The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation on Friday unveiled new guidelines aimed at reducing fishing discards that threaten in the long-term many fisheries and the livelihood of millions of fishermen. The guidelines cover all types of bycatch including discards, referring to fish that are caught accidently and then thrown back into the sea either dead or dying.
Bycatch may also include endangered species, juvenile fish, turtles, seabirds, and dolphins, and currently may be in excess of 20 million tonnes a year, the Rome-based UN agency said in a statement. The guidelines agreed by fisheries experts from 35 countries who met at the FAO last month.