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Original poster

Completely insanse waste - Fish Fight

133 replies

NigellaPleaseComeDineWithMe · 12/01/2011 10:19

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.

Please sign up here.

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 Sad.

OP posts:
frenchfancy · 12/01/2011 17:02

The trouble with the label "sustainable" is that the CFP is meant to be just that, yet they are killing and dumping thousands of tons of fish every year.

This fishermen on the programme said one of the problems was that there was so much cod they couldn't help catching it. On one trawl of the net they had to thow away (already dead) more than three quarters of their catch because it was cod and pollock.

tribpot · 12/01/2011 18:58

Just finished watching episode one and am completely aghast. What a waste! And I can't even see who benefits. Cod stocks must surely be increasing much more slowly than they would if large quantities weren't essentially being killed for no purpose.

HelenBa · 12/01/2011 19:06

I thought this was dreadful, there has to be a better way - I was disappointed HFW didn't talk about the alternatives though and the minister was so wishy-washy vague "I want a better system" umm, yes and what are you going to do about it?

MrsSnaplegs · 12/01/2011 19:15

Signed up, just watched last nights episode with my DD (5) and very hard trying to explain why we throw so many dead fish back into sea! I sort of knew this happened but not to that extent! Truly shocking!

frenchfancy · 12/01/2011 19:41

Bumping to make sure the maximum number of people see this thread.

sethstarkaddersmum · 12/01/2011 19:54

I think I want someone who knows about Europe to explain how we are going to get it changed given it is the Common Fisheries Policy (?) not just a British thing over which we have power. Do we have to get European law to change, are they going to be really resistant to it, and if they don't what would happen if we just basically seceded in relation to fish?

charliesmommy · 12/01/2011 19:58

I dont know much about it, but would the dead fish not be eaten by the live fish and other sealife. It does seem a ridiculous waste though.

WorzselMummage · 12/01/2011 20:10

I'm watching it now. I am truly astonished that this is allowed to go on!

One of the fishermen said that whatever he does he's a criminal, land the fish and be a criminal in the eyes of the law, throw it back and be a moral criminal and it is so bloody true.

Killing fish and then throwing it back for no reason is beyond awful. What a disgusting waste of life!

MakemineaGandT · 12/01/2011 20:19

I watched it and it was so sad and shocking - such a waste of fish. However, I did get annoyed at the programme and the way it was presented as it was very "dumbed down" in my opinion: if it really is true (and scientists say it is...) that cod stocks are low, then we must protect the stocks. If that means a quota system, then so be it. If having a quota system means some "Discard" (as they called it) then perhaps we have to accept that (unless someone can think of a better way? I didn't see any other suggestions though.....just a lot of sad shaking of heads). Imagine if they were allowed to bring back all the extra cod over and above their quotas - well, then the quota would be meaningless wouldn't it. I think the only answer would be to prevent fishermen from taking theor boats out at all once their cod (or whatever) quota has been reached. I also wondered whether it would be feasible to allow a fisherman to "purchase" unused quota from another fisherman who hasn't met his, and thereby avoid some of the waste - or is this unrealistic and unmanageable?

sethstarkaddersmum · 12/01/2011 20:25

I think it's Iceland where they have a system of auctioning off unused quota.
You have to land everything you catch and then declare it and then have to buy the quota for it or you get fined.

surely the key is just that the quota has to be tied to what you catch rather than what you land and sell?

MakemineaGandT · 12/01/2011 20:29

so, sethstark - do you mean once a limit has been reached, no more fishing at all should be allowed for that boat that year? If so, I think you are right - land everything, and once you have reached your limit you must stop altogether: no waste (though perhaps fishermen out of business.....)

sethstarkaddersmum · 12/01/2011 20:34

I don't know much about it but I think that would mean that if you wanted to carry on fishing you would have to keep buying quota and since there's a limited amount of quota, if everyone had nearly used up theirs the prices would be very high. So it would get to the point where it wouldn't make commercial sense to keep on fishing because you wouldn't make back the money for selling the fish that you would have to spend to get the quota.

MakemineaGandT · 12/01/2011 21:14

You know, watching tonight I feel quite angry as a "consumer": whatever we do we can't win. We are old to eat more fish. We are told to eat "sustainable" fish, and yet the apparently plentiful fish from our seas are not easily obtainable - we often only have the choice of cod/haddock etc. We might think that eating farmed fish is better, only then we learn that there are lots of problems with that too: environmental damage, poor health of fish etc. So we can't bloody win. I feel so angry as I think it is up to the scientists to decide what's what and then for our politicians to sensibly implement their advice in a way that us consumers can rely on so that we can shop for and eat fish happily.

Bramshott · 13/01/2011 09:44

Tonight is about farmed fish I think. I agree that it's a very complex issue, and that the programme doesn't really seem to be throwing up that many solutions.

Presumably if the quotas were abolished, it would be very difficult to stop wholesale trawling of everything in the sea?

Anonymousbird · 13/01/2011 09:55

Done, and my god, this is such an outrage, we were nearly in tears watching all that gorgeous and delicious and nutritious food go to waste.... those poor fish, they lived and died for nothing.

Well done Nigella, keep bumping this, if people don't post.

Original poster
NigellaPleaseComeDineWithMe · 13/01/2011 10:23

Last nights programme recorded so need to catch up - juts bumping this up again.

OP posts:
crazycanuck · 13/01/2011 12:28

bump

WorzselMummage · 13/01/2011 12:29

I am amazing how little interest this has got on here. I remember when they did the chicken one there was a HUGE post and people were up in arms about it.

scouserabroad · 13/01/2011 12:36

Bump

sethstarkaddersmum · 13/01/2011 12:41

Worzsel - there are lots of threads, I've seen at least 5, but none of them has got very big.

Who's for a fishy name change to help draw attention to it?

sethstarkaddersmum · 13/01/2011 12:42

everyone changes their name to a sustainable fish!

(disclaimer - I know it's not quite as simple as some fish being sustainable and others not but you know what I mean)

sethstarkaddersmackerel · 13/01/2011 12:44
maktaitai · 13/01/2011 12:45

Well, I'm interested. What about writing to our MEPs? Isn't there a letter form to the head of the EU Fisheries Programme on the Fish Fight website?

list of MEPs here

I'm depressed to find that, of the MEPs covering the South East, the one sitting on the Committee of Fisheries is Nigel Farage [sigh]. Oh well, I'll write to him.

Original poster
NigellaPleaseComeDineWithMe · 13/01/2011 12:47

I was surprised it didn't get more people on the thread - maybe fish are not so appealing as chickens.

OP posts:
mackereltaitai · 13/01/2011 12:52

OK I've signed up on the Fish Fight website and emailed Nigel Farage asking for info on the Fisheries Committee's plans for improving the CFP's stewardship of edible species in European waters.