HUGH’S FISH FIGHT

Earlier this year, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall left the comfort of River Cottage to examine Britain’s fishing industry. He investigated why so much fish is thrown back into the sea dead, why so little of the UK catch is sold here, and explored the supermarket claims about the fish they sell.

As a direct result of Hugh's campaign, major policy changes are being considered. The British Government is funding a study into the potential effects of a discard ban, and in July the European Commission published their proposals for a new Common Fisheries Policy – including recommendations for a discard ban.

But that doesn't mean that the law will actually change. There is another 18 months to go before the new Common Fisheries Policy becomes law, which is why Hugh went back to Brussels to launch the Fish Fight campaign in another 11 languages and countries. The pressure he generates across Europe could be the difference between success and failure, long term sustainable fisheries or more years of pointless waste.

And its not just discards. Fish Fight also looked at how tinned tuna is caught, and challenged some of the major retailers and suppliers to stop using fishing methods that lead to high levels of by-catch of sharks, turtles and rays. As direct result of the pressure from Fish Fight, Tesco, Princes, Morrisons, Asda and John West, agreed to change their fishing methods over the next few years.

If you missed Hugh’s Fish Fight the first time around, or found it so compelling you want to watch it again, you can catch up with Hugh’s crusade here.