Completely insanse waste - Fish Fight

[NigellaPleaseComeDineWithMe]

Haven't seen any other threads on this - its appalling that so much good fish is thrown back dead because of the way the CAP works.

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When we've been to France there are loads of 'odd' local species of fish that we try but in the larger supermarkets the range is much more limited. No local fishmonger here .

I think you need to explain what you're talking about more clearly...unless I'm thick...but I have no idea what CAP is.

Common Agricultural Policy, not to be confused with the Common Fisheries Policy which is what the op actually means I think. But both of which are amongst the most economically insane policies you could dream up...

About half of all fish caught in the North Sea is thrown back - the issue is about waste.

CAP is as Sparkle said - the link explains it all.

I watched this and was predictably horrified .

Basically, because of quotas, half of the fish that's being caught in water around the UK is thrown back (that much I already knew) - BUT almost all of it is already dead when it's thrown back, so it's a complete waste.

The fishermen HFW met argued that limiting the number of days at sea per year would be a much better way of managing fish stocks. I don't know what the scientific arguments for/against this are, but the current system is so wasteful, there must be a better way.

I meant CFP - oops...anyway all part of the same stupid rules that creates waste in the food industry.

It's absolutely criminal. Thanks for posting the link.

I saw it last night and totally agree it seems insane but I think Hugh could've explained the science aspect a lot more and explored the state of fish stocks and whether limiting days is a viable alternative or not.

It's not criminal according to CFP - that's what makes it so obscene. I was thinking how much I have to pay for a good fish and there was Hugh chucking great big fish back into the sea .

The second installment is tonight at 9pm.

Agree with ProfYaffle, yes it was horrifying to see, although I was already aware of the situation, but I would have liked more exploration of alternatives and solutions, rather than watching Hugh just contantly shaking his head, looking disappointed and saying the same things over and over again.

YANBU to be upset

It was horrific to see all the fish being trown away dead.

On one boat, one catch they threw away enough fish to feed 2000 people, and they do that for 3 or 4 catches a day for a 5 day trip. That is enough fish to feed 30,000 people being thrown away by one boat alone for one trip.

And these fish are dead! Without the quotas, or with more sensible quotas, less fish would be killed not more.

Shocking to me too - it seems that because no-one knows how much is being thrown away then the scientists and the ministers don't know how badly its working - the fisherman see it first hand.

Public doesn't get to see it - someone said on the programme what if half of all lambs were dropped on the side of a road after slaughtering and left to rot - there would be total outrage.

YANBU. There is simply no sense in throwing dead fish back into the sea. It's time the whole policy was reviewed.

That's disgraceful !

But if the fishermen think they should only be fishing half as much as opposed to throwing away halfthe fish they catch why don't they make the decision to do three days a week or something ?

I didnt watch it btw, I will now though!

I'll try to explain quickly - fisherman are given quotes for certain types of fish, say Cod, Haddock and Pollock.

They need to keep working through the year.

Start of year they catch quota of cod. So go after haddock, if they catch cod whilst trying to only get the haddock they have to throw it back out. The fisherman can't just catch one type of fish at a time.

What they want to do is to fish for a limited number of days but not have a quota. At least htis way though you'd know how much is actually being caught.

Shall we start a campaign?
I've emailed my MP about it, someone else started a thread saying how they couldn't contact their MP, shall we start a campaign?

its criminal isn't it, when there are so many who are literally starving

and even in our rich country, many children living in poverty - to waste food like this is an outrage

perhaps the power of MN needs to get het up about this like the EE baby story!

See the link to Hughs campaign - but we can all write to our MPs. The issue though I see is that the Uk fishery minister wants to see a chnage but its linked to the CFP / EU and any change is likely to be very difficult to get through.

Think the next programmes will show that more.

the saddest bit was in hastings where the fleet used to catch cod sustainably using wide-meshed nets, and are now not allowed to catch any at all, they have some massive quota for some kind of fish that isn't even in their fishing grounds and they end up catching a load of cod anyway and chucking it all away

madness

i liked the bit where they gave away part of their discard for one day

it made me feel sick watching it. im not eating fisk anymore, actually made me want to cry. all those fish dieing for nothing.

have signed me and dp up

please sign

I'd like to eat more fish but be able to be given easier access to different types so as a consumer can make a choice.

If you are all worried please look at the Marine Stewardship Council website: www.msc.org/. There is a list of fish that we can eat sustainably and a list of suppliers (M&S and Waitrose are the best) that only sell sustainably caught fish.

I really think that none of us should be eating cod or haddock any more. In the late 1980's/early 1990's fish stocks on the Grand Banks off Newfoundland collapsed. The area is highly regulated now but stocks still haven't recovered. This will happen the ocean over. If farmers desecrated the land in the same way that fisheries ploughed up the sea bed there would be a massive outcry. But it is all hidden conveniently away. I think that the Spanish are the worst offenders too. They have decimated fish stocks in their own waters so fish in our waters and due to the CFP (possibly the most insane piece of legislation ever) we can't do a thing about it.

Bump

I watched an old Rick Stein prog. and he said that by changing the size of the holes in their nets the fishermen could catch the right age and type of fish they needed (not rocket science is it?)

just signed up and Facebooked it, thanks for link Nigella.

my fishmonger thinks sustainability is a con so he is not much help in trying to choose fish. We have noticed you sometimes get coley and pollock if you buy basics range white fish from supermarkets - cheaper than cod or haddock, too. AFAIK they are fish we should be eating more of but the whole thing is so damn complicated (eg certain species are fine but only if caught in the right place using the right method) I am never certain I am doing it right.