Industry leaders vow to complain
Ryan Crighton - Press and Journal - 28th January 2010
The BBC was on a collision course with the Scottish fishing industry last night after screening a documentary portraying skippers as whale and dolphin killers who were committing “slow suicide”.
The broadcaster – funded solely by the licence fee – won plaudits in the north and north-east for its frank snapshot of the UK’s most dangerous job in the groundbreaking Trawlermen series.
But its expose on fish – part of its Britain’s Really Disgusting Food series – has caused outrage for focusing on Greenpeace claims that most major species are being driven towards extinction.
One north-east politician has accused the BBC of using public money to make a “propaganda” film for the environmental pressure group, while one of the stars of Trawlermen urged viewers to complain about the show.
Scottish boats have been leading the European effort to conserve North Sea and west coast stocks by developing new gear and even introducing CCTV on boats.
Britain’s Really Disgusting Food suggested 90% of the major fish stocks had vanished and it was a matter of time before others followed.
Presenter Alex Riley said the use of minced white fish instead of cod in fish fingers indicated that the species was disappearing.
He went on to say that fishing is “not the most precise form of hunting” before showing cartoons of fishermen catching and killing whales and dolphins.
Greenpeace featured in the hour-long programme, claiming that fishermen and the species they hunt are heading towards extinction.
The organisation even predicted that the industry would collapse by 2048.
Mr Riley said it was comm-itting “long, slow suicide”.
But John Buchan, skipper of the Peterhead-registered Ocean Venture II, who found fame in the 2006 Trawlermen series, said he was “disgusted” by Mr Riley’s show, and urged fellow fishermen to make official complaints.
The skipper said of the TV presenter: “He was an idiot and the programme was a load of rubbish. The Scottish fishing industry has done more than any other country to protect fish stocks. We want a future for the generations behind us.
“We have gone so far for conservation we now have a camera on our net so people can see what we are doing.
“The programme read out a list of endangered fish, including cod – but the sea is full of cod. I would imagine that anyone in the industry who saw it would be angry. I think people should complain. I was disgusted by this piece of nonsense.
“It paints a black picture of the industry and is really bad for the public to see something like that.”
Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, claimed the industry’s hard work was “distorted” by manipulating “facts” in the show.
He said: “It is very easy to cherry-pick global statistics and draw conclusions which seem to apply everywhere. Have a closer look at Scotland would be my answer to that.
“We don’t want the truth about what we are doing distorted by generalisations.”
North-east Tory MSP Alex Johnstone described the programme as “corrupt” and “propaganda supporting minority views”.
He said: “I am outraged at the editorial policy of the BBC and that it could be hijacked by a minority organisation who misrepresent the facts.
“By failing to give a balanced view, the BBC is leaving itself open to allegations of bias and corrupt reporting.
“I was in Peterhead a few weeks ago and there was more cod in the market than has been for a long time.
“The BBC should not be using licence payers’ money making propaganda films supporting minority views, and presenting them as fact.
“I will be taking this matter up with the broadcasting regulator Ofcom.”
A spokeswoman for the BBC Trust, which was put in place to get the “best out of the BBC for licence fee payers”, was unable to say whether there had been any complaints yesterday.
Greenpeace said it stood by the information on the programme. Mr Riley’s agent did not respond to our request to speak to the presenter.
Ofcom will publish its weekly complaints list today.
See also:
Thermageddon, the BBC and a giant snake
BBC report finds bias within corporation
Scientologists to BBC: what planet are you on?
Squirrels bias and the BBC
Hell will freeze before a BBC Mohammed film
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