On Friday, March 30, Fish Fight will launch its Europe-wide discards ban campaign in Poland. The event will take place in front of the Polish Parliament (Sejm), and will be led by a Polish celebrity chef, Robert Makłowicz. According to Fish Fight, up to 15% of all fish caught in the Baltic Sea is discarded.
The main purpose of the event is to raise public awareness about the wasteful and unselective fishing practices occuring in the Baltic Sea—and generally in the European Union waters—and to garner support to ban discards under the currently reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which at this point in the process proposes to cover only selected commercial species.
The focus on the wasteful practice of discarding was tabled by the European Commission already under the previous Commissioner for Maritime Affairs & Fisheries, Joe Borg. Since then the issue has been influenced by the Fish Fight campaign, which has helped the current Commissioner, Maria Damanaki, highlight the problem of discarding among the general public across Europe. So far close to 800 000 people in the European Union and beyond actively support the cause through Fish Fight, and politicians are paying attention.
Discarding of unwanted catches (or bycatch) leaves 1.3 million tonnes of perfectly good fish thrown back to the sea each year – often dead or badly damaged. Bycatch is defined as fish (commercial or non-commerical species) caught unintentionally while trying to catch other fish. Bycatch includes untargeted catch, which means catching undersized/ juvenile individuals or protected species.
The solution to discarding according to Fish Fight will not be easy, and will have to include a creative combination of ideas and policies. The main messaging behind the campaign pertains to diversifying ‘our fish eating habits’ and the ‘need to change policy so that it works for fish, fishermen and consumers’.
The event in Poland will be attended by policy makers, fishermen, environmental organizations, scientists, and the public. Youth will also be a big part of the event, as some schools in Warsaw have been invited to take part. To promote diversification of our fish eating habits, Robert Makłowicz will also demonstrate- by cooking on site- that it is possible to enjoy eating discarded/unwanted catches, as long as they are not undersized/juvenile fish or protected species.
If you would like to join in, the event will take place 30 March, starting at noon until 14:00 at the Polish Sejm in Warsaw, Poland.
For more information please check the link below.