LondonAccord:Fish
2040ATE
It's strange to think that a foodstuff loathed by many (I'm thinking of children going "yuk" when presented with a plate of un-breaded, un-fried plaice) is in process of being wiped off the face of the ocean.
In the film "The End of the Line" (based on the book by journalist Charles Clover) scientists uncovered how all fish stocks will have been depleted by 2048, unless some serious changes are enforced in the way that the fishing industry operates. Although 'quotas' and 'limits' aready exist in the EU, companies and fisherfolk seldom keep within them. Over-fishing is further complicated by the fact that fleet can simply mast a different flag in whichever waters they are fishing for quaranteed immunity from local constraints. Ipso facto, the rampant activities of the fishing industry has gone pretty much unchecked world-wide. This isn't helped by the ineptitudes of organisations such as ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna) which has wittily but rather depressingly been dubbed the International Conspiracy to Catch All Tuna [1]
If we are drowning in the plight of fish, there are a few lifejackets bobbing up and down around us. The MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) [2] is there to champion the sustainable fishing of our scaly friends. By encouraging smaller fishing fleets and artesan methods, not only is by-catch waste reduced, but fisherfolk catches are being rewarded over vast companies, which in turn safeguards their livelihoods.
Supermarkets such as Sainsbury's and Waitrose are keen supporters of MSC and stock a growing range of approved fish products. (Does this sound like an advert?!)
Of course, it is highly uncouth to receive information uncritically from any source. There are several issues to raise here:
- how independent can scientists truly be? - what 'science' are their calculations and predictions based on? - shouldn't we just not eat fish at all rather than have yet another 'sustainable' prefix? - is it actually possible to fish 'sustainably'? - won't cutting down on the number and size of fishing vessels mean a huge loss of jobs?
