FISHERMEN and consumers are winning the fight against discards – in Newlyn, at least.
New evidence shows the problem of fish being thrown away, highlighted in a series of high-profile campaigns, may not be as bad as people think.
More than 676,000 people have signed up to celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Fish Fight, inspired by his claim that half of all fish caught has to be thrown back.
But while that may be true of the North Sea, local industry experts say huge steps have already been taken to tackle the problem in west Cornwall.
Paul Trebilcock, head of the Cornish Fish Producers' Organisation, denies half of fish caught from Newlyn is wasted. "That is certainly not the case here," he said, adding that a lot of work had been done to increase the species which were acceptable in the UK.
Figures released recently by Defra indicated that in English waters in 2008, 68 per cent of fish caught was landed to market.
This means roughly a third was thrown back overboard: 17 per cent due to weak markets, and 7 per cent because of quota regulations (the remaining 8 per cent were too small to be legally landed).
Although figures for 2010 are not yet available, in 2009 an estimated 38 per cent (or 18,500 tonnes) was discarded in the fishing area that includes the South West.
Trend
Bib and lesser-spotted dogfish top the list of species most frequently thrown back, but according to Mr Trebilcock, several of these non-quota species are either making their way onto British tables or being landed as bait. Defra's figures show a 40 per cent reduction in discards from 2006 to 2008 – and that decrease looks likely to be continuing.
"The trend clearly is downwards," added Mr Trebilcock, a view backed up by fish merchant Robin Turner.
"The English market that has always been quite conservative has now become very broad-minded," said Mr Turner, explaining that fish tastes were changing among the British public. "A lot of it is to do with the media and the celebrity chefs, so we have got to thank them for that.
"They have done a great job for us on fish like gurnard and razor clams, things that the English palate has never picked up on that are absolutely delicious."
A Defra spokesperson said Britain was leading the way in efforts to protect the long-term sustainability of fish stocks and the livelihoods of fishermen. "We need a complete overhaul of the broken Common Fisheries Policy – a better system where fishermen have greater flexibility and freedom, helping to end the dreadful waste of discarded fish," he said.
article copyright THE CORNISHMAN