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The second European Fish Free Week, organised by the European Cetacean Bycatch Campaign, ended at midnight on 25th August, and as in the Fish Free Week in April of this year, some very important milestones were passed.
The number of restaurateurs expressing not only an interest in our activities, but also positive support in removing fish from their menus for the week, has increased.
Further, many expressed a wish to stock their fridges with fresh fish that had been supplied from a sustainable resource that did not harm other species.
To quote one, “There’s not a lot of point in me supplying approved fish if other animals have died as a result of the fishing method….. to my customers it’s the same thing”!
Another stated that he would "no longer be happy to supply farmed fish because of the cetacean bycatch levels of industrial trawlers which are used to obtain the fishmeal to feed farmed fish, and because of the harmful effects of the chemicals used in fish farming".
As the campaign gathers momentum, far be it for us to suggest that an under supplied market is waiting to be exploited by fishermen who use handlines and pole and lines, but………
It is thought that demand may well be so high in the future that there exists the distinct possibility of re-awakening some of the now dormant fishing villages, creating work opportunities in remote areas, restoring pride to local communities, and delivering an ecologically sound product to the market.
The high price commanded by a quality product is unlikely to diminish; due to the nature of acceptable methods of capture, the market is unlikely ever to be over-supplied - facts which are being noted by large numbers of artisanal fishermen throughout Europe.
It is interesting to note that a number of supportive e-mails expressed their writers’ dismay that others have yet to make the distinction between a sustainable resource and an ecologically friendly sustainable resource.
The campaign continues – our thanks to those organisations carrying European Cetacean Bycatch Campaign information, and our thanks to the growing numbers of people signing the on-line petition.
If you haven’t already done so, please log on and sign the petition at
http://www.petitiononline.com/ecbc2000/petition.html
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