The report outlines the health pros and cons of eating fish, summarises the environmental damage caused by both industrial fishing and fish farming, and lays bare the contradictions in government policy at both UK and EU level.
"Government policy is all at sea. One government Agency is telling people to eat more fish, because it’s good for their health. The same Agency is issuing health warnings, because some fish are too contaminated for pregnant women to eat. At European level, the EU knows that the North Sea fisheries - and others - are on the brink of collapse, but doesn’t have will to put the public interest first, behind vested interests. We are looking to Blair’s EU Presidency to tackle the Common Fisheries Policy that pretends to conserve endangered fish stocks, while subsidising super-trawlers that wreak environmental havoc.” Ben Wielgosz - 2005
The report concludes with a unique consumer fish guide, based on seven authoritative sources so that consumers don’t have to choose between fish that is healthy OR sustainable (or neither), but can choose both. Unfortunately, many fish and seafood choices are off the menu, as stocks are dangerously low, are caught unsustainably, and/or are contaminated.
Read the original press release.
Download 'Shooting Fish' and other titles from the Food Facts series.
To see information on activities undertaken by Sustain on the theme of Sustainable Fish, click on fish updates on the menu on the left.
