Scandanavian fisheries ministers sign agreement prohibiting fish discards
http://www.fishupdate.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/16637FISHERIES ministers from Norway, Sweden and Denmark have signed a joint declaration to prohibit discarding of fish in the Skagerrak from 2013.
Discarding of fish is a huge problem in fisheries worldwide and is caused by fish being caught that are over quota, unmarketable or cannot be landed.
Louize Hill, head of Marine & Fisheries Policy at WWF European Policy Office, said: “Discarding of fish is a terrible waste of marine resources. Together with overfishing, this represents a massive threat for the world’s fish stocks. Banning discards can be an effective way to end this waste, when accompanied with measures to stop the fish that would be discarded being caught in the first place.”
Norway already has a discard ban accompanied by regulations that aim to reduce bycatch. At present in the EU, however, fishermen are required to discard fish that cannot be legally landed because they are below a certain minimum size, or are over quota, and there are few incentives for fishermen to adopt selective fishing practices that would mean these fish would not be caught in the first place.
“The Common Fisheries Policy has not halted overfishing in the past decades, and so is under reform to try and address this. Tackling discards is high on the agenda of the Commission,” continues Louize Hill. “But, a ban alone is not enough, we need accountability for catches as well as selective fishing gear and practices to be in place at the same time.”
—
Yours sincerely,
Dr Richmond Loh
BSc BVMS MPhil MANZCVS (Aq & Pathol)
The Fish Vet, Perth, Western Australia.
Veterinary Medicine for fish.
http://www.thefishvet.com.au
Ph: +61 (0)421 822 383
