Seafish Chief Executive, John Rutherford, said: “We are glad to see that the problem of discarding unwanted fish is being highlighted and we acknowledge that this is a wasteful practice that must be addressed.
“Current management has failed to reduce discards sufficiently – the problem is driven by market forces and regulation. A solution is going to require political will, scientific knowledge and the active participation of fishermen – all of which need to work together.
“The Common Fisheries Policy is almost entirely prescriptive, hence it is imperative to create incentives for fishermen to reduce discards as part of an overall strategy.
“To this end, Seafish established the Discards Action Group earlier this year – an industry group featuring fishermen and their representatives, seafood processors and buyers, and Government – to look at the subject of discards in depth and to share and test solutions applicable to the whole UK fleet.
“Progress has been made by all UK fisheries institutions with the introduction of technical measures such as square mesh panels, coverless prawn trawl, effort and capacity reduction and closed areas. Effort is now targeted more accurately, but the rate of change needs to be stepped up.
“There are opportunities for fishermen, through their associations, to deal with areas where discarding is most apparent. We encourage them to act as stewards of the sea and take advantage of the gear technology that is available to them.”
