An Essex fisherman is facing prison because too many fish swam into his nets!
Terry Stimpson, 51, is being taken to court by the Maritime Management Organisation * for catching and selling too many cod.
It's not like you can tell them to stop going into the net is it? If you do happen to exceed the quota for the boat the fisherman is supposed to throw the excess back. This means chucking dead fish into the sea not returning live ones. So how does this policy help to conserve fish stocks?
Mr Stimpson, who runs the last remaining commercial fishing boat in
Brightlingsea, said: “The quota has dropped and dropped for boats my
size. Now it is almost impossible for us to make a living. I just cannot see the point of throwing dead fish back into the sea.
It is a completely senseless waste of our natural resources."
I guess that they want you to give up Terry, there's no room for the little guy in the scheme of things even though common sense tells us that small boats fishing inshore waters are the most reactive and sensible way to manage fish stocks. It was never about conserving fish it has always been about control.
But who or what could be behind this bizarre approach to fisheries management?
European Union rules set a strict limit on the amount of fish which are caught.
All becomes clear
The Maritime Management Organisations' website has a merry questionaire that you can complete asking us to 'share our views' - have fun!
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