UK fishing industry 'can't meet demand'

The UK's fish supplies only last for seven months of the year, the research by independent think-tank the New Economics Foundation and European lobbying organisation Ocean2012 found.

The report – Fish Dependence – points to the forthcoming reform of the EU's Common Fisheries Policy as a "unique" opportunity for change and to adopt an approach that will restore marine ecosystems and divide resources fairly around the world.

Researchers demonstrated the impact of stock decline and rising consumption by using a calendar to find the day when the EU and each one of its member states starts to eat fish from elsewhere in the world.

This showed that if people in the UK only ate fish from the country's own supplies, these would run out on August 3, based on current consumption levels.

It also showed that this would now happen two weeks earlier than in 2000, revealing greater dependence on other fisheries.

Each UK citizen consumes an average of 45lb of fish a year.

With 72 per cent of stocks in European waters over-fished, the report said it is clear the UK needs to fish and consume differently in order to guarantee jobs, food and incomes in the industry in the future.

Other research claims noise pollution from shipping, drilling for oil, or wind farms could drive fish away from natural habitats into areas where they could die, potentially devastating future fish stocks.

A UK-led team made the discovery while working on the Great Barrier Reef as well as debunking the myth that fish have three-second memories.

Dr Steve Simpson, a researcher in the University of Bristol's school of biological sciences, said: "When only a few weeks old, baby reef fish face a monumental challenge in locating and choosing suitable habitat."