Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2004-12-12 04:04:54 - Graham Ellis
There's controvesy over plans to restrict fishing in the North and Irish seas - in what seems an annual round of cutting the fishing fleet and imposing strict quotas. I wonder how efficient and effecive such schemes are - I understand that up to 50% of the catch is thrown back dead as it's not the paricular fish that are wanted. Rather akin to a farmer breeding sheep and cattle, then killing all the lambs and throwing the carcasses away because the customers want beef this week.
In Melksham Forest, the chippy sells "Cat fish" which (on enquiry) is fish that can't be sold for human consumption but is legal for cats, and the pub offers a "bucket of fish trash" on its menu. Two small steps in the right direction, but we've a long way still to go - a sea change one might say.