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THE Findus Group, which includes Young's and The Seafood Company within its organisation, has challenged some of the issues raised in a recent report which claims that Britain only has enough fish around its shores to last seven months of the year.
The study by the New Economics Foundation and the European lobbying group Ocean 2012 maintained earlier this month that the UK fishing industry cannot cope with demand from its own resources and therefore people needed to take a different approach to seafood consumption..
But this week Stephen Taylor, Fish Category Director of the Findus Group (incorporating Young's) said: "We welcome this report but it is misleading to consumers to suggest that we should either stop importing fish into Europe or eat less fish. There are many sustainable, well managed fisheries outside Europe from which we choose to source, for instance MSC certified Alaskan Pollock and Norwegian Atlantic cod. Sustainable aquaculture also plays an increasing role and the economic and social benefits it brings to developing countries shouldn't be ignored."
"We are completely committed to fish sustainability through our Fish for Life programme and whilst we agree that the CFP reform process offers a valuable opportunity to drive further change through the industry, we fundamentally disagree that international trade in seafood should be curtailed on the grounds of sustainability.
He added: "The industry needs to continue to work together to ensure that we can meet the need for this valuable and healthy protein long into the future through a combination of carefully managing wild stocks and sustainable aquaculture."
Should fisheries be closed during breeding time to allow stocks to reach more sustainable levels?
