Should we Fish Fight?

I’ve liked Hugh’s Fish Fight.  It very effectively raised the issue of discarding in Europe, clearly resulting in a strong new policy proposal in the CFP reform.  But how effective has it been in changing public behavior?  Apparently not much.

Here’s the Guardian:

Figures from supermarkets show that while sales of under-utilised, or “sustainable”, species such as mackerel and pouting have increased dramatically following the show’s first airing in January, sales of common fish-counter species such as cod, salmon and tuna have held steady. So demand for fish has increased overall.

Aniol Esteban, head of environmental economics at the New Economics Foundation adds:

There is no evidence that encouraging people to be more adventurous with new species will ease the pressure on fish stocks….Fish stock restoration deserves more attention than the promotion of fish consumption. Promoting the consumption of unwanted species is a risky gamble which could lead to more demand for fish and put more pressure on our fish stocks.