Trawler Dumps Endangered Fish, Sparking Eco-Outrage

Film of a British trawler dumping 10,000 pounds of dead fish caught in Norwegian waters back into the sea has outraged Norway as well as environmentalists, the Guardian reports. The boat dumped nearly 80% of its catch, including cod and other endangered fish, to comply with EU quotas. Conservationists slammed the wasteful practice and called for an overhaul of the rules.

"It is a disgrace," said a Greenpeace rep. "This practice is depleting populations that are already overfished and it is happening everywhere." The EU quota system—intended to preserve declining fish stocks—strictly limits the amount of fish boats can bring to port, but it results in the dumping all but the most profitable fish brought in by many trawlers. (More fish stories.)