Flyshoot fishing is promoted in a video with support from Europe. A sustainable method because you do not completely stir up the soil. But according to Filip De Bodt of Climaxi, there are many disadvantages. Especially because the Dutch are investing massively in it. Filip De Bodt, Climaxi: “The catches are so massive that others hardly get to work. Imagine: you have a net of about three kilometers and you close it. It is often packed.”
Lots of fish back overboard
They mainly fish for squid and sea bass. But many fish also end up in their nets that they are not allowed to fish for. “These are round fish such as cod and monkfish. They all go back overboard. That amounts to 40-50 percent and none of those fish survive. These are round fish with a special organ. Sole and plaice can handle that better. But those species cannot.”
Climaxi believes that the government should intervene and not wait for the sector to regulate itself. “We could say: there is no flyshoot fishing within 6 to 12 miles. That would certainly help our coastal fishermen.”
Eating seasonal fish
And as consumers we can also do something. Eating seasonal fish such as turbot, haddock and whiting. “One can sometimes leave the tomato crevettes at the end of the year. They now mainly come from the freezer via the large multinationals. For example, you can switch to scallops. That is in the middle of the season and a perfect replacement.”
Of course there are fresh shrimps. But they are now a lot more expensive.