“For the past few months, I have been travelling around the UK meeting fishermen, marine conservationists, politicians, supermarkets bosses, and of course fish-eating members of the public,” says Hugh.
“My experience, and how it has changed the way I think about fish are shown in Hugh’s Fish Fight (broadcast 11th, 12th, 13th January 2011), as part of Channel 4′s Big Fish Fight.
“This season featuring programmes from fellow chefs Gordon Ramsay, Heston Blumenthal and Jamie Oliver, aims to champion sustainable seafood and celebrate lesser known delicacies of the deep.
“This website, fishfight.net is the campaign hub accompanying Hugh’s Fish Fight and will be continuing its work over the coming months. Here you can find out more about the issues raised in Hugh’s Fish Fight and lend your support to the campaign. You can also follow the progress of Hugh’s Fish Fight on Facebook and Twitter.
“Hugh’s Fish Fight is supported by a wide coalition of environmental Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and, we hope, by a growing number of fishermen and policy makers too. A vital part of the campaign, and the area where we are currently looking for public support, is the issue of discards at sea.”
DISCARDS AT SEA
Around half of the fish caught by fishermen in the North Sea are unnecessarily thrown back into the ocean dead.
The problem is that in a mixed fishery where many different fish live together, fishermen cannot control the species that they catch.
Fishing for one species often means catching another, and if people don’t want them or fishermen are not allowed to land them, the only option is to throw them overboard. The vast majority of these discarded fish will die.
Because discards are not monitored, it is difficult to know exactly how many fish are being thrown away. The EU estimates that in the North Sea, discards are between 40% and 60% of the total catch. Many of these fish are species that have fallen out of fashion: we can help to prevent their discard just by rediscovering our taste for them.
Others are prime cod, haddock, plaice and other popular food species that are “over-quota”. The quota system is intended to protect fish stocks by setting limits on how many fish of a certain species should be caught.
Fishermen are not allowed to land any over-quota fish; if they accidentally catch them – which they can’t help but do – there is no choice but to throw them overboard before they reach the docks.
THE SOLUTIONS
We need to diversify our fish eating habits, and we need to change policy so that it works for fish, fishermen and consumers.
The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which is the political framework for the quota system, is currently being reformed for 2012. Scientists and environmental groups have suggested a number of ways that that the policy can work to protect fish stocks. Some details of these can be found on our solutions page.
Re-writing the Common Fisheries Policy is going to be an enormously complicated business, and unfortunately there is no one easy solution to ending discards. Many people agree that the answer will lie in a combination of different ideas and policies.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
• Sign up to the campaign on the sign up page. You will be writing directly to policy makers in Europe to let them know that the unnecessary and unethical discarding of perfectly good fish must stop. We can make a difference. If enough people sign up to the campaign, they have to listen to us. We aim to get 250,000 signatures by summer 2011.
• Write to your MP to ask them to support the Fish Fight Early Day Motion.
• Expand the selection of fish that you eat by trying some of the lesser-known species of local fish currently being discarded as trash. In the UK, cod, salmon and tuna account for more than 50% of the fish that we consume, and tasty, exciting and nutritious fish such as flounder, dab, coley and pouting are overlooked and thrown away.
• Spread the word, tell all of your friends and family about Hugh’s Fish Fight and get them to sign the campaign too.
Together we can stop this ridiculous carnage. Join Hugh’s Fish Fight now!
Thanks very much,
Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall
On behalf of everyone at Fleetwood Maritime Heritage Trust i would like to wish you all a
Very Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year
Alan Duggan
Hello All,
I am looking for copies of Olsen’s Fisherman’s Nautical Almanac’s
If you have any that you would like to sell please can you contact me via email at, info@fleetwood-fishing-industry.co.uk
These little books are a valued source of information but unfortunately are hard to find.
Thanks
Alan Duggan
DO YOU HAVE AMATEUR FILM & MEMORIES OF THE FISHING INDUSTRY IN & AROUND
FLEETWOOD?
Available Light Productions, Bristol is producing for BBC 4 a three part documentary series “the Story of the Sea”. One programme will be on the changes the fishing industry has seen in the last hundred years or so.
The programmes will be based on amateur films and the experiences of local people – often appearing in those films.
We are particularly looking for people who have made amateur films / home movies of their work in the fishing industry, preferably over a period of decades – and who can tell us about the changes they have seen taking place. Can you help?
Please contact:
Sue Bennett: 0117 908 4433
sbennett@availablelight.tv
Events are taking place in Normandy to mark the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings. Some 130,000 allied troops took part in the 1944 landings.
Many countries lost many men on the beaches of Normandy. Over 4000 British soldiers and over 9000 American soldeirs are laid to rest in the Normandy cemetery.
So lets take a moment and remember the servicemen and civilians who lost there lives 65 years ago.
” You will never be forgotten “
This is the report for the boiler explosion aboard the steam ferry Wyresdale.
Thanks to Grimsby Library Archive for the scans.
Courtesy of Grimsby Library Archive
Courtesy of Grimsby Library Archive
Courtesy of Grimsby Library Archive
Courtesy of Grimsby Library Archive
Courtesy of Grimsby Library Archive
Good Evening,
I am looking for information on the following companies,
Newton & Sons Ltd
Alvis Trawlers Ltd
Fern Leaf Co Ltd
I know very little about Alvis and Fern Leaf. I know that Newton & Sons Ltd where shipwrights in Fleetwood from 1870 until 1977. I believe Newton’s built pleasure boats and also built a lot for the admiralty. Also I am lead to believe they owned a few trawlers working from the town.
I think there is a connection between the three companies. William Newton was manager for Alvis and Fern Leaf during the 50s and also for Newton’s. Unfortunately this is all I know.
My Mother in law is a descendant of the Newton’s and know a fair amount about what the company did in the later years. Unfortunately this side of the business is a dark area and very little is known.
Any information, images or general memories of any of the companies would be very welcome and greatly received.
Thanks
Alan Duggan
From all the team of The Fleetwood Maritime Heritage Trust we would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.
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