Websailor's Wacky Wildife World
Created | Updated May 7, 2008
A quirky look at wildlife. To be taken with a pinch of salt, but with more than a grain of truth!
Friday Night was 'Fish and Chip' Night then...
For those people old enough to remember post-war Britain, and well into the 1960s, Friday Night was Music Night on the BBC Light programme (now Radio 2) and almost everyone ate a fish-and-chip supper. Ah, those were the days!
The smell alone was enough to make a person hungry and attract them to the huge queues outside the fish-and-chip shops, which would be the envy of the traders now. A wait of 45 minutes was not unusual before you got your hands on a hot vinegary parcel of cod/plaice and chips, all wrapped (very unhygienically of course) in newspaper. It has never tasted the same since newspaper was abandoned! 'Takeaway' was unheard of, though of course this was the origin of the species. Now, what has this to do with wildlife I wonder? Back then we didn't really consider where the fish came from, much less the hard life led by those who provided us with such bounty.
Well, have you noticed how much smaller portions or plaice and cod are these days? This is not profiteering by fishmongers, just a lack of the size of fish we used to take for granted. Wild cod and plaice — and other fish, too — have been plundered to such a degree over the years that fish do not survive to anything like the size and maturity they did in the past. Taking younger and younger fish means they are not reproducing as they once did. In spite of this, those of us in the UK eat about one-third of the world's total cod catch, mainly for our favourite supper, and global catches of cod have dropped by 70% in the last 30 years. Badly-managed fishing, shipping, gravel extraction, oil and gas mining and pollution have all taken their toll on the rich seas around the UK and elsewhere. By catch, the word that describes the indiscriminate catch of species other than those required has been responsible for the drop in stocks of many species, as young dead fish and other species are thrown back. Whales, dolphins, porpoises, sharks and seabirds are killed in huge numbers every year. It is believed that probably 300,000 small whales, dolphins and porpoises are killed around the world every year. How long this can continue without drastic consequences is a matter of opinion.
In addition, bottom trawling three or four times a year has severely damaged the delicate seabed habitats of many species. Low catches and unfair, mismanaged fishing quotas have decimated fishing fleets and communities, yet without restrictions fish stocks could be wiped out completely. The UK fishing industry alone provides at least 26,000 jobs and is valued at £800 - 1,200 million to the British economy. It is therefore essential that ways should be found to protect fish stocks and support fishermen in their efforts, both for us and their families.
In 1997 WWF and Unilever formed the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) to encourage sustainable fishing and give consumers a chance to make their own choices using the MSC's blue tick logo. Some 21 well-managed certified fisheries have been identified, including Hastings mackerel, herring and Dover sole. MSC-accredited fish is sold in top restaurants in London and elsewhere, Dover sole being one of the most expensive, eco-friendly fish on the market. Many supermarkets are also stocking MSC-accredited fish. Many fishermen involved are already benefiting from the scheme. For detailed information and the opportunity to make an informed choice, check out the MSC website.
WWF, along with other organisations, has been campaigning for years to get a new Marine Act in place which would add to the nine marine species and eight marine habitats that have legal protection at present. In November 2006, the Government did not introduce the hoped-for bill and the fight continues. More information is available on the WWF website.
So what are the prospects for our favourite British dish? Unless we take matters into our own hands and make the right choices, cod and plaice may be no more. There are excellent alternatives, use of which could help depleted stocks recover. We are constantly urged to eat more fish for our health, and it seems we shall need to be more adventurous in our choices and more strident in our requests for variety in the supermarkets if we are to continue to enjoy fish suppers. Pollack, hake, coley, shellfish (hand-picked, not dredged), sardines and mackerel come to mind, along with wild salmon and line-caught tuna. Red mullet and John Dory are some of the strangely-named fish around and perhaps we should look to markets in predominantly ethnic areas of our cities where some wonderfully-named species are available. Of course, the latter brings up the question of 'food miles' and whether we should encourage the import of food from faraway places!
There is just no easy answer, but the question won't go away — do we reduce or ban fishing for certain species, give better protection to sensitive marine areas or do we munch away till our children's heritage and food choices are gone, perhaps forever? The MSC certification is certainly one way, but it is down to consumers to drive this method forward. This is without touching on the loss of diversity around our coastline, which rivals anything the tropics can offer — we just don't see it. Careful conservation has brought back other species from the brink, but in the case of fish, more than most species, it needs the cooperation of all nations involved and a determination to make a difference, for the sake of fish stocks and the fishing industry itself.
In the meantime, look out for the MSC tick logo and voice your concern whenever possible. The thought of Friday night without fish and chips doesn't bear thinking about, as yet another British tradition looks in danger of disappearing.
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