The Times/Can you help?

[Jonathan Richards]

Hi,

This is no doubt an unusual post but I was wondering whether anyone in the UK fishing community may be able to help.

My name is Jonathan Richards and I'm a reporter at The Times.

I'm researching a story at the moment about how fish caught in UK waters are sent abroad to be prepared before being shipped back to be sold in supermarkets and other outlets.

Might anyone at Fishing Forum have any information about this practice? I would basically be keen to know where it is happening, on what kind of scale, to which countries the fish are sent, how long it takes, who is involved - all that kind of thing.

If anyone connected with the UK fishing industry is able to get in touch, I'd be most grateful. If you'd rather the communication by anonymous, that too can be arranged.

Thanks v. much for your time.

Regards,

Jonathan Richards
Reporter, The Times
0207 782 5000
jonathan.richards@thetimes.co.uk

[upnorth1]

When the UK government suddenly wake up and smell the coffee and realise that Norweigian and Icelandic governments manage their fishing industry much better than we do - then really nothing is going to change around our shores....

All boats are fitted with tracking devices in Norway and Iceland as well as being registered in them said countries.

If a boat is in their waters and is not fitted with that said device - the armed forces want to know why....leave or be forced to leave.

This country is far too soft - and just decide to tax it's population to the hilt - while other countries destroy our fish population - even the freshwater fish are being depleted by shall we say eastern european communities....

[Rob M]

Hi Jonathan. To answer your question, I'm sorry I have no knowledge of how fish are caught and sent overseas or am I connected to the fishing industry. I fish for sport and the pleasure of being of relaxing on the bank. I'm not sure if anyone on this forum is connected to the fishing industry unless anyone else knows different.

[Noel]

upnorth1 your answer has nothing to do with the question asked.

He's asking whether fish caught by British trawlers is being sold abroad and then sent back to Britain and sold here after it has been processed. I don't know anything about it I'm afraid.

We're mostly pleasure anglers here. This is a local forum for local people

[upnorth1]

Oh but it does Noel.....Most commercial British skippers aren't even registered in this country!
My point is this - the government offer compensation to the skipper to de-commision the trawler - then - the skipper can go to France, or Spain, or Italy anywhere really, register on another trawler, then to top it all - go and fish the same waters he fished in his de-commisioned boat!
How mad is that? A back pocket full of compensation, sail from a foreign port to fish the same waters, back to a foreign port - then export the fish back to the UK.....
This government couldn't manage a p*ss up in a brewery, never mind the UK's fish stocks.....