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A ‘discard’ is any type of animal caught by fishing gear and thrown back into the sea, alive or dead. Discarded unwanted catch (often referred to as by-catch) can be any commercially valuable marine species, such as commonly eaten fish, or any other marine animal which is caught accidentally.

Discarding is not good for the environment and is costly for fishermen. It is also seen as a destructive and wasteful practice.

Why are there discards?

Discarding is a complex issue occurring for a number of reasons:

Quota restrictions: quota limits are in place to protect fish stocksfrom overfishing. Fishermen, who run out of quota for one species, may continue to fish for other species for which they still have quota and discard fish where their quota has been exhausted. These ‘over-quota’ discards (quota species discarded above the legal minimum landing size) are estimated to account for around 22% of English and Welsh discards. Catch quotas offer a potential solution to this problem (see ‘Tackling the discard problem’ section below).
High grading: where fishermen discard fish that is worth less money in order to optimise the value of their catches. The UK is operating a European high grading ban in seas around the UK to stop this behaviour.
Under the legal Minimum Landing Size: a Minimum Landing Size (MLS) is technical rule that aims to protect small/juvenile commercial fish from being targeted and sold by fishermen. The mixed nature of species found in most European fisheries means that one size of net mesh is rarely suitable for all species. As a consequence many fish below the MLS may be caught and then discarded. Around 24% of estimated discards are quota species below the legal MLS and were too small to land. Much work has taken place in the UK to improve the selectivity of fishing nets/gears.
Market conditions: some species will be discarded because they are not popular to eat and so unlikely to sell in fish markets. An estimated 54% of discards (2008) are discarded for reasons relating to weak/absent markets. The Fishing for the Markets project aims to address this issue (see section below).
By-catch of protected species: species that are listed as a priority for conservation (e.g. whales and dolphins, seabirds and some sharks) may be accidently caught by fishermen, and some can die before or after being returned to the sea.
Unwanted benthos: some species (for example, starfish, seaweed, worms, anemones) that live on, in or near the ocean floor are not intentionally targeted by fisheries but may be discarded if they are tangled in fishing nets.

Tackling the discard problem

Defra is working to reduce discards through various initiatives:

At a European Level: We are involved in discussions with the European Commission and other Member States to ensure that new ways of reducing discards can be taken up at European Community level.

The reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in 2012 provides us with an important opportunity to reduce discards. We want to encourage and enable commercial fishermen to make long-term business decisions though giving them greater responsibility to safeguard fish stocks and reduce discards.
UK and Denmark Fully Documented Catch Quota Pilots. The UK Government, in partnership with Denmark, is trialling an alternative system of managing fish stocks in the North Sea. Rather than using the traditional method of counting catches on land, this alternative method counts catches at sea. The aim of the trial is to understand whether this type of management system is possible in EU fisheries, if it can reduce discards, and encourage fishermen to fish more selectively. Interim results look promising and we aim to extend the trials in 2011 to gather more evidence for CFP reform.

In the UK: Defra is using fresh approaches and ideas to reduce discards. Projects include:

Social marketing research studies to understand and change discard behaviours of fishermen, e.g. Project 50% in 2009, in which scientists and fishermen working together reduced discards in the Brixham trawl fleet by 52%; and a current project on trawlers in the Irish Sea.
Gear modifications trials that try to reduce the capture of unwanted marine species, such as the current Looe (South West) otter trawl pilot.
The Fishing for the markets project, a new initiative looking to encourage consumption of under-utilised, sustainable species that are often discarded. The project aims to gather knowledge and experience from a range of individuals and organisations along the supply chain about existing market practices and un-tapped potential for under-utilised species. See Eating a wider range of fish.