Waitrose backs calls to end fish dumping

Ministers are this week pushing for increased quotas after the UK fishing industry warned it was facing ruin because of the practice.

It says fishing crews often continue catching large amounts of fish such as cod by accident after exceeding quotas, and have no option but to dump them.

Waitrose fish buyer Jeremy Langley said: "The discarding of fish by-catch is an issue that affects the industry as a whole, and we are in full support of moves to address it.

"We buy a large proportion of our fish from countries such as Iceland, which do not allow the practice of discards. We also work closely with our suppliers, encouraging fishing techniques that minimise by-catch.

“These measures include…using larger mesh sizes in nets to catch our plaice and lemon sole. However, where fish is unavoidably caught out of quota, we believe it is wrong for this fish to be discarded.

"This issue needs to be urgently addressed in order to secure a sustainable future for our fishing industry."

Seafish chief executive John Rutherford, said: “We are glad to see that the problem of discarding unwanted fish is being highlighted and we acknowledge that this is a wasteful practice that must be addressed.

“Progress has been made by all UK fisheries institutions with the introduction of technical measures such as square mesh panels, coverless prawn trawl, effort and capacity reduction and closed areas. Effort is now targeted more accurately, but the rate of change needs to be stepped up.

“There are opportunities for fishermen, through their associations, to deal with areas where discarding is most apparent. We encourage them to act as stewards of the sea and take advantage of the gear technology that is available to them.”