Overfishing: our own modern
Tragedy of the Commons
In an article published in the Irish Independant on November 9th 2011, it was reported that fishermen in Ireland throw away a staggering 38% of the fish they catch each year. Fish are thrown away if they exceed quota, are the wrong species or are too small to sell, but opponents argue that this creates massive waste of dead fish without doing anything to conserve threatened stocks.
The discard rate varies between species, with for example 55% of Irish haddock thrown away; 54% of whiting; 71% of plaice; 18% of monkfish; and 11% of cod. Ireland is the first country in Europe to publish these figures, but it is believed that they would be similar or worse in other countries.
EU Marine Commissioner Maria Damanaki is calling for a radical overhaul of EU fishing policy that would include an effective ban on discards in a bid to cut back on over-fishing.
EU Marine Commissioner Maria Damanaki is calling for a radical overhaul of EU fishing policy that would include an effective ban on discards in a bid to cut back on over-fishing.
See References page for link to original article.