SOUTH EAST CORNWALL'S MP has met with local fishermen to discuss the EU rules which see them throwing dead fish back into the sea.

Sheryll Murray, MP, was approached by fishermen in her constituency hoping something could be done about the issue.

Mrs Murray said: "Cod, if caught when trying to catch other fish, frequently gets discarded dead. This does nothing for stocks for future years and is a shocking waste of a nutritious meal.

"Many people, who are struggling in the current economic climate, would be glad of such a healthy source of protein I am sure. I am therefore calling on the Minister to look at cod quotas urgently."

Mrs Murray has bid to ask the Defra Minister about the "shocking" waste of cod from discards on March 1.

Her question reads: "What plans does the Minister have to increase the cod quota allocation for the under ten-metre vessels in area VIId and also area VIIb to k in order to reduce the discarding of a good healthy source of protein?"