Feed the Starving - Crazy Rabbits and Fish Part 2

Is it not a moral disgrace that we throw away food while others starve?

The EU Common Fisheries Policy limits the quantity of fish that fishermen are allowed to catch, in an attempt to improve dwindling stocks. But it also bans fishermen from landing any fish, caught inadvertently, that are not included in the quotas.  

These fish are thrown back into the sea in a practice known as ‘discarding’ and such fish is referred to as ‘discard’ or 'bycatch'.

The EU estimates that up to 60 per cent of fish caught by trawlers in the North Sea is discarded, damaging the sustainability of fish stocks and the marine environment.

English and Welsh fishing boats have thrown five million cod back into the North Sea in the last three years. In 2007, they had to throw back three out of every four plaice caught.

"Discarding" also makes it more difficult for scientists accurately to assess stock levels, which makes it harder to set appropriate quotas.

Failure to comply with these regulations has resulted in prison sentences for some of the UKs fishermen and some have even been prosecuted under legislation originally drawn up to deal with drug dealers and terrorists.

The White Ferrets Solution

The White Ferret believes that fishermen should only throw back fish that are alive. Over-quota fish should be landed and not discarded, but that no direct commercial payment should be made for these fish. Fisherman should be partially compensated for landing fish that would otherwise be discarded, without making it profitable for them to deliberately target the wrong fish.

Instead, these over quota fish should be declared to the authorities as being over quota and responsibility for them should pass to the authority. These fish should then be looked at and recorded by the scientific community so that a full and better understanding of all fish stocks can be achieved with the aim of using this information to develop better fishing methodologies and practices.

Finally, and crucially, these over quota fish should be given to NGOs for free to feed the hungry and starving.

Warehousing, packing, transportation etc should be paid for by the UK Government from Overseas Development funds. The White Ferret believes that this would be a better use of UK taxpayers money as it would help to feed others while at the same time support our own needs and the marine environment.

Overall, fishermen using sustainable practices would receive a larger share of the revenue.

If you like this idea, why not do something to help make it happen?

 whiteferrret@hotmail.co.uk  @thewhiteferret