According to the UK Fisheries Minister the authority is supporting the call for the British public to help illegal fishing in the Barents Sea and North Atlantic as well as the rest of the world’s oceans. Huw Irranca-Davies was responding to a call by Tim Cartwright-Taylor, chairman of The Frozen at Sea Fillets Association (FASFA), for consumers to help police Barents Sea and North Atlantic waters by only eating legally-caught fish from their local chippies.
Huw Irranca-Davies explained that fish and chips are a staple of the British diet, and nowadays more and more people want to know where their cod or haddock comes from and that it’s caught sustainably. He added that fisheries all over the world are under increasing strain from over-exploitation and illegal fishing, so it’s up to all of us – the seafood industry, retailers and consumers – to help to protect and sustainably manage our seas and fish stocks, particularly vulnerable species, while allowing our fishermen and the businesses they supply to make a living and plan for the future.
Commenting on the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) informed that the illegal fishing of cod has decreased by 75 per cent in the Barents Sea but more needs to be done to ensure the future of cod and haddock supplies. Tim Cartwright-Taylor told that he was delighted Huw Irranca-Davies has backed the campaign to encourage more people to question where their fish dinners come from.
The mark is used by FASFA to inform chip shop owners and their customers that the fish they are about to enjoy comes from proven, sustainable stocks. FASFA trawler members only catch their quotas in the carefully managed waters of the Barents Sea and North Atlantic.
