The whole discard issue is completely stupid. The fishermen have a quota limiting the number of each type of fish they can bring back to land with them... only their nets catch rather more. To ensure they keep within the quota, the fishermen chuck swathes of dead fish back in to the sea.
Now, the idea behind quotas is that certain fish are not overfished. A noble sentiment. But, if they are being caught, and thrown back dead; what's the point? They are still being overfished. The entire point of the exercise is defeated. Better to say that each crew is allowed a set amount of time out at sea, and they can bring back whatever they catch. That would be a much better way to conserve stocks, and also to ensure that if a fish is caught and killed, it's eaten, rather than just thrown back.
More senseless is the shark issue; they are caught, have their fins lopped off, and thrown back in to the sea to die an agonising, slow, death. All to supply a trade in shark fin soup...
...and the thing is, it's estimated that some shark populations have been reduced by 90% in a decade. From whatever perspective you look at it, this is stupid.
From an environmental perspective, it's a disaster that could completely screw up the ecosystem in areas of the sea as species are driven to extinction.
From a shark fin soup fan's perspective, it's also a disaster; after all, if all the sharks are extinct, how are you going to ever have your favourite soup again?
It's bad news all round...
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