They have lodged an official complaint over a BBC programme that portrayed a totally inaccurate and damaging picture of the fishing industry. The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation and the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations have welcomed the news that industry body Seafish has formally written to the BBC complaining about the poor editorial standards in the TV programme ‘Britain’s really disgusting food: fish’.
According to SFF and NFFO the programme has little fact about the true situation regarding commercial fishing in the UK and the impact upon the marine environment. The Federations are particularly dismayed at the continual repetition in the programme that ‘some scientists believe there will be ‘no fish left in the sea in 50 years time’.
In a joint statement, the SFF and NFFO said that the programme was not in god taste and is extremely damaging to the UK fishing industry where the true facts were simply ignored. It seems that the programme makers thought of a title and then made an episode to fit around their own narrow agenda. The statement said that seafood is one of the healthiest and most natural foods around and its consumption should be promoted, not denigrated.
It further states that the programme makers totally failed to acknowledge the huge strides made by the UK fishing industry in recent years to ensure a sustainable future. The industry has been making changes and sacrifices to be as conservation-minded as possible, working with government on selective gear and closed areas, and embracing a conservation scheme which offers fishermen incentives to fish in a responsible way.
The programme makers were unable to felt or unwilling to report true facts. The fishermen face lot of difficulties and dangerous activities in bringing to the plates sustainable, nutritious and tasty seafood, without having to face a totally unwarranted onslaught of this sort.
