Two weeks after the European Commission published a proposed reform of EU fishing management, a research study has concluded that the practice of dumping fish over quota has cost the UK almost £1bn.

The study published by the New Economics Foundation (NEF) states that almost £1bn worth of North Sea cod has been discarded by UK fishing vessels, much of which was dumped into the English Channel, between 1963 and 2008.

Researchers from the NEF calculated that cod, worth a total of £2.7bn had been discarded in the North Sea, the eastern English Channel and Skagerrak, the area separating Norway, Denmark and Sweden, in the past 48 years.

For the United Kingdom discards alone, the research claims a total landing value of  £935 million which would have supported 711 additional UK jobs.

On 13 July the European Commission published proposals to ban the practice.

It said: "As part of a major reform of EU fisheries management, the Commission has proposed banning the practice of throwing unwanted fish overboard.

"Instead, fishermen would have to land all commercial fish caught. The approach will lead to more reliable data on fish stocks and act as an incentive for fishermen to avoid unwanted catches by using selective fishing gear."
 

Hawkinge Gazette and Channel Coast News 2011©