• Engelsk
  • Uddannelse: HHX
  • Karakter: 10 tal
  • Ord: 1401

Indholdsfortegnelse
The Decline of the fishing industry
The scandal of farmed salmon
Glossary:

Optimer dit sprog - Læs vores guide og scor topkarakter

Uddrag
Once at the heart of the livelihoods and culture of numerous small communities around the north of Scotland

the rich fishing grounds of the North Sea and North Atlantic are today increasingly dominated by multinational-owned trawlers, continental fishing boats and hi-tech boats owned by Scottish fishing millionaires.

Their practices, encouraged by the food industry and the appalling European Union Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), have had an enormous impact on the marine environment

all but destroying what was a traditional small-scale and sustainable industry. The scale of the problem and who is to blame, however, is definitely a matter of contention.

Overfishing has not only forced various species to the brink of extinction, but has had tremendously damaging effects on marine ecology.

Bottom trawling destroys the ecology of the ocean floor and fragile coral, and one in four fish caught by this means are 'by-catch'

- fish that are too small or a different species to the allocated quota - including dolphins and porpoises. They are thrown overboard, often maimed or dead.

Sand eels, a vital part of the marine eco-system as food for other fish and seabirds, are also threatened by industrial fishing practices.

In 2004, the EU called for a complete ban on the fishing of cod, sole, plaice, hake (white fish) and other endangered species in Western Scotland in order to preserve declining stocks.

At the end of 2004, the UK government reached an 'imperfect compromise', placing more restrictions on the Scottish fishing industry, but stopping short of a full ban, fearing the total collapse of the Scottish fishing economy.

There are around 5,000 active fishers in Scotland today, mostly around fishing towns such as Fraserburgh, Peterhead, Lochinver and Oban in the North of Scotland and Lerwick in Shetland.

Many Scottish fishers (and Scottish Nationalists) blame the situation on the CFP. They argue that Scottish fishing rights have been handed over to continental fishermen.

However, it is clear that new technologies, huge corporate investment and the supermarkets and food processors have also played a part, in not demanding fish from sustainable sources.