UK: "Fishy MPs Battered" -- Tuna at risk? Fish stocks? EU? Fish politics.

[Mr. X]

Below is are extracts for an exclusive article by Nigel Nelson in today's Sunday People (Nov 6th 2005). [It looks like Nigel is "socking it to 'the Man'" ! ]:

""Fishy MPs Battered"

Greedy MPs are dining on endangered fish in the Commons canteens and restaurants.

The most popular dishes, salmon and code, care No. 3 on a five-point scale issued by the Maritime Conservation Society -- who are trying to protect falling stocks.

And the third most popular, tuna, is No 5 - meaning they are at 'severe risk' of extinction.

...
Every one of Parliament's 40 fish dishes contains a species on the endangered list. And ten get a top No 5 rating."


In the case of our "Glorious Leaders", it seems, we are supposed to do what they say and not what they do!

On a more serious note -- Tuna endangered?! "Tell me it ain't so, Joe!".

[Huan]

It ain't so.
The species Thunnus is a big one, many of it's members are fished heavily and some like Giant Bluefin are under a fair bit of pressure.
However many others such as Albacore are in fine health an are actually not even being caught to the limit of the Quota.
I would find it very strange if MP's actually developed a taste for Bluefin as it is usually eaten raw as Sashimi.
OTOH Albacore is much more commonly eaten cooked and is probably what those members are dining on.
This is another blatant piece of propaganda put out by groups like the Marine conservation society which only want to put their narrow viewpoint across.
The MCS is a pressure group and does not have any scientific basis for its claims, unlike the IUCN.
Don't believe the hype!

[Mr. X]

I see what you mean. They have the lamest website I have ever seen - glossy but zero content (perfect for these times perhaps) -- it looks like all they do is collect donations !

[Oldsarge]

You will find that most "animal rights" groups are just that, engines for collecting donations. Their administrators live high off the nickles collected from battalions of middle-aged or elderly ladies who think they're doing good things for the poor helpless kitty-cats they dote on. The only true believers are a collection of vegetarian Taliban that need not be attended to with anything but a stout stick.