Scandal of the EU's own making
01 February 2008
Speaking in a fishing debate in the European Parliament on "discards", Traditional Unionist MEP Jim Allister described the practice of throwing back perfectly good, dead fish, because they were of a prohibited species, as a "scandal", which flowed directly from the folly of EU policy.
In the course of his remarks Mr Allister said:-
"The scandal of discards is one of the EU's own making. Impossible quotas and restrictions are imposed in mixed fisheries, prohibited stocks are unavoidably caught and in consequence they are dumped back dead into the sea, while hunger prevails in many parts of the world. For years the EU has wrung its hands over this, but done nothing to stop it.
Such fish should be landed and sold at a fixed price sufficiently low to discourage deliberate catching, but sufficiently high to make their landing worthwhile. Rewarding the use of more selective fishing gear with extra days at sea is also sensible.
I reject blanket discard bans as translating into yet another device of driving more fishermen out of business. We've ruminated on this issue for years, now is the time to move forward."
Released: 31st January 2008
