For many people, the three
words ‘Common Fisheries Policy’ previously went hand in hand with another four
words: ‘What does that mean?’ Either that or, a hefty yawn and a glazed look.
Hugh and Jamie during filming of Fish Fight outside Westminster
"Greenest government ever." That’s the
phrase that’s already been used to slap the current UK
administration a fair few times. It’s an ambitious claim, but it seems even on
the black-and-white issues UK ministers can’t quite bring
themselves to go green.
It's with enormous pleasure that I
can reveal that Princes has (finally) got the message that bycatch is killing
the oceans and has announced that it will clean up its tinned tuna.
Posted by Willie -
2 March 2011 at 6:23pm -
Comments
If yesterday’s news is supposed to be today’s
fish and chip wrappers, then today we have an odd scenario: your fish supper is
probably wrapped in a hefty helping of column inches on fishing.
Of all the tuna species, skipjack
is seen as the most plentiful and the most sustainable. The speed with which it
reproduces and matures has meant stocks are more resilient to our industrial
fishing fleets than its bluefin and bigeye cousins, and has guaranteed its
place in the sandwiches and baked potatoes of the nation. Or at least, that has
been the case until now.
Now you see it...: cod caught in the North Sea and about to be discarded
Discards are disgusting. No-one with any sense can support the
catching, killing, and throwing away of fish. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Fish Fight
– which Greenpeace has supported from the outset - has at long last made the
waste of perfectly good fish a national outrage. It is a pointless
waste of life, and potential resources. It’s abhorrent whether you eat fish or
don’t.
Now I'm back in the office and
finally warmed up after yesterday's trip to visit Princes in Liverpool,
I've been able to browse through some of the slogan suggestions which have been
sent in. There are some absolute crackers in the 1,000-plus ideas we've
received.
Unfortunately I can't say the same for sharks in the oceans. They are getting caught up in Princes' nets along with other fish, rays and even turtles because Princes relies on fish aggregating devices (Fads) used with purse seine nets even though they know that's a sure-fire way to haul up plenty of bycatch along with the tuna.
