Meps with Fair Trade propsA EURO MP has welcomed a key move towards ending the ‘shocking’ practice of dumping fish overboard.
Glenis Willmott, who represents the East Midlands – including Swadlincote – in the European Parliament for Labour, spoke after it voted to end over-fishing and help preserve fish stocks and the fishing industry for future generations.
The reforms adopted by Strasbourg are designed to restore fish stocks to sustainable levels and will end fish discards – the controversial practice whereby fish that are over-quota or under minimum size are thrown back into the sea.
Mrs Willmott said: “Labour MEPs have been supporting this campaign since it started and we voted in favour of these changes.
“It’s great news.
“Dumping fish overboard is a shocking waste. It’s no surprise that so many constituents have written complaining about this.
“And with stocks depleted through over-fishing, it’s no wonder that people wanted to see a real change in how we manage our fishing industry.
“Now we need the 27 EU governments to back the changes we agreed on.
“This vote is the first step to getting a new, sustainable European fisheries policy.”
The campaign to reform the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy has been supported by top TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
It has also won the backing of thousands of EU citizens who signed petitions, wrote to their MEPs and even painted pictures of fish to voice their concern about a level of over-fishing which has led to Europe’s seas being the most depleted in the world.”
