Fish Update Briefing, Friday, June 15

BOTTOM TRAWLING BLAMED FOR FISH DUMPING
A RECENT study by the University of Western Australia and the University of British Columbia has calculated that huge amounts of fish are dumped each year by trawlers. The study estimates that a total of 437 million tonnes of fish worth around (Australian) $720 billion have been thrown overboard in the past 65 years globally by industrial fisheries using bottom trawls. Bottom trawling captures fish through large nets that are dragged along the seabed by industrial vessels. The study, published by Fisheries Research, reveals bottom trawling generates the most fish losses. Study co-author Professor Dirk Zeller, from UWA’s School of Biological Sciences and the Sea Around Us – Indian Ocean, said the huge waste of fish was due to the massive scale of bottom trawling involved and its lack of selectivity.
IRISH SEAFOOD LEADERS TO DISCUSS BREXIT IMPACT
IRISH seafood and fishing companies are expected to discuss the impact of Brexit on the industry when they meet at the Our Ocean Wealth Summit in Galway at the end of this month. They will also discuss what action to take to limit any possible damage. The two-day event takes place on June 28 and 29. BIM chief executive Jim O’Toole said there would be challenges but he believed they could be overcome. The Irish seafood sector was already operating in tough competitive international markets, he added.
GERMAN SUB NOT A THREAT TO FISH – SCIENTISTS
SCIENTISTS have found no evidence that the wreck of a wartime German submarine off the coast of Norway is polluting fish stocks. An extensive study has been carried out by a team from Norway’s Institute of Marine Research over several years and it has found no increase in the level of mercury from the wreck. The submarine U-864 left Kiel in December 1944 to take a large quantity of mercury to Japan, but had to put into the Norwegian port of Bergen for repairs. When she left in February 1945 she was sunk by the British submarine HMS Venturer. Her 73-strong crew all perished.
NORTHERN IRELAND NETS UAE SEAFOOD DEAL
A FISHING co-operative in Kilkeel, Northern Ireland, has secured a partnership deal to supply seafood to stores and restaurants in the United Arab Emirates. The organisation, Seasource, said the partnership is through an e-commerce company in Abu Dhabi and will enable fresh fish to be flown out to the region within 48 hours of receiving an order. Alan McCulla, chief executive of Seasource, said the project will be built up gradually and should eventually be worth £1.5 million a year.