Fishing, the environment and the media

The publication in December 2004 of a UK Royal Commission report on the impacts of fishing on the marine environment raised something of a storm but whether this was provoked by the report itself or by injudicious reporting in the media was not immediately clear. Turning the Tide, an uncompromising analysis based largely on a review of available literature conducted by a team of eminent British scientists, calls for a profound restructuring of marine environmental management. The centrepiece of the report's recommendations is the proposed establishment within 5 years of a network of marine reserves (no take zones) covering 30% of the waters around the UK. Despite the strength of supporting evidence, certain aspects of the report give cause for concern: a lack of detachment and proportionality in formulating the conclusions; insensitivity towards the plight of fishing communities; and a lack of political realism. Wildly exaggerated accounts of the state of the marine environment that appeared in some sections of the press raise questions about the role of the media in brokering information about fishing and the environment to an unsuspecting public. Prospects for a well informed and balanced debate on the issues raised by the report have been undermined and improving relations between fishermen and environmental interests - essential partners in environmental integration - have been temporarily set back.