The organization believe that it the measure are properly enforced the mandatory discard reduction measures, which include a ban on discarding fish of a marketable size, could throw a lifeline to depleted cod stocks in the North Sea, and cod and haddock stocks to the west of Scotland. Giles Bartlett, Fisheries Policy Officer at WWF-UK informed that WWF welcomes the commitment to reduce the amount of cod that is killed in the North Sea by 25 percent and now the onus will be on the fishing industry and Governments to deliver this crucial reduction target.
For long the conservation organisation has been calling on Ministers to introduce a discards policy that limits the actual amount of fish removed from the sea, rather than focussing on the quantity of fish that is landed. WWF is calling upon the European Union to deliver a strong enforcement policy that will ensure they are adopted by industry. The introduction of regulations for selective fishing gear in a number of fisheries could potentially reduce the amount of cod, haddock, and whiting caught as bycatch if properly implemented.
It is told that WWF like to see all fishing vessels adopting more selective gear from the outset and is disappointed that the Commission only proposes to make the use of such gear mandatory when the quota is almost reached in the North Sea. Giles Bartlett, Fisheries Policy Officer at WWF-UK opined that Europe’s fisheries ministers and the European Commission have failed to properly tackle the issue of discards up until now, leaving many European fish stocks, such as those to the west of Scotland, in a dire situation.
