- READ MORE: Woke scientists call for Brits to ditch scampi
- See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source
No trip to the beach is complete without a serving of haddock and chips, but scientists warn that illegal fishing practices could spell the end of this seaside staple.
Researchers from Blue Marine Foundation warn that Britain's fish stocks face collapse as trawlers dump back vast quantities of less valuable species.
In some parts of the UK, trawlers are chucking back six times as much fish as they bring ashore – despite the practice having been banned under EU law in 2013.
Experts now warn that this has created a 'ticking time bomb' for the UK's marine ecosystems.
Plaice are the worst affected species since they are often caught as 'bycatch' while trawlers go after expensive sole.
But other species, such as haddock, are also thrown back in vast numbers by fishing fleets targeting Norway Lobster, the main ingredient in scampi.
Celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, whose Fish Fight series prompted the ban on throwing back fish, says: 'It is time to get angry about wasting fish again.
'This government loves to talk about food security – but if you are serious about that you have got to stop collapsing stocks by just throwing fish away.'
In some parts of the UK, trawlers are chucking back six times as much fish as they bring ashore - despite the practice having been banned under EU law in 2013. Pictured: A fisherman throws cod caught in the English Channel
To protect dwindling fish stocks, trawlers have strict limits on how much of certain species they can bring back to shore.
However, due to the large net used in industrial fishing, the fleets can't go after one valuable species without also dredging up tonnes of other fish.
This means that ships often fill up their quotas for less valuable fish before they are done catching their expensive targets, limiting how much profit they can make per trip.
To get around this, fishing vessels often chuck back vast quantities of unwanted species so they don't fill up their quota.
The problem is that these fish do not survive being caught and thrown back, meaning that fishing fleets waste enormous quantities of fish that are simply killed and thrown away.
In 2011, campaigners led by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall filmed graphic depictions of prime but unwanted fish such as cod and haddock being thrown back.
The resulting public outcry eventually led to an EU-wide law called the 'landing obligation', which required fishing boats to bring back all the quota-regulated fish they caught.
However, scientists have discovered that fishing fleets are still throwing back vast quantities of UK fish.
Plaice are the worst affected but species like haddock are also thrown back in large quantities after being caught by trawlers searching for Norway Lobsters (pictured)
In the Irish Sea, stocks of plaice are so low that the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), which advises the UK and EU on fish populations, recommends that no catches be made next year.
However, discards of plaice from sole fisheries are estimated to be six times greater than current landings.
In the Eastern Channel, plaice stocks are well below minimum sustainability levels, and ICES are calling for a 56 per cent reduction in catches in 2027.
Yet, scientists estimated that 75 per cent of all plaice that is caught ends up being discarded at sea.
Even in the North Sea, where plaice stocks are healthy and sustainable, discard rates remain at 68 per cent.
Meanwhile, stocks of cod have plummeted around the UK due to overfishing and throw back.
Since 1980, cod stocks have fallen by 92 per cent in the West of Scotland and by 88 per cent in the Celtic Sea.
This practice is technically against UK law but campaigners from the Blue Marine Foundation claim that the government has failed to implement or enforce the rules.
Researchers from Blue Marine Foundation warn that Britain's fish stocks now face collapse as trawlers dump back vast quantities of less valuable species
The charity says that the rules were difficult to monitor since it would require remote electronic monitoring on boats, something the government wasn't willing to do.
Likewise, facilities to turn unwanted fish into fishmeal should have been set up dockside but were never built.
Jonny Hughes of Blue Marine Foundation said: 'The government has been ignoring the law it wrote a decade ago, and the results are catching up with it fast. This was inevitable.
'We are warning the government that there is major illegality going on here and it is the government itself that is to blame
'Some levels of discards are now many times higher than catches, not just for plaice which is the most conspicuous example of what is going wrong.
'If we are to have healthy fish stocks the quotas need to be set at a sustainable level for the bycatch as well as the fish that fishermen are targeting.'
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has been contacted for comment.