EU fish discard ban comes into force, starting with mackerel and herring
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Business Green] - January 5, 2014 -
The UK has hailed the first step towards a full ban on the controversial practice of fish "discards" whereby fishing vessels tip unwanted fish back into the sea.
January 1st marked the date when fishermen targeting pelagic quota species such as mackerel, whiting, sprat and herring will have to land all the quota fish they catch, with a similar rule for demersal fish including cod and hake set to come into force at the start of 2016.
The move follows three years of hard-fought negotiations in Brussels to reform the Common Fisheries Policy, which was marked by a high profile public campaign to bring an end to the practice of discarding and tighten restrictions on overfishing. However, many of the new policy proposals faced opposition from the fishing industry, while the UK government reportedly led resistance to moves to cut the amount of time fishermen can spend at sea.
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