From the UK to Europe: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Fish Fight has become an incredible force for change, with over 678 100 emails sent calling for an end to the insane practise of discards in the UK – and now the battle’s moving to the continent.
It began in January, when Channel 4 broadcast the first episodes of Hugh’s BAFTA winning documentary series, Fish Fight – which investigated how our fish gets from sea to supermarket.
One of the scandals broadcast into living rooms was the issue of discards - where thousands of tonnes of edible fish are tossed back into the sea, usually dead, due to fundamental flaws in the Common Fisheries Policy.
Audiences were shocked. And so, in their thousands, signed Hugh’s petition to ask the EU to stop this preposterous practise – 678 162 and counting so far.
Today’s launch sees Hugh keep his promise to the Fish Fighter army, by taking their names to Brussels and urging the European Fisheries Commission to urgently discuss CFP reform.
But, Fish Fight is more than a list of names, realising Hugh’s vision to: “Help the British public find a voice, and protest against this shameful practise, that is both an environmental crime and a moral outrage.”
After this massive public support and media coverage, Fish Fight led the issue of discards to be discussed in the House of Commons several times.
Shadow fisheries minister Willie Bain brought the campaign to Parliament’s attention in March, asking UK fisheries minister Richard Benyon to: "end fishing practices that damage the biodiversity of our oceans".
This was followed by Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith, whose Early Day Motion this month called for end to discards, which gained blanket backing from MPs – putting pressure on UK fisheries Minister Richard Benyon to call for urgent CFP reform in the EU.
Now, after unanimous support in the UK, today Fish Fight launched in the EU with a free fish feast and some words from Hugh – a fitting climax for the feature’s second series, airing in June.
“I didn’t want to come here today and simply hand over a piece of paper with a lot of names on it,” said Hugh in his speech today.
“And I certainly didn’t want to imply that the Fish Fight is over, or the battle over discards is won. Far from it. I want today to mark a new phase in our Fish Fight, where we take our message – and the public outrage over wasting fish – right across Europe.”
“We want to give the whole of Europe a voice to help end discards.”
Eleven national Fish Fight microsites are being launched across the continent, as Hugh is in Brussels to present his petition to European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs & Fisheries Maria Damanaki – complete with an interactive shipwreck counter that will sit outside the EU Parliament Building, showing in real time how many people worldwide have joined the fight.
Stood in front of his powerful sculpture Hugh looked determined as he wrapped with hopeful words:
“Let’s hear it for Fish Fight, for an end to discards, for a sane and sustainable future to our fisheries, and for good food, from a well-nurtured Ocean, for our children, and our grandchildren.”
To support Hugh's Europe wide Fish Fight campaign sign up here: www.fishfight.net
Find our more about discards, fishing and Greenpeace's oceans work:
- African Voices tour diary: fishermen bring their mission to the UK (blog)
UK politicians join forces to fight for better fish laws (blog) - What's happening in West Africa? An African Voices video (blog)
- Fashion and fish? Selfridges' Project Ocean is a powerful partnership (blog)
- Selfridges launch Project Ocean (blog)
