JIm Portus says, "Thank you Aaron!"

Here's an excellent reason to justify the actions of individual fishermen in making their voce heard via new communication tools!

Here, Jim Portus chairman of the South West Fish Producer's Organisation passes on his thanks to Aaron Mcloughlin who has started an online discussion: Campaign to Continue the Discarding of Fish

I am so pleased that a professional fisherman has started of his own accord this sensible debate. As a representative of such fishermen I will find it so much easier to take this argument to the top of the  bureaucracy in Westminster and in Brussels where dyed-in-the-wool desk drivers have been pontificating for a number of years about banning discards without any regard for the practicalities and, crucially ignoring the fact that many species survive quite well the discards process, especially if fishermen are mindful of the need to be prompt with their handling of such fish that they have no need to keep. Many fishermen in SWFPO Ltd and in other sector groups, have been working with enlightened scientists studying the rates of survival with worthy results. Most flatfish, Plaice, Sole, Skates and Rays survive at 40% to 100%, thus a ban on discards would increase mortality without benefit. If inshore small-boat fishers are forced to keep discards there are obvious safety and stability implications, not to mention the dispiriting effects of sorting fish for no reward solely for a landfill site! Well done Aaron.

You have my vote on this!

This follows on from the original post here: