Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall will be back on the box this Thursday with a new campaign to protect the world’s oceans from destructive fishing practices.

The new series - Hugh’s Fish Fight: Save Our Ocean - is the third instalment in Fearnley-Whittingstall’s long running Fish Fight campaign, launched in January 2011. It will air on channel 4 for an hour at 9pm and will be followed up by two further hour-long episodes on 21 and 28 February.

In Thursday’s show, the campaigning chef will review the impact that dynamiting fish has had in the Philippines. Closer to home, he will highlight the destructive effects of scallop dredging and show how marine protected areas are aiding the recovery of the island’s waters. He will also launch his campaign on the beach at Weston-super-Mare.

“Riding the wave of success for his recent campaign to end fish discards he has decided it’s time to open up a new front in his battle for more sustainable oceans,” Channel 4 said in a statement.  

In episode two, he will visit the oceans near Antarctica to look at the fishing of krill – which is used in salmon feed and in the third and final episode, he will visit Thailand to lift the lid on the warm water prawn farming industry. 

Hugh’s campaign comes as Defra is currently consulting on the designation of a number of marine conservation zones around the country in a bid to prevent habitat loss and boost the recovery of fish stocks around the English and Welsh coasts. “There’s a real chance that this fantastic opportunity could be lost if this consultation process stalls or its recommendations are ignored,” Channel 4 said. 

Fearnley-Whittingstall will also follow up on elements of his previous Fish Fight series’ in his latest offer. He will revisit his campaign to end fish discards – which comes after a crucial vote by MEPs last week to enshrine the ending of discards in the new Common Fisheries Policy.   

He will also look at the ‘mackerel wars’ between the EU & Norway and Iceland & the Faroes, which has led to the suspension of MSC certification for mackerel from the North East Atlantic. He will, however, not look at the tuna industry, which was previously the subject of his ire.

To watch a preview, follow the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvgWYoxB-m4

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