Royal Watch News

Prince Charles wants to save fish and chips

May 9, 2012, 12:01 GMT

Prince Charles

Britain's Prince Charles has launched a campaign to save fish and chips.

The prince - a staunch environmentalist - warned of the 'dire' consequences of over-fishing in a speech to representatives of the worldwide fishing industry at the World Fisheries Congress in Edinburgh.

He said: 'Fish and chips are a part of British culture, one of our iconic national dishes.

'But I wonder if it is an aspect of our national life that we can safely say can be sustained indefinitely? When I was at school here in Scotland I remember one occasion buying fish and chips from a shop in Inverness. It never occurred to me then that I was eating food that had such a reliance on how we treat a wild natural resource.

'But, of course, how we harvest the fish has a direct impact on how many are left to catch next time. I am delighted that some pioneering fish and chip shop owners are making the connection and I am very much looking forward to discussing what might be done to help them make sure we can carry on enjoying this peculiarly British tradition.'

Charles urged for better care to be taken with planning in the fishing industry in order for fish stocks to be readily available long into the future.

He added: 'The simple fact is that fish and chip shops rely on there being plenty more fish in the sea, and that is only going to be the case if we take care of fish stocks now and plan for them to be there long into the future. If their businesses are to remain viable in the long term, fisheries management, accompanied by sound science, really matters to them too.'

The prince went on to point out the way cod in the North Sea had doubled in six years, thanks to strict fishing quotas and other management techniques - a contrast to falling stocks elsewhere in the world.

He said: 'If fish stocks fail, then the social and economic consequences will be dire. Just think of all those thousands of coastal communities in Africa and around the world whose livelihoods and futures depend on fish - where will they go, what will they do? How would escalating conflict over scarce resources be contained?

'Global fish stocks are deteriorating and we cannot ignore the fact, merely carrying on as if it is business as usual.'