fish in the Sea

And in the Belly

Social Issues – Fish from European waters will be distributed to the poor as an alternative to throwing them away at sea, ending the wasteful practice of discarding edible fish.

Maria Damanaki, the European commissioner for fisheries, appeared before the House of Commons select committee on environment, food, and rural affairs and said: “We can use these for charitable purposes, [though] we will have to give fisherman compensation if they give fish to the poor.”

The proposed plan is the most wide-ranging reform of the EU’s common fisheries policy since it was established four decades ago. Key to the reform will be “an end to the practice of discards, by which as much as two-thirds of the catch of some species are abandoned at sea, almost all of them to die.

About 1m tonnes [sic] are estimated to be thrown back each year into the North Sea alone. Discards are a byproduct of the rules on fishing quotas – when fishermen exceed their allowance, or net species for which they lack a quota, they must throw the excess back.”

Damanaki is facing fierce opposition from fishing groups and some EU member states because forcing fisherman to land all their catch will lower their incomes. Currently the law allows fisherman to discard damaged fish, or lower value fish, in order to maximize profits.

In order to gain support for the measure, Damanaki is calling on consumers to urge governments, retailers and the fishing industry to abandon discards.

We could not do this without the support of consumers,” she said. “I would encourage people to make responsible choices [in the fish they eat] and keep up the pressure.”

Read more at the Guardian.