As per the press communiqué Seafish fully supports the Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Fish Fight campaign and is urging the campaigner to meet with industry representatives by attending their next Discard Action Group meeting in February.
Three years ago Seafish has set up the group to heed many initiatives being adopted by the fishing industry to address this issue. It acts as an ‘issue forum’ playing a pivotal role in mediating a common approach to discard issues affecting the whole seafood supply chain. The group meets three times a year to discuss and communicate on how the fishing industry is addressing this problem.
In its next meeting in February the group has extended an invitation to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall to discuss face-to-face with key industry representatives, how industry is already addressing the problem and the positive steps that have been taken. Phil MacMullen, Head of Environmental Responsibility at Seafish, said that the discard is a well known fact which wastes the natural resources and also undermines the efforts to fish and manage stocks responsibly.
Phil also said that the catch quota trial currently taking place is just one example. Twenty three vessels, six in England and 17 in Scotland, are taking part in a trial where they account for all they catch (including discards) and in return are given increased catch quotas. He added that encouraging technical developments and a radical shake-up of the Common Fisheries Policy can do a lot to address the root causes of discarding: regulatory aspects, over-quota catches, high grading, and so on, and it will also help us to know exactly how many fish are being discarded.
