Fish discards a ‘pointless waste’, says John Thurso

Local MP John Thurso has welcomed a move to end the ‘abomination’ of fish discards.

CAITHNESS, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP John Thurso has welcomed a pledge to fight fish discarding in Europe through reform of the Common Fisheries Policy.

During a recent debate on the issue, fisheries minister Richard Benyon vowed to end the "abomination" of fish discards in a hungry world. Fishermen are forced to throw fish, which are often dead or dying, over board in order to comply with EU quotas outlined in the CFP.

This has led to the discard of an estimated 40 to 60 per cent of the fish caught in the North Sea.

The minister argued a reformed CFP must do all it can to eradicate discards by getting rid of unnecessary and over-detailed regulation, and managing stocks on a regional or sea-basin basis.

He said he wants to see fishermen given clear entitlements to fish stocks and a stake in the long-term health of those stocks.

Speaking afterwards, John Thurso said: "I have long campaigned against discarding fish at sea which has always struck me as a pointless waste, doing nothing for stock conservation.

"I welcome the cross-party response to this horrendous practice which fishermen are forced into under the current EU quota system.

"Ever since I was chairman of Scrabster harbour in the late ’90s and saw the practice at first hand I have thought it crude and pointless. I know from that first-hand experience that local fishermen are frustrated by the illogical rules and regulations they have to comply with and which leads to this terrible waste of fish."