Hugh's Fish Fight

Last week's telly had me reeling, firstly I marvelled at the series Human Planet on BBC1 and the communities such as the Polynesian ones that started the craze of surfing, not as sport but as a way of combatting the waves and catching their prey. I held my breath watching whale catchers and shark singers, almost lost ways of life that depend on the sea.  I don't have an issue with a whole village climbing aboard 5 boats to harpoon one bewildered whale - that whale will serve the community well, feed them for weeks and no part of the whale will go to waste, the village will only kill 6 whales for food in this way in any given year. Sustainable fishing in every sense of the word.



If that wasn't enough I was pleasantly surprised that the BBC and C4 had obviously got their scheduling spot on, right after the wonderful Human Planet show was Hugh Whittingly's (of River Cottage fame) Fish Fight program on C4.  It highlighted the salmon farming industry, an industry that on the face of it you'd assume  was sustainable, but considering it takes 5 kilos of wild fish to breed 1 kilo of farmed salmon you quickly realise this isn't the case. Organic salmon farming fared much better but obviously comes at a premium price which a lot of people just simply cannot justify paying in the current financial climate.

More worrying however and much easier to solve was the issue of 'discarding'.  Every year around half the fish caught in our waters is thrown back, usually dead, because of fishing quotas.

DISCARDS AT SEA

Around half of the fish caught by fishermen in the North Sea are unnecessarily thrown back into the ocean dead. 

The problem is that in a mixed fishery where many different fish live together, fishermen cannot control the species that they catch.

Fishing for one species often means catching another, and if people don’t want them or fishermen are not allowed to land them, the only option is to throw them overboard. The vast majority of these discarded fish will die.

Because discards are not monitored, it is difficult to know exactly how many fish are being thrown away. The EU estimates that in the North Sea, discards are between 40% and 60% of the total catch. Many of these fish are species that have fallen out of fashion: we can help to prevent their discard just by rediscovering our taste for them.

Others are prime cod, haddock, plaice and other popular food species that are “over-quota”. The quota system is intended to protect fish stocks by setting limits on how many fish of a certain species should be caught. 

Fishermen are not allowed to land any over-quota fish; if they accidentally catch them – which they can’t help but do - there is no choice but to throw them overboard before they reach the docks.  (taken from www.fishfight.net)

Please go on to the site and pledge your support, a simple job taking a few seconds to add your name to the petition*.  Also click onto the facebook page and 'like' and 'follow' on twitter.  This is a ridiculous practice and needs to stop before we obliterate all the fish in the ocean.  Other ways to help include reconsidering which fish you buy, trying more sustainable fish for a change and opting for organic and line caught alternatives if you can afford them. 

Hugh's Fish Fight

Fish Fight Facebook Page

@hughsfishfight

*The policy on discarding is a EU directive so if you're in anywhere in the EU please sign the petition.

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