Fish fight

[spartacus]

A couple of months back another member kindly posted details of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's fish-fight campaign to bring about an end to discard.

Just watched Hugh's C4 programme tonight and frankly I was incensed. I knew discard was part and parcel of our current EC fishing policy, but it's complete lunacy.

If you haven't already signed up, then here's the link.

http://www.fishfight.net/

[Erin]

Appalling waste. But I did like the bit where they did the discard right on the shore at Hastings. Perhaps they ought to do it outside the Houses of Parliament next time, and flood the Thames with dead fish.

[Channel Ribs]

Originally Posted by Erin

Appalling waste. But I did like the bit where they did the discard right on the shore at Hastings. Perhaps they ought to do it outside the Houses of Parliament next time, and flood the Thames with dead fish.

A sort of gunpowder plot, but with MPs being put off their lunch rather than smithereened?

[kerny]

If anyone missed the progam last night here is the link ,

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/h...ht/4od#3152474

[Erin]

Originally Posted by malthouse

A sort of gunpowder plot, but with MPs being put off their lunch rather than smithereened?

Yes. Less saltpetre, and more salt cod

[Simon B]

Better still make it a regular thing, some of those cod were huge.

Still the policy must have been of some benefit to some or else our politicians would have sorted it out years ago.

Iceland (the country not the shop) seems to have a better go at it than the rest of the EU.

[kerny]

Originally Posted by Erin

Appalling waste. But I did like the bit where they did the discard right on the shore at Hastings. Perhaps they ought to do it outside the Houses of Parliament next time, and flood the Thames with dead fish.

it might have better effect doing it at Brussels though .

[spartacus]

Originally Posted by Simon B

Iceland (the country not the shop) seems to have a better go at it than the rest of the EU.

That's because they've got a 'devil may care' approach to EC law. Iceland and Faroese want to increase their share of mackeral quotas. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/ne...-15033849.html

Unlimited fishing (taking all species), but governed by net sizes, the number of boats and days at sea seems a logical approach.

Had to laugh at the fishieries minister, he identified 2 species out of 16 (including Monkfish) at Billingsgate Market...

[Channel Ribs]

Originally Posted by Simon B

Still the policy must have been of some benefit to some or else our politicians would have sorted it out years ago.

Fishing fleets have shrunk and some species are starting to recover. I believe the legislation was made by people who had no idea how commercial fishing worked, they expected the fishermen to selectively catch.

Stopping people landing stuff is far easier to police, than administering licenses that have net size, vessel size and days at sea all involved.

[kerny]

Me thinks that that French EU politician who said " you will never have a clean fishery policy keep on dreaming its impossible" is an arrogant ars**ole .The more that sign up the more chance we've got of proving him wrong . And that goes for all the EU MP's involved in this .They take the money fiddling their expenses and our trawler men struggle to make ends meet not to mention risking there lives to help feed the nation and make a living .Sorry guys my rant over .