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Fishy origins
De Chinese vistrawler Jiu Yuan 812 laadt vis over op het koelschip Hai Feng 830, 120 kilometer ten westen van Guinee.
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How they are caught and the damage done to other fish stocks and the
rest of the oceans by destructive fishing isn’t even factored into that
number. And then of course there is the fish that is stolen. As we’ve
shown in West Africa there are pirates operating every day in every
ocean.
Tracking and tracing every fish isn’t easy. But it’s not impossible either – many countries do it for cows and chickens, why not fish too? Supermarkets, restaurants and retailers are part of the solution to wipe out the trade in stolen fish, protect species that won’t survive the current rate of fishing and stop buying fish that have been caught in ways which destroy ocean life. They should be able to guarantee exactly where their fish was caught, if it was done so legally and which boat caught it, and was it done sustainably. But often these retailers just don’t know the answers.
If retailers know that people care they will have to start reacting. They have to provide what you and your friends want. But if no-one ever asks the hard questions they will never know and they will never respond. Even if you don’t eat fish you can still ask the questions…
Below are some key species to focus on
• Wild caught tropical prawns have one of the highest bycatch rates - overall, trawls for tropical prawns take 35 percent of the world's bycatch. For every 1 kg of prawns, over 10kg of other marine life is thrown away as discard. Among this bycatch are endangered species such as sea turtles.
• Bottom trawls for prawns also destroy the seabed.
• Farming tropical prawns has significant detrimental impacts on the environment, particularly through destruction of mangrove forests and pollution. There are also many human rights issues associated with these farming practices, including the loss of fishing grounds from local people.
• All stocks of tuna are largely fully exploited and many are over-fished.
• Southern bluefin tuna is listed as Critically Endangered while bigeye tuna is Vulnerable.
• The main two methods used to catch tuna, purse seine nets and longlines, have a very high rate of bycatch of small fish, sharks, marlin, swordfish and turtles.
• All NE Atlantic cod stocks are over-fished and in decline according to independent scientists.
• Stocks in some areas, including the North Sea, are so low that scientists are recommending that cod fishing should be banned in these areas.
• Methods used for catching cod have high levels of bycatch of immature fish and non-target species.
• Wild Atlantic salmon stocks are severely depleted due to over-fishing and are believed to have halved in the last 20 years.
• Farmed Atlantic salmon does not offer a good alternative as wild-caught fish are used to make salmon feed.
• Salmon are intensively farmed - the resulting diseases spread to wild fish, and chemicals, antibiotics and waste from farms pollute the environment.
• Many stocks of plaice around Europe are under great pressure. Large, mature plaice are now very rare.
• The fishing method used to catch plaice, bottom trawling, is one of the most destructive forms of fishing as it ploughs the sea bed crushing everything in its path.
• This method also catches large numbers of immature plaice and high numbers of non-target species. Up to 80 percent of the total catch is bycatch and thrown dead back in to the sea.
• Many stocks around the world have crashed as this is a slowing growing species that can live up to 150 years old.
• The fishing method used to catch Orange Roughy is bottom trawling which is one of the most destructive forms of fishing and is destroying seamounts and their unique biodiversity.
• We are calling for a moratorium on high seas bottom trawling – follow the net tour here.
Tracking and tracing every fish isn’t easy. But it’s not impossible either – many countries do it for cows and chickens, why not fish too? Supermarkets, restaurants and retailers are part of the solution to wipe out the trade in stolen fish, protect species that won’t survive the current rate of fishing and stop buying fish that have been caught in ways which destroy ocean life. They should be able to guarantee exactly where their fish was caught, if it was done so legally and which boat caught it, and was it done sustainably. But often these retailers just don’t know the answers.
If retailers know that people care they will have to start reacting. They have to provide what you and your friends want. But if no-one ever asks the hard questions they will never know and they will never respond. Even if you don’t eat fish you can still ask the questions…
Next time you’re in your favourite restaurant or supermarket try asking some questions.• Where was the fish caught? • How was it caught?- Is there any bycatch (extra fish they weren’t looking for that then gets thrown back over the side, dead or dying)? • How does the supermarket/ restaurant ensure that no illegally caught fish makes it onto the shelves? • Can they tell you the name of the boat or company that caught the fish |
Below are some key species to focus on
Tropical prawns (farmed and wild)
• Wild caught tropical prawns have one of the highest bycatch rates - overall, trawls for tropical prawns take 35 percent of the world's bycatch. For every 1 kg of prawns, over 10kg of other marine life is thrown away as discard. Among this bycatch are endangered species such as sea turtles.
• Bottom trawls for prawns also destroy the seabed.
• Farming tropical prawns has significant detrimental impacts on the environment, particularly through destruction of mangrove forests and pollution. There are also many human rights issues associated with these farming practices, including the loss of fishing grounds from local people.
Tuna (all species except Skipjack)
• All stocks of tuna are largely fully exploited and many are over-fished.• Southern bluefin tuna is listed as Critically Endangered while bigeye tuna is Vulnerable.
• The main two methods used to catch tuna, purse seine nets and longlines, have a very high rate of bycatch of small fish, sharks, marlin, swordfish and turtles.
Atlantic Cod
• All NE Atlantic cod stocks are over-fished and in decline according to independent scientists. • Stocks in some areas, including the North Sea, are so low that scientists are recommending that cod fishing should be banned in these areas.
• Methods used for catching cod have high levels of bycatch of immature fish and non-target species.
Atlantic Salmon (wild and farmed)
• Wild Atlantic salmon stocks are severely depleted due to over-fishing and are believed to have halved in the last 20 years.• Farmed Atlantic salmon does not offer a good alternative as wild-caught fish are used to make salmon feed.
• Salmon are intensively farmed - the resulting diseases spread to wild fish, and chemicals, antibiotics and waste from farms pollute the environment.
Plaice
• Many stocks of plaice around Europe are under great pressure. Large, mature plaice are now very rare.• The fishing method used to catch plaice, bottom trawling, is one of the most destructive forms of fishing as it ploughs the sea bed crushing everything in its path.
• This method also catches large numbers of immature plaice and high numbers of non-target species. Up to 80 percent of the total catch is bycatch and thrown dead back in to the sea.
Orange Roughy
• Many stocks around the world have crashed as this is a slowing growing species that can live up to 150 years old.
• The fishing method used to catch Orange Roughy is bottom trawling which is one of the most destructive forms of fishing and is destroying seamounts and their unique biodiversity.
• We are calling for a moratorium on high seas bottom trawling – follow the net tour here.