22 November, 2007

THE EUROPEAN Parliament will be told today (Thursday) that it needs to radical rethink its “criminally insane” EU fishing policy.

Scottish Euro MP Struan Stevenson will address the European Parliament Fisheries Committee in Brussels asking them to change the current situation regarding fish discards.

The committee will be voting on a report by Green MEP Carl Schlyter called “A policy to reduce unwanted by-catches and eliminate discards in European fisheries.”

Currently more than one million tonnes of healthy fish are discarded each year. Mr Stevenson will be asking for an urgent solution to the problem.

“If we are to be successful in tackling the discards issue, then a better system of management is needed. One where fishermen could land everything they catch in the 10 or 12 days a month they are allowed to fish,” Mr Stevenson said.

“Instead of being compelled to dump fish, they would be compelled to land everything. It would become an offence to discard undersize or out of quota fish.

“The ‘land all’ policy would give scientists a much clearer picture of what fish are being caught and where. This would enable more accurate conservation and recovery plans to be devised.

“Also, when young, undersize fish are landed, fisheries inspectors could immediately call for a temporary closure of specific fishing grounds, to avoid further pressure on immature stocks.

“Under this policy, undersize fish and other species which previously would have been discarded could be sold to the processing sector. A sector that is desperate for raw material to supply the fishmeal and fish oil industry.

"In an industry already constrained by limitations of the number of days that can be spent at sea, time spent catching and sorting fish of no commercial value is regarded by fishermen as valuable time lost.

“We must urgently help them find a sensible, workable solution to the problem.”