Regulatory Environment for Discards and Bycatch
Fisheries management decisions can influence whether or not food loss and waste (FLW) occurs. For example, quotas can result in the selection of allowable marketable fish and the discarding of fish for which a quota is not available.
The International Guidelines on Bycatch Management and Reduction of Discards were developed and adopted by the FAO Technical Consultation held in Rome from 6 to 10 December 2010. They are intended to assist States and RFMO/As in the management of bycatch and reduction of discards in conformity with the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.
States and regional fisheries management organizations and arrangements (RFMO/As) should ensure that a range of tools to manage bycatch and reduce discards are available. Such tools include, inter alia:
- Input and/or output controls
- The improvement of the design and use of fishing gear and bycatch mitigation devices
- Spatial and temporal measures
- Limits and/or quotas on bycatches
- Bans on discards, where applicable, providing that the retained catch cannot be released alive and is utilised in a manner that is consistent with the Code
- Incentives for fishers to comply with measures to manage bycatch and reduce discards.
Bycatch Legislation for Trawling
Bycatch Legislation for Trawling
Cuba, Guyana, Nigeria, Madagascar and Tanzania are countries which have or had such legislation that require trawlers to land a proportion of bycatch along with shrimp. Although shrimp trawling ceased in 2007 in Tanzania, the amount of bycatch landed was linked to the granting or renewal of annual fishing licences. Countries such as Cameroon, the Gambia, Mozambique and Nigeria have also seen the evolution of at-sea collection of bycatch whereby small boats/canoes meet trawlers at sea and collect/buy bycatch and bring it ashore for sale and/or processing. The fish on landing was sold fresh or processed using traditional methods.
EU Ban on Discarding Fish
EU Ban on Discarding Fish
Due to the quota system, there were high levels of fish discards at sea in many EU fisheries as fishermen selected out the most profitable and legally allowed fish to be landed from catches. Partly due to a popular public campaign to change the system and avoid discards, the EU changed its policy and introduced a discard ban. From 1 January 2015 onwards, fishermen in certain parts of the EU must land all the fish they catch, and by 2019 all fishermen will have the same obligation. Under the landing obligation, all catches have to be kept on board, landed and counted against quotas. Any good, wholesome fish that could be sold for human consumption should be. However, undersized fish cannot be marketed for human consumption purposes, rather for:
- ‘non-direct human consumption’ - food additives and fish protein-based products
- ‘non-human consumption’ - industrial uses such as fish meal, flours and pellets, fish oil, pet food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, fertilizer and composting, energy production, bait and animal feed
Key Publications
International Guidelines on Bycatch Management and Reduction of Discards The Food and Agriculture Organization, in collaboration with member states have developed international guidelines to aid in implementing appropriate measures in regards to the management of bycatch and the reduction of discards in fisheries. | |
A Study Of The Options For Utilization Of Bycatch and Discards From Marine Capture Fisheries | |
Discarding fish under the Common Fisheries Policy The link between quotas and discards has been recognised by the EU and amendments to the Common Fisheries Policy have been made to ban the discarding of fish. |
More Resources
More Resources
31 October 2023
01 October 2023