A fishing industry body has described an EU plan to end white-fish discards within two years as “like the Titanic” because of its design flaws.
The National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO), which represents fishers in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, said the discard ban was “doomed to collide with some hard realities”.
Its equivalent north of the border, the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, (SFF) said yesterday there was “no practical solution” for introducing the ban to mixed fisheries.
Discarding, the practice of throwing unwanted fish overboard, is to be progressively phased out between 2015 and 2019, and fishermen will be obliged to land at least 95% of all the fish they catch.
The ban on white-fish discards and its associated landing obligation comes into effect at the start of 2016.
NFFO said: “With fatal design flaws and a course that will lead it through treacherous waters, the EU landings obligation is a high-risk gamble that has great potential for catastrophe.
“Like the Titanic, where the expectations and aspirations of the owners set up time pressures that precluded a much safer course to the destination, the European co-legislators and the (European) Commission have created a dangerous path to the objective of low discard fisheries.
“At risk are all the gains that have been made over the last 10 years in putting European fisheries on a sound and sustainable footing.”
It added: “Like the Titanic, the discard ban is a grandiose, eye-catching initiative.
“The great white ship impressed those who knew little or nothing about ship design, navigation or seamanship.
“Similarly, fishermen, scientists, control authorities and fisheries administrators have all voiced their concerns about the implementation of the new discard legislation.
“Agreed in a maelstrom of publicity as the centrepiece of the CFP (Common Fisheries Policy) reform, even some environmental non-governmental organisations are now backing away from the monster that they have helped to create and set on course towards the ice fields.
“Like the Titanic, the owners of the discard ban will be miles away and long gone when tragedy strikes.”
SFF chief executive Bertie Armstrong said: “There is no practical solution that can be put in place for Scotland’s mixed white-fish and prawn fleet.
“Our fisheries ministers will now have to face up to some very tough decisions if they are not to preside over the death of sectors of our industry.”
Scottish White Fish Producers’ Association chief executive Mike Park said: “The discards policy has the right intention but takes the wrong direction.
“We have ended up with a political solution, rather than a commonsense approach, which poses a huge threat to the industry.”