Prince of Wales has his say on sustainable fishing

Prince Charles has waded into the fisheries debate by calling for fish stocks to be managed in a more intelligent way to increase catches and boost profits.

Speaking this morning at the launch of a new report published by The Princes’s Charities’ International Sustainability Unit, the Prince warned it was “critically urgent” that a way was found to manage fish stocks more sustainably.

Using a banking analogy throughout his speech at Fishmongers Hall in London, the Prince spoke of the need to generate more value from fish.

”We go beyond taking the dividend,” he told delegates. “We are digging a long way into the entire marine eco-system’s capital reserve, which has reduced its resilience considerably, leaving us dangerously exposed.”

The World Bank estimates that fisheries could be worth an extra $50bn annually if they were better managed.

The “story” need no longer be one of doom and gloom but instead, one that “harbours the possibility of generating more value from a strongly performing natural asset”, he added.

The report – Towards Global Sustainable Fisheries: the Opportunity for Transition – outlined ways in which greater sustainability could be achieved, such as changing the economics of fishing through rewarding positive behaviour.

EU Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki and fisheries minister Richard Benyon attended and leant their support to the unit’s work.